In the realm of comfort foods, homemade chicken and dumplings live somewhere near the top: the combination of fluffy dumplings in a creamy chicken soup never met a bad day it couldn’t handle.
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What Is Chicken and Dumplings?
Chicken and dumplings is a hearty, creamy cousin of chicken noodle soup: a simple, savory chicken broth thickened with a bit of flour or cream, served with tender bites of chicken and boiled dumplings rather than noodles. The stew is customizable, like a chicken pot pie: Some recipes include additional ingredients like frozen peas or chopped fresh vegetables.
Chicken and dumplings may feature various styles of dumplings. Drop dumplings are fluffy, irregularly-shaped dumplings portioned directly into the soup from a spoon, just like drop cookies. Biscuit dumplings are quartered segments cut from canned biscuit dough, and rolled dumplings are neater, denser dumplings lightly kneaded on a floured surface.
4 Tips for Making Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings is an easy recipe that stretches a few essential pantry staples into a satisfying and filling meal, perfect for a busy weeknight. If it's your first time making this family favorite, here’s what to know.
- 1. Use homemade dumplings. Homemade dumplings come together in just a few minutes, so the effort is worth it. Their craggy shape gives the dish rustic appeal, like a homemade cobbler.
- 2. Use bone-in chicken for maximum flavor. Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you have some on hand. If you need to make a trip to the grocery store to pick up a protein for this dish, buy skin-on chicken, which contributes more fat and flavor to the soup. Browning the chicken in the pot before adding aromatics creates the best chicken broth.
- 3. Use a rotisserie chicken and store-bought stock to save time. To make a thick, creamy soup in a short amount of time, add low-sodium chicken broth or stock to diced vegetables and aromatics sautéed with a bit of flour or cornstarch. (Alternatively, use four cups of water and a few tablespoons of chicken bouillon or a few cans of cream of chicken soup.) Shred the rotisserie chicken, and add the pieces to the soup as a final step before cooking the dumplings.
- 4. Make the dish in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Whether you’re planning ahead or looking to shave off cooking time but still want to make a broth from scratch, using a slow cooker or pressure cooker can help. Sear the chicken and sauté the aromatics as usual, then add water and let the broth cook over a more extended period.
Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
1 hr 25 mincook time
1 hr 15 minIngredients
For the chicken soup:
For the dumplings and assembly:
Make the chicken soup:
- 1
Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- 2
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until it shimmers.
- 3
Working in batches as needed, add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes per side.
- 4
Transfer the seared chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- 5
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, roughly chopped carrot, and roughly chopped celery to the rendered chicken fat. (Reserve the diced carrot and celery.)
- 6
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the onions start to brown and the carrots and celery are tender but not falling apart, 3–4 minutes.
- 7
Return the partially cooked chicken to the pot with the water and the bay leaf and bring it to a boil.
- 8
Reduce the heat to a rolling simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, 30–40 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- 9
Remove the chicken and place it on a sheet tray.
- 10
When cool enough to handle, remove the bones and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- 11
Use a spider strainer to strain the stock, discarding the solids.
- 12
Taste the chicken stock and adjust the seasoning as needed. Return the pot to low heat.
- 13
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- 14
Add the reserved carrot and celery to the butter and sauté until tender, 2 minutes.
- 15
Sprinkle the vegetable mixture with the flour and stir to thicken.
- 16
Add the flour mixture to the stock, and whisk to combine.
- 17
Add the shredded chicken and the heavy cream to the pot, and bring it to a simmer.
- 18
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed. Keep the soup at a low simmer while you make the dumplings.
Make the dumplings and assemble the soup:
- 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- 2
Stir in the melted butter and buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms.
- 3
Use two spoons to portion the dumpling dough into the soup. Each dumpling should be about the size of a heaping tablespoon.
- 4
Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook until the dumplings are tender and cooked through, 10–12 minutes.
- 5
Portion the soup into serving bowls and garnish with parsley and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.
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