Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings feature tender seasoned chicken and veggies simmered in a rich chicken stew with light, fluffy dumplings that soak up the stew perfectly. There’s a reason that chicken and dumplings are synonymous with comfort food.
From-Scratch Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
One of my all-time favorite recipes growing up was my mom’s homemade chicken and dumpling. It’s one of those comfort foods that is perfect on a chilly or rainy day – it truly warms you from the inside out.
My version varies a bit from the recipe I grew up with (adding more seasoning and veggies) for an elevated comfort food that you will crave again and again. It’s so hearty and delicious… it almost makes me not mind the arrival of the cold weather so that I can justify making this chicken stew on repeat.
This old-fashioned chicken and dumplings recipe is a rich, flavorful and creamy chicken stew featuring well-seasoned, juicy chicken, tender, sautéed veggies and light, pillowy dumplings.
The dumplings are made from-scratch using everyday pantry ingredients and are super simple to make – while you can use pre-made biscuit mix (or canned biscuits), I encourage you to give our homemade dumpling recipe a try. I always end up having to make a second pot of just dumplings because my family can’t get enough of them.
Cooking Tip: don’t lift the lid of the dutch oven or stockpot while the dumplings are cooking, as they rely on the steam in the pot to help them rise and will not get as light and fluffy if you keep letting the steam out.
Chicken and Dumpling Variations:
- swap out the seasonings – use chives or parsley instead of thyme, if preferred
- for a more broth-forward stew, you can make this recipe without cream
- swap out the veggies – corn would be great instead of peas, bell peppers or mushrooms would also be a great addition or swap
- use leftover rotisserie chicken to save time
- swap out the milk in the biscuit dough for buttermilk for tangy buttermilk dumplings
- swap out the protein – you can even make ham and dumplings or beef stew and dumplings
I know some people prefer flatter, rolled-out “dumplings” in their chicken and dumplings, which some people (including me) refer to as “chicken and pastry.” You can find an example of a classic chicken and pastry here (from America’s Test Kitchen) if you prefer non-fluffy dumplings.
If you don’t want to make from-scratch dumplings, you can use Bisquick biscuit dough or even quartered, canned biscuit dough. It won’t be exactly the same as homemade (I find the canned biscuits tougher while Bisquick dough can fall apart while simmering in the chicken stew) but it will still get the job done.
Refrigerate leftover chicken and dumplings in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
How to freeze chicken and dumplings: Personally, I’m not a big fan of freezing the dumplings as they can become really mushy upon thawing, but the chicken stew (without the dumplings) can be frozen in airtight ziptop freezer bags or your favorite freezer containers for up to 3 months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
How to make chicken and dumplings in the Instant Pot: we have a dedicated post on how to make Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings here.
How to make chicken and dumplings in the crockpot: we have a dedicated post on how to make Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings here, however this version uses canned soups for an easier cooking experience.
If you’d prefer to stick to the ingredients and flavor profile in this recipe, simply add all of the soup ingredients (without the dumplings) to a crockpot and cook on high for 5-6 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, drop the dumpling batter in dollops all over the stew.
This is the meat thermometer I have been using for the past 6 years – I’ve never had to change a battery and it’s super sturdy and reliable. It was a bit pricey, but unlike the $15 models that you can buy, this one isn’t going to need replacement. It is waterproof and comes with a two-year warranty.
More Homemade Chicken Soup Recipes:
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cold-Fighting Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Classic Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup (Low-Carb) from Sizzle and Salt
- Asian-Style Chicken Rice Soup from Kylee Cooks
- Buffalo Chicken Soup from The Soccer Mom Blog
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts
- White Pepper
- Thyme
- Salt
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Broth <– grab our recipe for homemade chicken broth here
- Celery, diced
- Carrots, diced
- Peas, optional
- Onion, diced
- All-Purpose Flour
- Bay Leaves
For the Dumplings:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Thyme, optional
- White Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Butter
- Milk
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: if you don’t want to make from-scratch dumplings, you can use canned biscuit dough. Cut each biscuit into quarters and add to the stew, just as you would the homemade dumplings.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Heavy stockpot or Dutch Oven <– highly recommended for even cooking and seamlessly transferring this recipe from the stove to the oven
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty
- Meat Thermometer
- Fork or Whisk
How to Make From-Scratch Chicken and Dumplings
Place the chicken in a small bowl and season with the white pepper, thyme and salt. Toss to coat completely.
Add the flour to the chicken and toss until fully coated.
Place 1 Tablespoon of the butter and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Once hot, add the chicken and brown all over, about 2 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the dutch oven, working in batches if you need to.
Once the chicken is fully cooked to 165ºF, remove to a clean plate.
Add remaining butter and olive oil to the dutch oven.
Once hot, add the onion, celery, garlic and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
Add the chicken back in, along with the chicken broth and bay leaves and increase to high, brining the mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer as you prepare the dumpling dough.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, thyme and baking powder.
Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter resembles small pebbles.
Stir in the milk until no dry steaks remain. The dumpling dough will be very sticky.
Stir the optional heavy cream and peas into the soup mixture, then drop the dumpling batter in 2 Tablespoon-sized balls into the stew and cover the stockpot with a lid.
Continue to simmer for 10 minutes until dumplings are plump and tripled in size.
Discard the bay leaves and serve.
Grab your free printable recipe card for our homemade chicken and dumplings recipe:
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From-Scratch Chicken and Dumplings
This old-fashioned chicken and dumplings recipe is a rich, flavorful and creamy chicken stew featuring well-seasoned, juicy chicken, tender, sautéed veggies and light, pillowy dumplings. The dumplings are made from-scratch using everyday pantry ingredients and are super simple to make.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Stew:
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons Thyme, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
- 2-4 Tablespoons Butter
- 2-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 stalks Celery, diced
- 2 Carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup Peas, optional
- 1 Large Onion, diced
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Bay Leaves
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, optional
- 2 teaspoons White Sugar
- 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a small bowl and season with the white pepper, thyme and salt. Toss to coat completely.
- Add the flour to the chicken and toss until fully coated.
- Place 1 Tablespoon of the butter and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the chicken and brown all over, about 2 minutes per side. Don't overcrowd the dutch oven, working in batches if you need to.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked to 165ºF, remove to a clean plate.
- Add remaining butter and olive oil to the dutch oven.
- Once hot, add the onion, celery, garlic and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
- Add the chicken back in, along with the chicken broth and bay leaves and increase to high, brining the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer as you prepare the dumpling dough.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, thyme and baking powder.
- Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter resembles small pebbles.
- Stir in the milk until no dry steaks remain. The dumpling dough will be very sticky.
- Stir the optional heavy cream and peas into the soup mixture, then drop the dumpling batter in 2 Tablespoon-sized balls into the stew and cover the stockpot with a lid.
- Continue to simmer for 10 minutes until dumplings are plump and tripled in size.
- Discard the bay leaves and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 1522mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 20g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this easy chicken and dumplings recipe as much as mine does!
For more ways to enjoy chicken, check out our full chicken recipe collection here:
For more scrumptious soups, check out our full soup recipe collection here:
