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    Home » Recipes » Soups

    Chicken Liver Dumplings for Soup

    Published: Jan 22, 2022 · Modified: Jan 3, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    One of the most famous Czech soups is a liver dumpling soup. I'll show you a simple recipe on how to make homemade chicken liver dumplings from scratch. These are so delicious!

    Bohemian liver dumpling soup.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ About liver dumplings for soup
    ➜ Pronunciation
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Breadcrumbs for liver dumplings
    ➜ How to freeze liver dumplings
    ➜ Useful tips
    Chicken Liver Dumplings for Soup

    ➜ About liver dumplings for soup

    Czechs add liver dumplings to soups based on clear broths, mainly beef or chicken ones. Clear beef broth with liver dumplings is a popular dish in Czech cuisine. It is a traditional first course for holiday meals.

    FUN FACT: In some families, liver dumplings are boiled separately in a large pot of salt water and added to the soup already cooked. This is because the dumplings can make the broth slightly muddy during cooking. On the other hand, dumplings cooked directly in the broth can boost their flavor. That's the reason why I personally boil the dumplings in the soup.

    MY TIP: If you like Bohemian soups, try cesneska, traditional hangover garlic soup!

    ➜ Pronunciation

    The Czech name for liver dumplings is "játrové knedlíčky." To give you an idea of how to pronounce this Czech word, I have recorded a short audio clip for you.

    ➜ Ingredients

    Liver dumpling soup ingredients.

    To make Czech liver dumpling dough, you will need:

    • Chicken livers; this organ meat is tender and contains very little gristle. Even if you are a cooking beginner, chicken livers are very friendly to prepare and clean before you use them for cooking. Another option is to use beef liver, but this needs to be cleaned well first. If you can't get liver in a regular store, try a local butcher.
    • Garlic; fresh, peeled, and sliced
    • Egg; it helps the liver dumplings to stick together and not fall apart while cooking.
    • Breadcrumbs; made from dried French baguette or old white bread dinner rolls (more on this later in the article)
    • Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature
    • Dried marjoram, typical Czech spice that makes food a real Czech thing!
    • Salt
    • Black pepper; freshly ground

    Prepare also clear chicken or beef soup into which you drop the dumplings to simmer.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Rid the chicken livers of any visible white veins. Place them in a food processor and blend for a few seconds.

    Blending chicken livers in a food processor.

    STEP 2: Add peeled and sliced garlic, an egg, dried marjoram, softened butter, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix again.

    Making dough for liver dumplings.

    STEP 3: Transfer the mixture to the bowl, and add breadcrumbs. Stir until combined.

    Mixed livers and breadcrumbs in a white bowl.

    STEP 4: Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Don't worry that the mixture is runny; it will get stiffer over time.

    STEP 5: Shape the liver duplings. There are two possible ways:

    Method 1: If you want beautifully round dumplings

    Dump the mixture onto a work surface dusted with breadcrumbs. Quickly use your hands to form a cylinder. Dip your hands in water. Scoop out an equal amount of the mixture. Roll a ball between your wet hands about 1 ½ inch (4 cm) in diameter. Drop it into the simmering broth. Quickly proceed to shape the dumplings further.

    Making liver dumplings.

    Method 2: If you want to make dumplings quickly

    Using two spoons dipped in water, scoop up the mixture and shape it as round as possible. Drop the dumpling into the simmering broth.

    Making liver dumplings using two spoons.

    Here you see the difference between a hand-shaped round dumpling (left) and a spoon-shaped one (right):

    Cooked liver dumplings on a white plate.

    STEP 5: Cook the dumplings in a simmering broth for about 5 minutes. During this time, the dumplings will come up to the surface.

    ➜ Serving

    Serve the liver dumplings as part of the soup you cooked them in. Depending on their size, about 3-5 dumplings should go on a soup plate.

    Czech liver dumpling soup.

    ➜ Breadcrumbs for liver dumplings

    Traditional Czech liver dumplings do not include flour but breadcrumbs. Czechs prepare breadcrumbs from dried plain white bread. A typical example is a French baguette, veka bread, rohliky bread rolls, or housky braided rolls.

    Grind the dried white bread on a hand grinder with a cheese grating insert. For fine breadcrumbs, grind down the dry bread in a food processor.

    ➜ How to freeze liver dumplings

    If you intend to make liver dumplings for a stock, boil them in salted water. Cool the just-cooked dumplings briefly in cold water - they will not dry out and will remain soft.

    Once the dumplings have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container and freeze.

    Round liver dumplings in a bowl.

