Chicken Dumpling Soup (Pileća supa sa griz knedlama)
Growing up, we had soup on a weekly basis no matter the weather outside. Rain or shine, hot or cold, mama always had soup simmering on the stovetop. I don’t know what other cultures do this, but upon arriving after traveling to a Balkan household, you are always welcomed to the house with a bowl of soup. I’m pretty sure you are considered a successful Balkan hostess based on if you can make good tasting soup. 😁
There are many recipes out there but this one is under an hour yet so very flavorful! What’s great about this recipe is that when it comes to making the chicken broth, you don’t need a whole chicken.
Ingredients for the soup
3-5 pieces of chicken thighs (I prefer using the ones with bones and I take off the skin but you can keep it on!)
2-3 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 medium onion
1 parsnip
4 stalks of parsley
2 bay leaves
Spinach (optional)
1 tsp of kosher salt
1-2 tbsps of Vegeta
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional but I like to add it for extra flavor for this specific recipe)
4-6 cups of water
Ingredients for the grits dumplings
4-5 large spoonfuls of instant grits
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 egg (yolk and egg white are initially separated)
Sprinkle of salt
Directions for the soup
Wash the vegetables and cut the onion in quarters, the carrots and celery in half and use half of a parsnip.
Drizzle vegetable oil in large pot and once warm add the vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook until chicken becomes slightly cooked, around 5-7 minutes. Add a tsp of salt.
Add 5 cups of water. This all depends on how much soup you are trying to make. You may also need to add another cup half way as some of the water will evaporate.
If you choose to use a chicken bouillon cube for extra flavor I would add it at this time. Add 2 bay leaves and parsley. Allow to simmer on low medium for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir the soup and add additional water as needed. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.
With 10 minutes left, make the grits dumplings.
Take soup off the stovetop and using a sieve in a separate bowl, pour soup through it. Once the vegetables and chicken have been separated from the liquid, return soup to pot and simmer while you cut up the vegetables and chicken. Add 1-2 tbsp of vegeta, making sure to taste with each tablespoon.
Return vegetables and chicken to pot and simmer for 5 min. Then with a small spoon, dip into the soup and back into the bowl with the instant grits. You can choose what size you want them but I typically put enough grits to cover half of the small spoon. This will usually yield around 10-15 small sized dumplings. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add spinach if you would like.
Ladle into bowls and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Directions for the grits dumplings
Separate the egg whites and yolk into separate bowls. Whisk the egg whites until it becomes frothy. Add egg yolk and mix to combine.
Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and a sprinkle of salt. Whisk to combine.
Add 4 tbsp of instant grits to start. If it has become thick, no need to add extra. If it still is missing a bit of thickness add 1-2 more.
Set aside for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes have passed, add to soup and cook for 2-3 minutes.
