Caitríona Redmond: My chicken soup is good for the soul — especially with these herb dumplings

Plus: "Keep an eye out on the specials and bargains to be had at this time of the year and you will easily have a full pantry by the time the Christmas holidays roll around."

This is a comforting and filling recipe inspired by my travels in Northern Italy. Use the leftovers from a roast chicken dinner for this recipe.

Now that Halloween is over, I’m slowly adding bits and pieces to my stash for December, two items per week. 

If you can do this rather than a big shop at the end of December you will save yourself a lot of time and effort, never mind money. 

Keep an eye out on the specials and bargains to be had at this time of the year and you will easily have a full pantry by the time the Christmas holidays roll around. 

This week I added a multibag of crisps and a bottle of minerals to my trolley, which cost me €4. Next week I think I’ll nab a piece of hard cheese and freeze it.

When the hour went back a few weeks ago it was a major shock to my system. 

The brightness in the morning was very welcome, but as the afternoons started to get darker, I was struggling with how dank and depressing it all felt. 

For me, I feel a little lower when I finish work in the dark and can’t get out to enjoy some brightness. 

The workdays are long in my home office; despite having the freedom to venture out if I want to, I can rarely take a break. 

I remind myself it’s in pursuit of financial independence, and I know it’s only temporary.

I have turned to comforting meals and dishes that have broth or stews that I can eat with a spoon. 

A dinner that can be slurped adds a little more fun into my evenings and the kids agree. I don’t want to be peeling spuds or standing over the hob when I finish work. 

That’s where the slow cooker or pressure cooker come into play and happily, they both use less energy than a conventional oven.

I last visited Northern Italy pre-covid and I hold its cuisine and people close to my heart. 

The budget can’t quite stretch to a return to Italy at the moment, instead I am doing my best to recreate my memories of the best of home cooking and comfort food. 

The last time I ate chicken soup with herb dumplings, it was in a tiny chalet on the side of a mountain.

While himself washed his soup down with hot Bombardino, I stuck to hot chocolate.

Every time I cook this week’s recipe, I fondly remember a magical week and I feel better.

There are times when I feel like a bit of a drudge in the kitchen. The cycle of preparing food, cooking, cleaning up, emptying the dishwasher and so on can be like a hamster wheel. 

I beat this feeling by pulling a precooked or pre-prepared meal from the freezer and pop the slow cooker on high in the mornings. 

A short holiday from the homemaking cycle is always welcome in my house. If you ever struggle with the texture of meat from the slow cooker I have some tips below.

Home truths: Cuts of meat for slow cooking

From whole chickens to sausages, every cut of meat can be cooked in a slow cooker, providing you can make it fit. I often hear people complain that their slow cooked meat is dry and stringy and instantly I know that it has been cooked for too long.

Even though a slow cooker lends itself to dropping everything in, switching it on and walking away, this method of cooking might be setting you up for failure. Chicken breasts for example, take just 2 hours to cook on high in a slow cooker. Meatballs take 3 hours without a sauce and 4 hours with a sauce.

I have found that larger cuts of meat, with sinew or fat content need a long and slow cook. Once cut against the grain large cuts are rarely dry or stringy in texture. Sometimes less liquid is better in a slow cooker, especially for meat, as high-water content may result in boiled meat which is not a popular texture.

Chicken Soup with Herb Dumplings

This is a comforting and filling recipe inspired by my travels in Northern Italy. Use the leftovers from a roast chicken dinner for this recipe.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken carcass

• 1.5l hot water

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• Salt, black pepper, and white pepper to taste

• For the dumplings:

• 500g breadcrumbs

• 30g butter, melted

• 20g parmesan cheese, grated

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 2 tbsp dill or parsley, finely chopped

• A pinch each of salt and pepper

• 50g plain flour

Method

1. Place the chicken into a large pot and cover with hot water and place the lid on top. Bring the pot to a simmer for 1 hour. After this time, strain away the bones, until you have pure liquid gold chicken stock. Season well to taste.

2. Return the stock to the large pot and add the onion and carrots. Bring the stock to a simmer once again.

3. In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, butter, cheese, egg and parsley. Compact the mixture into small ping-pong sized balls. If you find the mixture is a little too dry, add a few tablespoons of milk. Set the salt, pepper, and plain flour onto a plate and combine with a fork. Roll the dumplings in the flour until coated.

4. Gently lower the dumplings into the simmering chicken soup mixture. Cover the pot and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes.

5. Ladle the soup and generous helpings of the bread dumplings into a large bowl and serve with plenty of chopped herbs and hunks of bread.