When you feel a cold coming, quickly make some chicken soup with dumplings. This delicious soup tastes great and has miraculous health effects.
It is true that the soup is nowhere near a so-called antiviral drug, so it does not destroy any viruses, but it can significantly improve the symptoms of infection. More precisely, stuffy nose, headache and sore throat.
In addition, a chicken soup with dumplings has a beneficial effect on the mental state. Several studies show that this preparation consumed in case of cold or flu has comforting properties, due to the placebo effect. In other words, we think the soup is good for us and, lo and behold, we really feel better!
However, the complex of vitamins, minerals, proteins and good fats in the soup should not be forgotten. The combination of chicken with abundant vegetables and fresh parsley is excellent for supporting immunity.
Here’s how to make chicken soup with fluffy and tender semolina dumplings.
Chicken soup with dumplings recipe: ingredients, preparation
Ingredients for a 2.5 liter bowl:
- 2 rear chicken legs (look for the yellow, fatty meat, because that fat gives the soup its delicious flavor)
- 1 white onion
- 3-4 slices of celery root
- 1 parsnip
- 1 parsley root
- 4-5 thin carrots
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- salt, pepper (to taste)
- 1 egg, 1 pinch of salt, a little ground pepper, 1 pinch of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of semolina (for 8 gnocchi)
- 2 cloves of garlic and a handful of noodles (optional)
Method of preparation:
Place the whole thighs in a saucepan and cover with cold water to the top. Add some salt and leave the pot over high heat until it begins to foam. Lower the heat and collect this foam with a slotted spoon so that the soup is clear.
Add the peeled whole onion, celery, parsnip, pepper cut in half and parsley root to the pot.
Leave the pot over medium-low heat until the chicken almost comes off the bone and the vegetables are well cooked (about 1 hour).
How to make semolina gnocchi: In a bowl, beat an egg, add a little salt, pepper and a pinch of baking soda (this ingredient makes them frothy and prevents them from hardening), then add the semolina and mix well with a fork.
Do not put the vegetables in the dumplings, as they will have an unpleasant, greenish color! The gnocchi must be yellow.
The dumpling mixture shouldn’t be very hard, but neither should it be liquid – it should be creamy. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the cooked vegetables and meat from the pan and add the whole or sliced carrot. Cut the chicken into pieces to your liking and put them back in the pot over low heat for 20-25 minutes to allow time for the carrot to cook. You can top up with lukewarm water – you won’t “dilute” the soup, because the fat in the chicken skin retains the flavor.
Take the gnocchi mixture out of the fridge and put a spoon (moistened in advance) in the chicken soup. They will swell and “steal” the flavor of the soup during the 7-8 minutes you leave in the pot on the stove. Now it’s time to add a handful of noodles (if you want the soup to be thicker) and 2 grated garlic cloves (if you want a more aromatic soup).
Finally, season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped fresh parsley and cover with a lid. Serve the soup warm, not very hot, otherwise the sore throat will intensify, due to the burns produced on the mucous membrane.