This post was last updated on December 11, 2014 to include new images.
So, it's been rainy and a bit cold out here in Austin this week.
Not that I'm complaining, since I love staying inside and making tasty, hot goodies in the kitchen when it's cold.
You know...yummy things like Hot Chocolate, Soft Ginger Cookies, Hot Apple Cider and...Chicken and Dumplings!
Chicken and Dumplings is a meal I can't make without thinking about my mom. I first fell in love with the meal in my childhood.
My mom would make the chicken stew and add Bisquick dumplings that were so delicious.
Like many meals my mom made, she never wrote down a recipe. Everything always just came together. Usually at 9 or 10 at night once everyone was home and hungry.
Man, that seems so late now, since I get hungry for dinner starting around 4:15 pm. Okay, I kid. It's more like 3:30 pm.
Well, despite not having her recipe, I have put together what I think is a pretty darn good and easy chicken and dumplings recipe over the years. I don't use condensed Cream of Chicken soup or Bisquick like my mom did. Instead, I learned how to make fluffy dumplings from scratch.
The stew, which is a great chicken stew all on its own, comes out thick and hearty, and the dumplings come out light, fluffy and absolutely stick-to-your-bones delicious. So good.
If I have time, I like to use a whole chicken that has been left-over from making my Homemade Chicken Stock. But, if you don't have a whole, cooked chicken for this purpose (though you should totally try out that stock recipe), you can purchase a Best of the Fryer pack or even just use a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs for your recipe. It should all work out fine.
This easy chicken and dumplings recipe will leave you warm, full and satisfied. Just like mom's.
I think one of the best things about Chicken And Dumplings is how hearty and filling it is. There's something so comforting to me about sitting at the table with my family and enjoying this meal.
That is, of course, once it finally cools off enough to eat without burning yourself. Beware: those dumplings can get hot!
I also love maintaining a meal from my childhood and sharing it with my children. There's something about reliving those old memories and making new ones that is so fulfilling.
Plus, you know, it's darn yummy, too. So there's that.
Here's to staying warm (and full) on these cold winter days! And to sharing a meal with family.
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Large Deep Skillet
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For The Chicken Stew:
- 1 whole chicken can substitute 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 2 chicken thighs, roasted chicken, or whatever other chicken you may have,
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 5 carrots unpeeled, halved and chopped into quarters
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 5 red or yukon potatoes unpeeled, diced
- 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 5-8 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For The Dumplings:
- 2 cups cake flour can substitute All-Purpose Flour, but will not be quite as fluffy
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
Instructions
- Heat chicken stock over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Add chicken and cook until able to easily shred chicken meat, about 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool. Shred and set aside when cooled.
- Add carrots, onion, celery, and potatoes to the chicken stock.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk and stir until no longer lumpy. Add milk mixture to the pot. This will thicken the mixture.
- Add shredded chicken, parsley, 5-8 sprigs of fresh thyme, kosher salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
- To make the dumplings, in a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. In a separate medium bowl, combine the remaining ¾ cup milk, melted butter, oregano, tarragon and 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only).
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently mix until just incorporated. Do not over-mix, as this will cause the dumplings to become less light and fluffy.
- Drop dumpling mixture into the stew in heaping spoonfuls. Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes until cooked through. Do not open the cover of the pot during these 15 minutes. It is important to keep the steam in the pot to cook the dumplings. If, after 15 minutes, the dumplings are not cooked through, cover again and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- For leftovers, add 2-3 cups more chicken stock (as needed) and cook over medium-high heat. Season with additional kosher salt and/or ground black pepper, to taste.
Dezar
This turned out really great! I made it in the rice cooker so I had to cut down on the proportions. I added paprika, garlic powder, and rosemary. Overall a great taste!
Amy
Excellent!
Lacey Baier
Thanks!!
Sonya
AMAZING! Mine didn't turn out as well as I am sure it had the potential to but that is completely my fault because I'm super broke and had to use the items I had on hand, but that's okay, I followed the general jist, using most of the ingredients listed and it's AMAZING! SO FLAVORFUL! I WILL be using this recipe again, and following it exactly because I know it will be even better when prepared right! Thank you so much for sharing, chicken and dumplings are my husbands favorite dish and I am excited for him to get off of work and serve him a bowl. I never post comments on recipes I try but I had to comment on this one. THANK YOU!
Lacey Baier
YAY! Sonya!! Thanks so much for commenting on this recipe - I really appreciate your feedback. I'm super excited yours turned out so well and I bet your husband was so pleased 🙂
Jennifer Parkes
The soup was absolutely wonderful, and hard to stop eating to be quite honest. My dumplings, however, did not turn out so great. That could be due to the fact that I used baking soda instead of baking powder???? If I try this recipe again I will either use baking POWDER or, "sigh" "gulp" contact MOTHER, as taste delicious.