    ➜ Useful tips

    • If the liver dumpling mixture is still too runny after 30 minutes, add a tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs, stir, and let rest for another 5 minutes.
    • The mixture for the liver dumplings should be soft, not too stiff. Otherwise, the dumplings will also be tough and will tend to fall apart when cooked.
    • The dough for liver dumplings should have a sharper taste. The broth or water will take away some of the flavors while boiling.

    You'll also find this soup in Germany, which borders the Czech Republic to the west. Germans call the soup "Leberknödelsuppe" – literally translated as soup with liver dumplings.

    More tasty recipes

    • Egg dumplings – for soup
    • Leek and potato soup
    • Czech garlic soup
    • Egg noodles for soup

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Bohemian liver dumpling soup.

    Chicken Liver Dumplings for Soup

    One of the most famous Czech soups is a liver dumpling soup. I'll show you an easy recipe on how to make homemade chicken liver dumplings from scratch. These are so delicious!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Resting Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 157kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Authentic Czech Food

    Ingredients

    • 7 ounces chicken livers (200 g)
    • 3 cloves of garlic
    • 1 egg
    • ½ cup breadcrumbs (60 g) plus for dusting the work surface
    • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • ½ Tablespoon dried marjoram
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper ground

    Instructions

    • Rid the chicken livers of any visible white veins. Place them in a food processor and blend for a few seconds.
    • Add peeled and sliced garlic, an egg, dried marjoram, softened butter, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix again.
    • Transfer the mixture to the bowl, add breadcrumbs. Stir until combined.
    • Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Don't worry that the mixture is runny; it will get stiffer over time.

    Shaping liver dumplings (2 methods):

    • For beautifully round dumplings: Dump the mixture onto a work surface dusted with breadcrumbs. Quickly use your hands to form a cylinder. Dip your hands in water. Scoop out an equal amount of the mixture. Roll a ball between your palms about 1 ½ inch (4 cm) in diameter. Drop it into the simmering broth. Quickly proceed to shape the dumplings further.
    •  If you want to make dumplings quickly: Using two spoons dipped in water, scoop up the mixture and shape it as round as possible. Drop the dumpling into the simmering broth.
    • Cook the dumplings in a simmering broth for about 5 minutes. During this time, the dumplings will come to the surface.

    Notes

    • Makes about 15-18 dumplings (depending on their size).
    • SERVING: Serve the liver dumplings as part of the soup you cooked them in. About 3-5 dumplings should go on a soup plate.
    • If the liver dumpling mixture is still too runny after 30 minutes, add a tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs, stir, and let rest for another 5 minutes.
    • The dough for liver dumplings should have a sharper taste. The broth or water will take away some of the flavors during the boiling process.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5664IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 6mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna

      January 26, 2022 at 9:58 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic! Quick question, do have a recipe for the broth?
      Thanks for creating this.
      And hello from Canada!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 27, 2022 at 10:29 am

        Thank you! 🙂 I do have a recipe for beef broth. Unfortunately, I lack the time to take nice process shots, write the recipe down and publish it :/ You can find the basic broth recipe here: https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/rajska-omacka-czech-style-tomato-sauce/
        However, I know root vegetables are not so common in the US. All I need is to make some research to introduce "friendly" and foolproof broth recipe 🙂

        Reply
    2. Urich

      February 09, 2022 at 2:45 am

      Can you freeze the liver balls raw? And cook them later when needed?

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 09, 2022 at 12:39 pm

        Hi Urich, thank you for your comment. You can freeze these liver dumplings in their raw state. To prevent the dumplings from sticking to each other when freezing, it is a good idea to pre-freeze them stacked on a flat plate. After two hours, divide the dumplings into plastic bags or airtight containers and return them to the freezer. The dumplings will keep in the freezer for at least 3 months.

        Reply
    3. Joe

      April 11, 2022 at 8:05 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for my pregnant wife since the liver is high in vitamins and minerals. I will certainly be making it again.

      Initially I had a hard time finding chicken liver, although beef liver is pretty common at my local grocery stores. I ended up finding chicken liver at a local Asian supermarket.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        April 13, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Oh, I truly believe your wife enjoyed the food you made for her! The beef liver can also be used for this recipe, it just needs to be cleaned better than the chicken one.

        Reply
    4. Amber

      August 20, 2022 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      WOW. This dish was easy to make and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        August 24, 2022 at 12:14 pm

        I thank you for your lovely commment! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Ann

      March 18, 2023 at 3:37 pm

      Hello my Husband is from Prague I’m Scottish we live in the USA my mother-in-law came to visit us and made a lot of the dishes that are on your website but I would like to a roast duck my husband always made it now he can’t

      Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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