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–+ servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes

Vegetarian Chicken & Dumplings (with Chickpeas) Recipe

Hearty chickpeas stand in for chicken in this cozy, creamy stew covered with fluffy dumplings. This one is deceptively easy and pretty much the ultimate vegetarian comfort food!
Yield: 6

Ingredients

For the stew:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 medium carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 15 ounces chickpeas 1 can; drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley plus more for garnish

For the dumplings:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1 cup milk

Instructions

Make the stew

  • Place a medium or large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When warm, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sweat the veggies until tender and soft, about 8 minutes. If the vegetables begin to brown, lower the heat - you only want to sweat them.
  • Add the 1/3 cup flour along with the poultry seasoning, thyme, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes .
  • Stream in the vegetable broth, stirring to pick up any bits that are stuck to the pot. Stir in the milk.
  • Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained chickpeas, frozen peas, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Taste and add more salt if you feel it needs it.

Make the dumplings

  • In a medium size bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, parsley, and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to mix it into the flour while cutting it into little pieces. You can use your fingers to help distribute the butter through the flour mix. You want the butter to be about the size of oats. Add the milk and stir with a fork JUST until combined; do not over-mix, or you risk developing the gluten in the dumplings which can make them tough.
  • Using two soup spoons, scoop out dumplings, transferring each dumpling from one spoon to the next once or twice until slightly rounded, then pushing the dumpling off of the spoon into the simmering soup. Repeat with the rest of the dumpling batter, evenly covering the pot of soup - you should have 10-12 dumplings.
  • Reduce the heat to low and place the lid on the pot. Simmer covered until the dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. You can lift a dumpling out of the pot, put it on a plate, and cut in half to check for doneness. It will be puffy and not doughy inside.
  • Garnish with a few more pinches of parsley and serve.

Notes

Vegan/Dairy-Free Option

Swap in vegan butter for the butter and use an unsweetened plant-based milk for the milk.

Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered on the stovetop, stirring occasionally. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1g, Calories: 508kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 1091mg, Potassium: 578mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 7563IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 262mg, Iron: 6mg