Chicken and Dumplings are made with big, fluffy homemade dumplings and juicy shredded chicken in a light and creamy vegetable-filled broth. The ultimate comfort food, learn how to make this easy and delicious one-pot chicken and dumplings recipe.
Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
If you’re looking for nourishing comfort food then this chicken and dumplings recipe may be exactly what you’ve been searching for. One of those classic recipes that get made over and over again, it leaves you feeling warm, cozy, and always satisfied.
Similar to my favorite chicken soup recipe, this easy chicken and dumplings recipe is made with a mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery; chicken breasts or chicken thighs; and dumplings made from flour, butter, milk, salt, fresh thyme, and baking powder.
Simple to make and delicious leftover, it’s hard not to love this nourishing classic.
What is Chicken and Dumplings?
Commonly found in the American south and midwest, this humble classic is believed to originate sometime during the Great Depression. Traditionally made by boiling an entire chicken in water, the broth would have then been used to cook dumplings made from a mixture of flour, shortening (or butter), and milk (or other liquid). Given the harsh economic times, the addition of vegetables was not always possible, but popular options included chopped carrots, celery, and turnip greens.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
1. Soften the vegetables:
In a large pot or Dutch oven set it over medium heat melt a little butter with olive oil and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Slowly cook the vegetables until they begin to soften then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Sprinkle with flour and add some broth:
To help thicken your chicken and dumplings, sprinkle the softened vegetables with all-purpose flour. Stir continuously until the flour dissolves into the veggies. Slowly add the water (or chicken stock) and dry white wine to the vegetables and bring to a boil.
3. Poach the chicken:
Add the chicken, sugar, and bay leaves to your pot. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approximately 25 minutes – or until the chicken is fully cooked.
4. Prepare the dumpling dough:
As the chicken simmers, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and thyme. Use a spoon or spatula to dig a well, or hole, in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the milk and butter to the center and use a wooden spoon to mix it all together into a giant dough ball. Set aside.
5. Shred the chicken:
Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes or so before shredding. Add the shredded chicken and the frozen peas to the pot. Return to a low boil.
6. Cook the dumplings:
Use a large cookie scoop to form equal-sized dumplings. Add each dumpling, one at a time, directly into the simmering soup, each in a different part of the pot. Gently press each dumpling down to submerge beneath the broth. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook the dumplings for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Add the half-and-half:
Remove the lid and stir in the half-and-half, parsley, and chopped thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
8. Serve:
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, thyme, or hot sauce, if desired.
When are Dumplings Finished Cooking?
First, check to see if the dumplings are floating. If they’re not- they’re not cooked.
For especially large dumplings, you can also check by running a toothpick through the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, you know your dumplings are fully cooked.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid over-cooking the chicken, especially if you’re using chicken breasts (as they tend to try out).
- Dumplings expand in size quite a bit as they cook. Be sure to drop each dumpling in its own little spot when you add them to the simmering pot.
- If the dough is dry, add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
- If you’re short on time, grab a can of canned biscuits and use those instead. I don’t recommend simmering the store-bought pre-made biscuits for longer than needed.
- To make your soup a little creamier, swap the half-and-half for heavy cream, adding more or less to taste. Alternatively, keep it light by skipping the half-and-half altogether.
How to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings
- Make a roux – Technically, this is something you can do at any point in cooking, however, it makes the most sense to do this while the onions, celery, and carrots are cooking. A roux is a simple combination of fat (usually butter) and flour. In this case, we want a ratio of 2 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of flour. Melt the butter over medium heat then, whisking continuously, add the flour and mix until completely combined. Add to the softened vegetables after the garlic has been added but before the broth. When adding the broth, slowly whisk to combine, taking extra care not to let the roux burn.
- Cornstarch – Add a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch to a couple of tablespoons of water and thoroughly mix to combine. At the end of cooking, add this cornstarch “slurry” to the soup and mix well to combine. Allow the soup time to thicken, then decide if you would like to repeat the process with more cornstarch. Careful, however, as cornstarch will thicken as the soup cools.
Can You Freeze Chicken and Dumplings?
Yes, chicken and dumplings are great both leftover and reheated from frozen.
To freeze:
- Allow the soup to cool completely. I recommend refrigerating overnight, if possible.
- Transfer the leftover dumplings to their own freezer-safe ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible from the bag. Seal completely. Add the soup base with the chicken and vegetables to a separate gallon-size ziplock bag. Again remove as much air as possible and seal completely.
- Transfer to the freezer.
To thaw:
- Remove both the soup base and the dumplings from the freezer.
