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Chicken and Dumplings Casserole (+Video)

This Chicken and Dumplings Casserole is a family favorite. The dumplings make themselves! Tender, cooked chicken in a creamy flavorful sauce!

AN EASY WAY TO MAKE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

This Chicken and Dumplings Casserole was crazy delicious! My pictures do not do this recipe justice but we absolutely fell in love with it! The flavor was amazing and it was a family-pleaser for sure. Serve with a salad and your favorite vegetable. This is the food of my childhood right here.

fully cooked chicken and dumplings casserole in a white baking dish topped wih chopped parsley.

AN ALL-PURPOSE COOKBOOK

You know where I got this recipe? From that cookbook pictured below. It is The Southern Bite Cookbook and it was written by my friend Stacey Little of SouthernBite.com. Stacey shares generational recipes as well as some of his newer favorites. All inspired by the southern food he grew up with. 

The Southern Bite Cookbook shown on a wood table.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Could I use store-bought cooked chicken?

Absolutely! You do not need to make this totally from scratch if you are short on time. Pick up a rotisserie chicken. Get the family size chicken and just dice it up (you’ll need 3 cups of chicken.) Costco sometimes even sells pulled rotisserie chicken. A huge timesaver!

What if I don’t like celery?

Then just leave it out. You don’t need to substitute it with anything.

Can I substitute self-rising flour with all-purpose flour?

Self-rising flour contains a leavening agent as well as salt. It is all included for you. So, if you only have all-purpose flour then you are going to need to add these additional ingredients. To the one cup of all-purpose flour you would need stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Whisk together well then continue with the recipe as written.

Can I substitute margarine for butter?

Margarine (like Country Crock) will not work in this recipe. Margarine is mostly oil. The recipe won’t come together like we want if you use margarine.

Can you put raw chicken in a casserole?

Casseroles are usually made with cooked meats. When you use raw chicken, everything else in the casserole will be overcooked by the time the meat is done. So if you do see raw meat in a casserole recipe, the meat is usually started first in the cooking process because it takes longer to cook than the other ingredients.

What other cream soups could I use?

This really is all about what your family enjoys. You could substitute with cream of mushroom, cream of onion or cream of celery.

Can chicken and dumplings casserole be frozen?

I don’t recommend it. When you reheat it from frozen or go to cook it from frozen, the texture will be off. Now, if you don’t mind this not being the same texture as if you made it fresh, then thats fine. Sometimes people just like a taste of a recipe and not so much the texture. But for this to turn out exactly as it was intended, it should not be frozen.

Chicken and Dumplings casserole recipe from The Country Cook, serving on a white plate with a fork pictured.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • salted butter
  • onion
  • celery
  • cooked chicken
  • self-rising flour
  • milk
  • chicken broth
  • cream of chicken soup
  • salt & pepper, to taste
Chicken and Dumplings Casserole ingredients: butter, onion, celery, chicken breasts, self-rising flour, milk, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, milk.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS CASSEROLE:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add chopped onion and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes (until veggies are soft.) I seasoned my veggies with just a little bit of salt and pepper and I just let the butter melt as the veggies cooked.

diced celery and diced onion with a stick of butter in a large skillet with a wooden spoon.

Pour the butter and veggie mixture into your prepared baking dish.

melted butter, cooked diced celery and onion layered into the bottom of a large white baking dish.

Add the shredded chicken in a layer on top of the vegetables. Note: I seasoned with just a little salt & pepper here too.

cooked, shredded chicken layered on top of malted butter, Clery and onion in a white baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine self-rising flour with milk. Pour this mixture over chicken (do not stir the layers.) In another bowl (I just used the same one that I mixed the flour and milk, less dirty dishes, right?) combine the chicken broth with the cream of chicken soup. Season this with a bit of salt & pepper.

milk and self rising flour whisked together in a white bowl.

Pour this mixture over the chicken. Do not mix the layers.

flour and milk mixture poured over shredded chicken in rectangular white baking dish.

