Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with your own festive celebration.  This Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup symbolizes wealth and a long life, plus it’s perfectly satisfying on a chilly day! 
Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen | Chinese flavored noodle soup filled with homemade chicken mushroom dumplings and Asian greens guaranteed to fill the takeout food void.

I always said I consider myself pretty lucky that I grew up in a household that was filled with good cooks.  I hear stories of what friends ate for dinner growing up and I think hmmm. . yeah that was never part of our dinner rotation.  I won’t get into specifics but I’ll just say that we weren’t a throw food into a casserole dish and see how it turns out type of family.

So now as much as my parents did cook, there were still nights off from the kitchen.  At some point in time, Sunday nights turned into Chinese food takeout night.  Not every week mind you but I’d say a good portion of my childhood was spent at my local Chinese restaurant looking over the menu to see what we’d be ordering that night.

Fast forward to today and my love for Chinese food is still strong.  Which is why I’m pretty happy that I basically live a hop, skip and a jump away from Brooklyn Chinatown.  There are positives and negatives to this benefit.  The positive – easy access to authentic Cantonese, Szechuan or Dim Sum restaurants and Asian markets.  The negative – I’m so spoiled by this I will only eat in Brooklyn Chinatown now and won’t eat at the takeout joints right by me.  Which basically means when I crave Chinese food and I don’t want to travel the 20 minute bus ride it takes to get it, I must make it myself.

Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup | girlinthelittleredkitchen.com

For this reason, I always keep a well stocked Asian pantry.  You never really know when the craving is going to strike and during the winter there really is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of noodle soup.

One item you will always find in my pantry is a bottle of Kikkoman Soy Sauce.  In general it’s synonymous with Asian cooking, but it is a versatile ingredient that can be used to cook many different types of cuisines. Kikkoman Soy Sauce is aged for several months to develop its characteristic rich, yet mellow flavor, aroma and distinctive reddish-brown color. Plus soy sauce is rich in naturally produced umami, so just a splash gives an added boost of flavor to any recipe.

So while I’ll often add it to a marinade or sauce, in general I always do turn to Asian cooking at home.  I can’t help it, I love the cuisine!

Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup | girlnthelittleredkitchen.com

In my opinion, there’s really never a wrong time to go for a giant bowl of noodle soup, loaded up with dumplings, green vegetables and mushrooms but it’s especially special right now.  February 8th kicks of the Chinese New Year, this year being the Year of the Monkey.  Unlike the Gregorian calendar New Year that we all celebrate on a single day; the Chinese New Year is a 15-day festival that’s full of parades, color, food, friends and family.   Every year I try to make it over to Chinatown during the festival to join in on the fun.

Even if you can’t make it to your own Chinatown, this soup will do the trick.  There are all sorts of symbolic Chinese New Year foods, including dumplings for wealth and noodles for a long life.  What better way to put the two together.  Right?

The soup takes some time to prepare but the payoff is worth it.  I suggest gathering some friends together for a dumpling making party and enjoying your bounty afterwards.  This dumpling recipe making a ton and I did make life a little easier by buying pre-made dumpling wrappers.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! I wish you good health and prosperity while you celebrate Chinese New Year!

Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup
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Ingredients

    For the dumplings:
  • 2lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs*
  • 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, scrubbed and chopped
  • 4 ounces beech mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce (such as Kikkoman)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 package round dumpling wrappers
  • For the soup:
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 ounces fresh Shanghai, Wonton or Longevity noodles, cooked*
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • 1/4 pound enoki mushroom
  • 1 small bunch Asian greens, such as Chinese broccoli or baby bok choy.
  • 2 bunchs

Instructions

  1. Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces and add to your food processor in two parts. Pulse about 10 times, until the chicken is ground up and add to a large bowl.
  2. Clean out the food processor bowl and chop up the mushrooms, garlic and ginger and add to the bowl with the chicken.
  3. Pour in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, white pepper, salt and scallions and mix well to combine.
  4. Place about 1/2 tablespoon of filling int the center of a dumpling wrapper, wet one side of the wrapper with water using your finger and then seal closed. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue until all the dumplings have been filled. There may be some filling left over and you can use it to mix some meatballs together to add to your soup.
  5. The dumplings can be made ahead and frozen for later use or stored in your refrigerator if using within a day.
  6. If enjoying on their own, place the dumplings in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes until the wrapper is translucent and the filling cooked through.
  7. To make the soup: Add the stock to a large stock pot and stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer
  8. In a separate pot bring the water to boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain and rinse with water. Set aside.
  9. Bring a second pot of water to boil and cook your greens for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer them to your soup and continue to cook until tender - about another 10 minutes. This will take any bitterness out of the greens. At this time you can also add the dumplings to the soup to cook.
  10. Gently lower them in - I suggest about 3 per bowl and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
  11. To serve: Ladle the soup, dumplings and greens in a large bowl and add a portion of the noodles. Finish with some enoki mushrooms and chopped scallions.
Recipe Type: Soup, Main

Notes

If you don't want to grind the chicken yourself, you can easily sub in ground chicken breast.

Soup noodles can easily be found at your Asian market. If you can't find fresh noodles, dried will do. Be sure to cook them separate from the the soup and add them in when you're ready to eat otherwise the noodles will become gummy.

https://girlinthelittleredkitchen.com/2016/02/chicken-mushroom-dumpling-and-noodle-soup/

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Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup | girlinthelittleredkitchen.com

 

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5 thoughts on “Chicken Mushroom Dumpling and Noodle Soup

  1. Lisa @ Wine & Glue

    Okay, I’m kind of dying of jealousy right now. First, that you grew up with Sunday night Chinese night. I looooooooove Chinese food. I also grew up in a house of good cooks, but also really frugal parents, lol! Second that you live so close to AMAZING Chinese food . . . the suburbs of Wisconsin really can’t bring it like Brooklyn, and finally this recipe! I want to eat it right now. I LOVE Kikkoman!! My favorite is it with a little wasabi for my sushi. YUMMY!

    Reply
  2. Nutmeg Nanny

    This soup looks downright comforting! I’m super picky about my Chinese food as well. Most of the time I end up just getting egg rolls if my husband wants take-out because I’m not thrilled with any of the restaurants around here. I think I need to just make this soup instead of eating egg rolls. This looks WAY better!

    Reply

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