Having made bad dumplings is sure going to cut back on my calorie intake though...one way to look at it.
Lacey Baier
LOL that is a very good way to look at it! I'm sorry to hear they didn't turn out, but it was probably due to the changing out baking powder versus soda.
Penny
Amazing recipe but the dumplings did not turn out to good
Brandon
This was the first recipe of yours that I tried (the lobster bisque being the second), I love this. Hearty is an understatement.
Lacey Baier
Okay, Brandon. You just made my day. LOVE that you enjoyed this recipe and the bisque. Thanks so much for sharing how it all went. 🙂
Kaity
Lacey, your recipes are fantastic! Thank you so much, my fiancé fell in love with this dish!
Lacey Baier
Yes! That's so cool, Kaity. I'm very happy to hear it went well and you enjoy my recipes. Thank you very much.
Brandon
This is my go to recipe for chicken soup. My girlfriend wasn't a dumpling fan, but this is an awesome chicken soup all by itself. So very good.
Lacey Baier
Yay! It does make a tasty chicken soup even without the dumplings 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Marilynn
I was looking for a new dumpling recipe for my own Chicken and Dumpling recipe and came across yours. I quickly mixed the dough, never having used cake flower for anything but cake, and added two of the three herbs. I didn't have tarragon, but since my old recipe had no herbs, I thought this was ok.
Once done, I couldn't wait to try them, and they were wonderful! Thank you so much for a great recipe, as well as easy to follow directions and photos. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Lacey Baier
You're so welcome, Marilynn! I'm glad you enjoyed the dumplings on your first try and that you found the recipe to be easy to follow. Thanks for the feedback!
Brandie
Hello! I am just starting to cook for the first time in my life.
Thank you for your beautiful recipe! I have always, always loved dumplings and this recipe turned out wonderful and delicious! (I can't believe I actually did it!!!! ha!)
Lacey Baier
Yay! Love hearing that, Brandie 🙂
Christopher W
This looks terrific! I love the recipe and the layout of your page is fantastic.
I normally make the Southern Style that are rolled out but it seems others have a hard time making them without them being soggy, so I posted a blog entry about how to do them properly.
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Christopher. I've never tried that way of dumplings myself, since this is the kind I grew up on.
Brandon
Made this last night. Was absolutely phenomenal. Didn't have cake flour, just used regular flour (just needed a little bit more milk). This recipe is a keeper, it's definitely comfort food.
Lacey Baier
Hooray for comfort food! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Antoinette
Im rather dissappointed because its rare i fail on a recipe. Im not quit sure what i did wrong either. My changes were that i used regular flour instead of cake & changed spices in the dumplings, i know which you said wouldn't be as fluffy but these were the worst dumplings ive ever made 🙁 I changed nothing else, i ever followed the homemade stock recipe! It was flavorless & the dumplings were waaay dense and i felt like i spent lots of time making it. Not sure where i went wrong but this wasn't a keeper for me but i'll blame it on something i did wrong...??!!?
lacey - a sweet pea chef
I'm very sorry this didn't turn out for you. It's really hard to assess what went wrong if you didn't follow my recipe exactly or more closely than it sounds like you did, but using regular flour to make dumplings tends to make for more solid dumplings. Best of luck in the future!
Peg
The best recipe without a doubt! Making it again today!
Lacey Baier
Yay! Thanks, Peg!! 🙂
Beki
Even though it's over 100 degrees outside, we just ate this for dinner. My three year old and I are both sick, and this was so yummy and comforting! I switched out dill for the parsley (parsley lowers my milk supply and I've got a hungry 5 month old to feed)and threw some fresh tarragon into soup. I also left out the potatoes, but the broth was still thick and creamy! I made it with homemade chicken stock using a local organic, pasture raised chicken. This will be a new family favorite for sure!
Lacey Baier
Love hearing that, Beki. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Kristin
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! The dumplings were so simple to make and were so good! They had a great texture and were very tasty. This will be going into the dinner rotation 🙂 Thanks!
Lacey Baier
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed the dumplings 🙂
Christy
Well this is all simmering and smells awesome 🙂 Looking forward to supper tonight. Thanks for the recipe. I have been looking for homestyle recipe for this for awhile. I am not a Bisquick fan.
Lacey Baier
I hope you enjoyed the recipe, Christy. 🙂
R.Win
I just made this, and it's amazing!
Lacey Baier
Yes! Thanks for letting me know!