Then bake until the casserole is set (about 45 minutes or so). Sprinkle with a bit of dried parsley when finished cooking.

finished cooking, chicken and dumplings casserole in a baking dish.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

fully cooked chicken and dumplings casserole in a white baking dish topped wih chopped parsley

Chicken and Dumplings Casserole (+Video)

This Chicken and Dumplings Casserole is a family favorite. The dumplings make themselves! Tender, cooked chicken in a creamy flavorful sauce!
4.69 from 174 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add chopped onion and celery.
  • Cook for about 8-10 minutes (until veggies are soft). Season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour the butter and veggie mixture into your prepared baking dish.
  • Add the chicken in a layer on top of the vegetables.
  • In a small bowl, combine self-rising flour with milk.
  • Pour this mixture over chicken (do not stir mixture).
  • In another small bowl combine the chicken broth with the cream of chicken soup. Season with ab it more salt and pepper.
  • Pour this mixture over the chicken. Do not mix the layers.
  • Then bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the casserole is set.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Use store-bought rotisserie chicken to make preparation even faster
  • You must use self-rising flour in this recipe (not all-purpose)
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 25g | Sodium: 861mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

Originally published: March 2014
Updated & republished: May 2020

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105 Comments

  1. So does the self rising flour added over the chicken just clump up and form it’s own dumpling? I really want to try this, as my family loves chicken n’ dumplins, but I’m confused on how it works.

    I love your site, and thanks for all you do!

    1. 5 stars
      Yes it does! Just pour it evenly all over the chicken. No need to try to form dumplings with the milk/flour mixture. It will turn out similar to drop dumplings once cooked. Definitely try this. It’s so good!

    2. Hi Bobbie, that is sort of the theory. This particular recipe isn’t mine. It’s from the Southern Bite cookbook so I totally can’t take credit for it. But the flour should come together (lightly) to give you a dumpling texture. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner. This was very good. I did add some garlic powder and used Swanson canned chicken breast ( 2 large cans was perfect). Great short cut to chicken and dumplings. If time permits I’m still a fan of homemade chicken n dumplings though. I give it a thumbs up though for sure.

      1. I would love to hear exactly how you shred the chicken in the mixing bowl! Unfortunately, I can’t find it on this page or when I enter the term in the search box. Could you please tell me how to do that?

        I LOVE thecountrycook.net and come here several times a week to find the BEST recipes!! They’re SO right up my family’s alley as well as the way I was taught to cook ! Thank you so much, Brandie!!!!!!

      2. Hi Milia! So sorry for any confusion on that! I should probably have a blog post just for that tip! So what you are going to do is put your cooked chicken into a large bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a handheld electric mixer (or your stand mixer with the beater attachment on) you are going to slowly begin “mixing” the chicken. You can do it in batches if you like. But you will notice that it will easily shred the chicken for you. Just keep going until you get it to the thickness you prefer. I hope that made sense! And thank you for being here. I appreciate it more than you know!

  3. This recipe looks fantastic! Do you think I could substitute Bisquick for the self rising flour? Also, in the interest of saving dirty dishes, lol, I highly recommend using two large forks to shred the chicken meat. Do it while the chicken is still hot, it works really well!

    Looking forward to making this soon.

  4. 5 stars
    I am no kind of cook at all so don’t laugh at my question. Does Bisquik and self rising flour work the same way?

    1. Hi Pam – there are no silly questions here! It does actually. The big difference is that Bisquick also has vegetable shortening in it – which makes it simple for making biscuits. So, you would need to add some sort of oil or real butter to self-rising flour to make it work the same way. Does that make sense?

  5. 5 stars
    This recipe was so delicious and flavorful. I followed the recipe with a few minor changes…I didn’t have the self rising flour I followed the advice of another commentor to add 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp to regular flour. I added about 6 baby carrots chopped up to the celery and onion mixture and I added a cup of sharp shredded cheddar cheese to the chicken then topped it off with some French’s Crispy fried onions. YUM! Pure comfort food. I will most definitely be making this again.

  6. 5 stars
    I only made 3 changes. I used Bisquick instead of self-rising flour. Bisquick I always have in my pantry all of the time and never have self-rising flour. I also used Better than Bouillon Chicken Base and Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup. Both of these products have low sodium and no MSG.. It came out great and was ready in 45 minutes. Thanks for sharing. this recipe. I will be taking it to a pot luck next week.

