Chik'n and Dumplings with Soy Curls
Chick’n and Dumplings with Soy Curls
Gather your family around the table to relish this hearty, healthy plant-based "chick'n" and dumpling soup. Hearty soy curls and whole wheat dumplings combine with flavorful herbs and vegetables to create the ultimate comfort food for the cold weather. Vegan, oil-free, and free of refined-grains with a gluten-free option included in the recipe notes!
Chick'n and Dumplings with Soy Curls
Ingredients
- 3 medium carrots, coined
- 4 celery stems, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups soy curls (dry)
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups peas, frozen or canned
- 1 tsp thyme OR 1 stem fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (see notes for GF option)
- 1 cup plain soy milk, unsweetened (or whichever non-dairy milk you prefer)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (see notes for GF option)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups plain soy milk, unsweetened (or whichever non-dairy milk you prefer)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot with a lid (or better yet, a dutch oven) over medium heat.
- Saute the mirepoix (onions, celery, and carrots) until the onions become translucent (about five minutes), stirring occasionally. Use a few Tbsp of water to unstick, if necessary.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
- Deglaze the pot with a splash of vegetable broth, scraping up all the stuck-on bits (about 1/4 cup).
- Add the flour and stir to evenly coat the vegetables.
- Add the soy milk and stir thoroughly to deglaze.
- Add the broth, stir, and cover. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil. While waiting for the pot to boil, make the dumpling mixture (see below).
- Once the mixture is boiling, add the dry soy curls, thyme, poultry seasoning, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Boil for about five minutes to hydrate the soy curls.
- Turn the mixture down to a simmer and add salt to taste.
- Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into the simmering pot (aim for the size of a golfball). Larger spoonfuls will take longer to cook, smaller spoonfuls will cook more quickly.
- COVER and do NOT STIR. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the dumplings are no longer sticky on top.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the salt.
- SLOWLY incorporate the non-dairy milk into the flour mixture, stirring thoroughly.
- Set aside until you are ready to add to the pot.
- note: you can season these dumplings as desired! Try adding a tsp of poultry seasoning, some fresh thyme, or some black pepper.
Notes:
Calories
304.40Fat (grams)
3.90Sat. Fat (grams)
0.66Carbs (grams)
55.26Fiber (grams)
11.13Net carbs
44.13Sugar (grams)
10.34Protein (grams)
16.13Sodium (milligrams)
1811.04Cholesterol (grams)
0.13
ABOUT THE RECIPE:
In my home state of Montana, Chicken and Dumplings isn’t really a thing. It’s more of a Southern thing, right? Maybe Mid-Western? Either way, I had never had it before I started making it at home. The challenge of making it whole food, plant-based obviously lies in replacing the chicken and making the dumplings with something other than refined flour. While I already have a Chickpea Noodle Soup recipe, I didn’t want to use chickpeas for this particular recipe.
Enter soy curls.
You may know that I already have a recipe featuring soy curls (Vegan Bibimbap with Soy Curls), and I have several others in development. I’ve found that they do really well replacing chicken and sometimes beef. Similar to tofu, they have almost NO flavor, making them ideal for sauces and broths, which infuse them with color and flavor. How you cook them can drastically alter their texture- ranging from chewy like beef to silky and soft like lobster. In this recipe, they do a great job mimicking the texture and taste of dark, shredded chicken.
BUT…WHAT THE HECK ARE SOY CURLS??
Soy curls are a minimally processed, organic soy product made by Butler Foods. They are made by cooking organic soy beans in water, then drying them at low temperatures. They have one ingredient: Organic, non-GMO soy beans. They are high in protein and fiber and have zero sodium and cholesterol. Because they are so minimally processed (like tofu and tempeh), they make a much healthier meat substitute than Beyond foods or any other mock meat. You can find them at your local health food store (Natural Grocers carries them), on Amazon, or right on Butler Food’s website. For me, Soy Curls are a pantry must-have, as they can be stored for a long time (especially if you keep them in the freezer), they’re versatile, and they taste great if you season them well.
RECIPE NOTES:
GLUTEN-FREE: To make this recipe Gluten-Free, use your favorite gluten-free baking blend for both the dumpling mixture AND coating the veggies in the pot. Ensure that the baking blend has some kind of binder (ie Xantham gum), which most baking blends do. I prefer Pamela's baking blends, as I think they have a neutral taste.
THYME: If you can get your hands on fresh time, use that instead of dried (fresh always tastes so much better). One large stem should be sufficient. Remove that stem before dropping in the dumplings.
COVER THE DUMPLINGS TO COOK: This is important, as the dumplings need to both boil AND steam to cook- the steam will help them develop a crust on top. Once you've dropped in the dumplings, resist the urge to stir them and just put the cover on. You can check the progress of the dumplings by tapping the tops to see if they're sticky, though I would recommend allowing them to cook for AT LEAST ten minutes, undisturbed, before doing so.
DON’T LIKE WHOLE WHEAT? While the healthier option, whole wheat flour does have a strong taste and dense texture. If you (or someone you’re cooking for) dislikes the taste of whole wheat, you can either use a blend of refined white flour and whole wheat (1 cup whole wheat with 1/2 cup white or vice versa), substitute the entire amount with white flour, or you could use White Whole Wheat Flour instead. White Whole Wheat flour is a whole wheat flour made with hard white wheat or winter wheat rather than hard red wheat. It has a milder flavor and lighter color while still being a “whole wheat.” King Arthur carries a white whole wheat, which is available at Target.
This recipe just proves to me, yet again, that this WFPB lifestyle is NOT about restriction. It’s an invitation to creativity. There are so many different combinations of plant-foods to enjoy and so many delicious recipes just waiting to be discovered or birthed into existence. I’m so excited to have this new recipe in my virtual rolodex. I can see my future kids loving this recipe when they’re sick or feeling sad. I can see this recipe becoming a tradition in my family for the fall equinox or New Year’s Eve. I can see myself making a batch for sick loved ones and carefully dropping it off in a heavy dutch oven.
This is why I love food and recipe curation. We aren’t just eating- we’re creating memories and caring for ourselves and each other. I hope this recipe makes you feel the same way.
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear about it! Hit me up on Instagram @notlikemama or leave a comment below. I love to see your versions of my recipes!
Happy Cooking,
Courtney
