Chicken and Dumpling Soup - $5.24 a serving

Name: Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 cups carrots, chopped; 1 cup onion, chopped; 1 cup celery, chopped, including some leaves; 8 cups chicken broth, fat free, reduced sodium; 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded; 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2 bay leaves; 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup skim milk; 1 egg, large

Makes 8 servings · american · medium · USDA MyPlate Kitchen (public domain)

$41.95

basket total, in-store

$5.24

per serving (8 servings)

+$0.62

dearer than the $4.62 median dinner

What it costs at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine

Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 1 pantry staples excluded. 2 matches are flagged for you to check rather than silently swapped. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.

The recipe says	We found	Package	Uses	Costs	Left over
2 cups carrots, chopped	Carrots · 1 lb	$1.69	256 g	$0.95	$0.74
1 cup onion, chopped	Jumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb	$1.19	160 g	$0.42	$0.77
1 cup celery, chopped, including some leaves	Sleeved Celery · 1 ctSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED	$2.59	100 g	$2.59	-
8 cups chicken broth, fat free, reduced sodium	Kroger® 99% Fat Free Chicken Broth · 32 ozx3	$1.59	1920 ml	$3.37	$1.40
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shreddedCHECK THIS	Private Selection® Classic Seasoned Whole Roasted Chicken Hot - Available 11am-7pm · 32 oz	$7.99	280 g	$2.47	$5.52
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns	Kroger® Whole Black Peppercorns Shaker · 1.75 oz	$2.49	2 g	$0.10	$2.39
1 teaspoon dried thyme	Private Selection® Thyme Leaves Shaker · 0.68 oz	$3.49	1 g	$0.18	$3.31
2 bay leaves	Simple Truth Organic® Bay Leaves · 20 ct	$2.49	2	$0.25	$2.24
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped	Spinach · 1 lb	$1.99	60 g	$0.26	$1.73
1 cup whole wheat flour	King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · 5 lb	$6.99	120 g	$0.37	$6.62
1 cup all-purpose flourCHECK THIS	Kroger® All Purpose Bleached Enriched Flour · 2 lbs	$1.69	120 g	$0.22	$1.47
3/4 cup skim milk	Kroger® Skim Fat Free Milk 16 fl. oz. Bottle · 1 pt	$1.79	180 ml	$0.68	$1.11
1 egg, large	Kroger® Grade A Large White Eggs · 18 ct	$2.79	1	$0.16	$2.63

Where the money goes

cooked chicken breast drives this basket at $7.99, 19% of the total. The next biggest lines are whole wheat flour ($6.99) and chicken broth ($4.77). $29.93 of the basket - 71% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.

What carries into next week

King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, 100% Whole Grain, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher · about 2148 g left, $6.62 of value
Private Selection® Classic Seasoned Whole Roasted Chicken Hot - Available 11am-7pm · about 627 g left, $5.52 of value
Kroger® Grade A Large White Eggs · about 17 left, $2.63 of value
Kroger® Whole Black Peppercorns Shaker · about 48 g left, $2.39 of value
Simple Truth Organic® Bay Leaves · about 18 left, $2.24 of value
Spinach · about 394 g left, $1.73 of value

Try this spin on an all-time favorite chicken and dumplings. This easy, one-pot meal can be made for a family or ready to serve a crowd.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped, including some leaves
8 cups chicken broth, fat free, reduced sodium
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup skim milk
1 egg, large

Directions

Heat oil in Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium-high heat.
Sauté carrot, onion and celery for 5 minutes; stir in broth, chicken, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves.
Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix dumpling ingredients until well blended.
Drop small spoonsful of dumpling dough into simmering soup.
Cover soup and allow dumplings to cook for about 20 minutes (they will rise to the top of the soup as they cook).
Stir in spinach.
Remove bay leaves before serving soup.

MyPlate National Strategic Partners The Grain Chain. MyPlate took its recipe pages offline in 2026 - the original lives on at the Internet Archive. More on this: Why chicken dinners cost more than you would guess.

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