    1. Thanks for these comments. You just answered the question I already asked, lol. I use heart healthy bisquick, there is absolutely no difference in taste or texture. THanks!

  7. 5 stars
    I made the chicken and dumpling casserole as written except I added peas and carrots and we thought it was very good.

  8. 5 stars
    This was great!!! I added frenches fried onions on top and served it with a side of broccoli! Delish! Great comfort food!

  9. 5 stars
    Made this last night and it was awesome!! I added 8 petite carrots chopped in with the onion and celery. I used a rotisserie chicken and mixed it into the veggie mixture then followed everything else the way the recipe reads.. hands down an amazing dish ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  10. Is it possible to make in advance and refrigerate overnight or freeze for a later time? Just wondering if that ruins the self-rising flour. Thanks for any assistance.

  11. 5 stars
    This is very close to what us Virginians make! We call it chicken pudding the recipe is from old colonial williamsburg it was a recipe that Thomas Jefferson loved. (I learned this actually at Williamsburg) The only difference in this recipe and the Chicken Pudding recipe is we use buttermilk instead of milk. Now Chicken and Dumplings (buttermilk dumplings) in my all time fave food in this world and none will be better then my sweet little momma’s 🙂

  12. 5 stars
    Tried your chicken and dumpling recipe for supper tonight,and it was delicious, will make this again for supper.

  13. 5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing it. I only made one change and that is I used Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup and added a half cup of fresh, sliced mushrooms. Healthy Request has no MSG and is the only type of soup I can use without getting put in the hospital. Otherwise – this recipe is fantastic. I am only one person – so I have 5 servings in my freezer to eat for later meals.

  14. 5 stars
    I made this dish tonight…simple easy as I am watching my two grandbabies and cooking for my family & my in laws every night….It is amazing!! But definitely needs the parsley for some color, Thank you for giving me an easy delicious dish that tastes like I worked all day on it. Blessings!

  15. 5 stars
    Made this tonight!!! Everyone devoured it!! It was fantastic!!! Thank you. Will try some more of your recipes.

  16. 5 stars
    I've got the oven heating up right now for the chicken and dumpling casserole to go in, can't wait to try it. with 7 kids still at home I love casseroles

  17. 5 stars
    I made this for tonight's supper…and it was so yummy! My husband and I decided we like it better than traditional chicken and dumplings. I didn't have the self rising flour so I made my own with a teaspoon and half of baking soda and a half teaspoon of salt and enough regular flour to make the cup.

  18. 5 stars
    Just made this for dinner, it was AMAZING!!! We love chicken and dumplings in our house, and this was a nice change!! VERY quick and easy, we look forward to having it for lunch tomorrow as well ! Thank you for sharing!

  19. Made this by tossing 3 large bone-in chicken breasts into the crock pot (in the early a.m.) on high for 4 hours then pouring residual juices into a measuring cup. Stuck it all into the fridge to cool for a few hours to cool. Skimmed the fat off the stock and shredded one large breast. Diced 4 smallish carrots, 1 small green bell and 4 celery stalks and sauteed them in 1/4 stick (NOT A FULL STICK — YAY!) of butter. I used 1 C. all purpose + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt for the dumpling topping and used the stock from the crock pot with the cream of chicken soup. Next time I'll use 1 3/4 C. stock so it's not so soupy. Be sure to go easy on additional salt, even if using low-salt soup. This worked great adding other veggies and would be good with even more: leeks, mushrooms, etc., to "veg it up" a bit. Between 4 of us we killed the entire 8×11 dish — and that was with lots of veggies. I'll make it again, happily. Thanks, Brandie, for sharing the recipe!

  20. Hi Brandie,

    So I made this for dinner on Thursday. I thought I messed it up because I didnt completely mix up the broth and cream of chicken soup. It came out more like a chicken pot pie, but it was delicious enough to make it again the next night because we ate all the leftovers. I have since given the recipe to both my mom and brother who have made it and loved it.