Add the soy curls to a large bowl, discarding the powder at the bottom of the package. You can keep this powder to throw in pasta sauce or chili, but I don’t prefer it to stay in this recipe. Now pour the vegan chicken broth on top of the soy curls and press them down with the back of a spoon or a spatula so they all get coated. Add a bit of water if there isn’t enough liquid but this always seems to be enough liquid for me when I use a whole 8 ounce bag of soy curls. Let the soy curls sit until we’re ready to add them to the soup.

Melt the vegan butter (if using) in a large nonstick pot over medium high heat. I prefer to use a very wide dutch oven so I can fit all the dumplings. If not using vegan butter, you can do olive oil, avocado oil, or another oil OR if you’re oil-free, keep adding broth or water a tablespoon at a time while you cook the veggies and stir constantly to keep from burning or sticking.

Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and stir frequently for 3 minutes until somewhat softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

Now sprinkle in the flour (if using), and stir constantly for 30-40 seconds until the powder has absorbed and your vegetables look like they’re coated in wet flour. Trust the process--I know this part is a little strange if you haven’t tried it before!

Add in the spices and the broth now. Stir well and bring to a boil.

While it comes to a boil, make the dough. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, dried thyme, and black pepper to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Make a well in the center with the back of a strong wooden spoon or spatula. Pour the water and coconut milk/cream (or melted vegan butter/oil) into the center of the well and mix until a cohesive dough forms. If it’s really sloshy and wet, sprinkle in a bit more flour. This is a pretty forgiving dough. When it’s thick not really dry but also not really sticky, it’s ready. Cover with a kitchen towel until ready to add to the soup.

Now you can add the rehydrated soy curls--and add any remaining broth from the bowl too. Stir them in.

Turn the heat down to medium low--we basically want to keep the pot at a strong simmer (with small bubbles).

Using a large cookie scoop (or whatever size you want, just try to make them all about the same size and note that smaller dumplings will cook faster!), scoop out around 8 balls of dough and drop them one at a time into the pot. Keep in mind they will puff up so try to give each a bit of breathing room in the pot. It's OK if they touch after 30 seconds or so, but in that initial dunk they can stick a little, so just give them a little time.

Ladle some of the broth over them (you can add a bit more if you need to) and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, removing the lid every so often to ladle more broth over the tops so they don’t dry out. When they’re done, they will be firm to the touch. You can remove one and cut it open to test if it’s done--it won’t be gummy inside, instead it would look kind of like a baked biscuit. Try not to overcook your dumplings, as they may become hard.

When they’re done, turn off your stove burner and stir in the canned coconut milk (or substitute). Serve and enjoy!

Refrigerate leftover vegan chicken and dumplings for up to 3-4 days. I recommend storing dumplings separately. When you reheat, you can combine them in your bowl and microwave them or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop (on medium low) until desired temperature is reached.