- Transfer the soup to a large, wide, soup pot over medium-high heat. Allow soup to come to a low boil.
- Meanwhile, place the bag with the dumplings in a warm water bath to start the thawing process. Once the soup is simmering, add the dumplings, one by one, and cover. Allow dumplings to cook until fully reheated.
What to Serve with Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings is a meal within itself. Whenever I want to serve it with something extra, I’ll make a small green salad or fresh buttered bread.
Have you tried making this Chicken and Dumplings Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 5 medium carrots - chopped
- 5 celery ribs - chopped
- 6 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt - plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 8 cups water - (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley - plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme - plus more for serving
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter - melted
Instructions
- Melt the butter and add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic to the vegetables and sauté for 1 minute more, stirring often.
- Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and flour, stirring well to combine. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Slowly whisk the water or chicken stock and dry white wine in with the vegetables and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, sugar, and bay leaves, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approximately 25 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables have softened.
- Meanwhile, as the soup simmers, prepare the dumplings. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and thyme). Use a spoon or spatula to dig a well, or hole, in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the milk and melted butter to the center. Use a wooden spoon to mix together into a giant dough ball. Set aside.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the cooked chicken from the pot and allow it to rest until it is cool enough to shred.
- Add the chicken, after it has been shredded, back to the pot and add the peas.
- Use a large cookie scoop to form equal-sized dumplings. Add each dumpling, one at a time, directly into the simmering soup, each in a different part of the pot.
- Once each dumpling has been added to the pot, gently press them down to submerge beneath the broth. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook dumplings for approximately 20 minutes.
- Once the dumplings are fully cooked, remove the cover and gently add half and half, parsley, and chopped thyme. Stir to combine.
- Best served hot. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, thyme, or hot sauce, if desired.
Jessica’s Notes
- You may also use bone-in chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts. They will be less likely to dry out if cooked for too long.
- If the dough is dry, add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
- If you’re short on time, grab a can of canned biscuits and use those instead. I don’t recommend simmering the store-bought pre-made biscuits for longer than needed.
- To make your soup a little creamier, swap the half-and-half for heavy cream, adding more or less to taste. Alternatively, keep it light by skipping the half-and-half altogether.
- Avoid the temptation to check the status of your dumplings every two minutes as they cook. After all, the whole idea is that in addition to cooking in the broth, they also steam gently.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
doesn’t say when to add the cream in the recipe but im assuming at the end?
Please see step #10 in the recipe card 🙂
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10. Once the dumplings are fully cooked, remove the cover and gently add half and half, parsley, and chopped thyme. Stir to combine.
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Very thin. I think the liquid amounts – 8 cups of broth plus 1/2 cup of wine -are too high for the small amount of flour and butter. The butter was completely absorbed the vegetables when the recipe added the flour. The 1 lb. of peas seemed like too much and overwhelmed the dish. The dumplings were excellent and the soup part was decent, but under seasoned. Reducing the liquid could help balance the seasoning. I opted to remove the chicken when cooked at the 25 minute mark and only returned with 5 minutes left. I added the peas at the same time. Cooking the chicken for 45 minutes seemed far too long and I was worried it would dry out the chicken.
Second time I have made this and it has been a winner every time. I will put this one to memory. It does make large portions.
This is the best chicken and dumpling recipe I’ve ever made!!
I love spices especially Trader Joe’s, so I used the 21 seasoning salute
on the chicken and I used with the thyme, oregano, garlic, basil in the
dumplings!! Delicious!! Thank you!
What do you mean by 2/4 cup milk? 1/2? Or typo?
Hi Grace, that was definitely a typo! It’s supposed to be 3/4 cup. Thanks for catching it 🙂 I’ve updated the recipe with the correct amount.
This was a perfect recipe with clear instructions. The only change I made was to remove the chicken 5 minutes early as it had hit 145. I will probably even go earlier next time. Dumplings were perfect. Family all said do it again.
That was simply wonderful even my picky grandchildren loved it
sounds great right now–it is raining here with temps hovering in the mid 30’s?……but that does make great soup weather!
Yummy, yummy! I made stock (forked spoon recipe), the couldn’t find the dumplings recipe on Pinterest. SO I used all wings to make my stock. I saved my meat and set aside the skins. THE NEXT DAY I rendered the fat from the skins to start cooking my veggies, then used equal amounts butter and flour (1/4 cup). I found this recipe because the other one I found had me adding the cream with the broth, before simmering. I was afraid that would break my soup. Also, with my mom’s recommendation, I made drop biscuits because this is more of a stew than a soup. Oh yeah, I used 32 oz stock.