Jeanette
Yes, I need to know how many servings too. Thinking about making 100 servings and need to convert.
Thanks
lacey - a sweet pea chef
I'd estimate the servings to be 6-8. Good luck!
Kimberly
How many servings?
Lacey Baier
I've since updated the recipe format to show servings, but this makes a generous 4-6 servings.
Jay
Thanks for clearing up my chicken question, Lacey, and I will certainly try your recommendation of using all cake flour for the dumplings. It'll be interesting to see the difference.
I tried replying to your response yesterday, but I kept getting a notation that your server was down. It's good to see all is well today!
Thanks again!
Jay
lacey - a sweet pea chef
You're welcome, Jay. My server was having some trouble but all looks good now 🙂
Jay
Hello Lacey
I've just recently come across your website and must say you have lovely looking & so tempting recipes! I've already downloaded your cookbooklet,(many thanks!)and am looking forward to giving your recipes a go. My first being this one for your beautiful dumplings alone!
I too make dumplings from scratch but have never made them with all cake flour. I use half cake, half unbleached AP, but will certainly try all cake as you do, and see how they might differ.
I have a question, an almost silly question on this recipe if you don't mind. Do you use the chicken from your stock making in your chicken and dumplings, or do you add fresh uncooked chicken meat, and poach it in in the homemade stock as stated?
I'm assuming you probably do use the chicken meat from the stock, but in my little part of the world, a 2.25 kg roasting chicken, is sold as a stewing chicken or hen, is considered an old chicken, and are sold quite cheaply, compared to a young roasting chicken.
Stewing chickens in my area are wonderful for stock making, but not so wonderful if one is hoping to have tender chicken meat as well.
Thanks again Lacey,
Jay
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Thanks (and welcome), Jay! I really appreciate your kind words about my site.
I have tried with half cake flour as well for my dumplings. Using all cake flour makes them unbelievably fluffy and tasty 🙂
You're correct. I do use the chicken from the chicken stock. However, if I am using frozen stock which I made earlier, I'll use any whole chicken from the store and it turns out fine. I hope that helps. Enjoy!
Victoria
I wish I could have some of that, I do.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Haha! It is tasty 🙂
serrena
MMmh this looks so tasty! Ive never made chicken and dumplings before but loved it when my mom made it! now i have 2daughter of my own gonna try this out tonight for dinner! my daughter haily whos 6 looked at the pictures and said "mommy are you making that? looks soo yummie! i want some" lol thanks for the recipe!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Thanks, Serrena! I hope you and Haily enjoy the Chicken and Dumplings!!
Lauren
Just made this, it's delicious, you're the best.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Well, thank you, Lauren. You're so sweet.
Lelah
I'm making this right now and my mouth is watering at the smell. Chicken and dumplings are the best!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Oh, good! I hope you enjoyed them, Lelah! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Barbi
Once again...another hit with my family. My husband thought the dumplings would get all soggy and he wouldn't like it... but that was not the case. They were perfect and the soup had the yummiest flavor. This will be your second recipe we add to the "make again" pile. I downloaded your cookbook and plan on making many more of your recipes. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay, Barbi! Thanks for your feedback...I'm so glad it all turned out well and that your husband wasn't disappointed.
Lisa Etter
Big raves about this one. For some reason I needed 1/2 cup more milk while making my dumplings, but I was using all purpose flour and not cake. Dumplings still turned out great.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Well, despite the need for the addition of milk, I'm glad the dumplings turned out well. Wonder what happened...
Karen D.
Eating this as I type! Yum! Warms you from the inside. It may not have snowed here is Florida, but we're still cold. We're just not equipped for freezing temperatures.
I made it from a whole chicken, making the stock first, as you said. Warmed the whole house. Thanks for the great recipe!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay, Karen! I'm so excited you followed my suggestion and made the homemade chicken stock, too!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Calli
This looks like a bowl full of love! Ill be saving this recipe for a chilly Ontario day...much like today..Hmmm I think I smell dinner!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hooray for chilly Ontario days! 🙂 I hope you enjoy your dinner -- it's sure to warm you up! 🙂
NanaBread (Jeanne)
Lacey, that looks so good, it's like looking at food porn. I'm with your mom...I cheat and use Pioneer Buttermilk baking mix (similar to Bisquick), but mine never look as good as this! Holy cow.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Why, thank you, Jeanne! Oh -- I've been meaning to tell you we finally went to the Salt Lick in Driftwood last night! You're right...much better than the Round Rock location. Thanks again for the tip! 🙂
Katherine
Yum. Yum. Yum. I am soooo making this for dinner tonight!
Thanks!
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Love to know what you think, Katherine!