Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a super simple recipe. Flat and yummy strips of dough simmered in a yummy broth and tender chicken.
OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
There really is no other recipe that screams comfort food quite like chicken and dumplings. This meal will warm up and comfort any soul on a cold winter's day! Want an easier version, be sure to check out my CROCK POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
- Some folks like dark meat with their dumplings, some like a combination of white and dark. Chicken thighs would work great for this as well. Go with whatever you like here.
- You could even purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off the bone and shred it.
- For those of you who haven't eaten this style of Chicken and Dumplings growing up - then you may have eaten it at a place like Cracker Barrel. A lot of us are used to the CHICKEN & DROP DUMPLINGS. If you really want the full Cracker Barrel experience, serve it with a side of HASHBROWN CASSEROLE.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
chicken
chicken broth
chicken broth
all-purpose flour
baking powder
salted butter
milk
HOW TO MAKE OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS:
First thing you need to do is to cook the chicken. You can use a store bought rotisserie chicken for this if you like. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle a little olive oil on the 2-3 chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks. Or, you can put it into a stand mixer and have it do the work for you. Pour 2 quarts of chicken stock or broth into a large pot and start warming it up on the stovetop while you make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Then add in cold cubed butter.
You can combine it all using a fork or a pastry cutter or your fingers. Just smoosh the butter between your fingers while you gradually mix it in with the flour mixture.
Now pour in the milk. You want to measure out a little less than a cup. Mix it all together. Dust your counter with a generous amount of flour. Place your dumpling dough on the counter and dust it with more flour.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼" thickness. Be sure to add flour as necessary to keep it from sticking underneath or to your rolling pin.
Using a knife or a pizza cutter, start cutting out your dumplings into squares. They don't need to be perfectly shaped. Remember, this dish is rustic and homemade so it should look like it. Dust your dumplings with a bit more flour. The extra flour is all gonna help keep them from sticking but will also thicken your chicken broth some as well when you add them to the pot.
Bring the chicken broth up to a boil. Add in your shredded chicken and stir.
Begin adding dumplings one at a time so they don't all stick together. Stir frequently while adding them.
Allow dumplings to cook for about 15-20 minutes. You should notice your broth starting to thicken (from the extra flour) and your dumplings may start to sink a little to the bottom because they are soaking up the broth. Take one out and taste test it. It shouldn't have a doughy taste anymore.
Happiness in a bowl.
Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE COMFORT FOOD RECIPES. CHECK THESE OUT!
CHICKEN AND DROP DUMPLINGS
CROCK POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
CHICKEN NOODLE STEW
CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS CASSEROLE
CROCK POT CHICKEN AND GRAVY
CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH WHITE SAUCE
CROCK POT CHICKEN AND RICE BURRITO BOWL
CROCK POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
THE BEST INSTANT POT POT ROAST
HASHBROWN AND PORK CHOP CASSEROLE
OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a super simple recipe. Flat and yummy strips of dough simmered in a yummy broth and tender chicken.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 348kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken (about 2-3 chicken breasts)
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cold salted butter, cubed
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place chicken breast on the baking sheet and Drizzle a little olive oil on the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake chicken for about 45 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks.
- Pour 2 quarts of chicken stock or broth into a large pot and start warming it up on the stove top while you make the dumplings..
- In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Then add in cubed butter.
- Combine using your fingers, fork or pastry cutter.
- Pour in the milk. Mix it all together.
- Dust your counter with a generous amount of flour. Place dumpling dough on the counter and dust it with more flour.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼" thickness. Be sure to add flour as necessary to keep it from sticking underneath or to your rolling pin.
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, start cutting out your dumplings into squares.
- Dust dumplings with a bit more flour. The extra flour is all gonna help keep them from sticking but will also thicken your chicken broth some as well when you add them to the pot.
- Bring chicken broth up to a boil. Add in shredded chicken and stir.
- Begin adding dumplings one at a time so they don't all stick together. Stir frequently while adding them.
- Allow dumplings to cook for about 15-20 minutes. You should notice your broth starting to thicken (from the extra flour) and your dumplings may start to sink a little to the bottom because they are soaking up the broth.
- Take one out and taste test it. It shouldn't have a doughy taste anymore.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1246mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3.1mg
Nutritional Disclaimer
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Originally published: April 2012
Updated and republished: October 2020
Ooh, looks like a wonderfully warming and comforting meal 🙂 What a classic!
Oh, this looks so good. It's chilly and rainy in New York today and I'd love to have a bowl of this right now! I actually just watched Tyler Florence on the Food Network make dumplings, too. It must be a sign that I should make some dumplings! 🙂
This looks wonderful. I usually make the bisquick kind I admit, because it's what I grew up with thus what comforts me, but sometimes I get a craving for the real thing and your recipe looks great 🙂
My mom used to make it with bisquick too! Do you make it the same way just substitute bisquick for flour? She rolled it out and cut squares like this recipe.
The only difference between the Bisquick and flour is the Bisquick already has the baking powder in it. My Mom too used Bisquick and water and never added butter. I am thinking I will try this recipe but use the Bisquick and the butter and milk AND possibly add a chicken bouillon cube to the broth to make sure its really got allot flavor
Bouillon gives it a not so good taste.use thighs that are fatty leave skin on.boil with salt and pepper.then Devine put in dumplins
True thighs give so much flavor.
I dislike when ppl alter recipes however I've looked long and hard to make them like my
Mom. Since this had her ingredients I tweaked the amounts ( like all old recipes she said 'eyeball it that was my instructions) and am so grateful. It's my moms dumplings !! I can pass it to my daughters now. Many thanks!
Looks like you tweeked it also. A tweek is a tweek. But it's all good. To each his or her own. Glad it came out well.
Boiling the chicken is how to start making chicken n dumplins from scratch...you can add broth or bouillon after removing the chicken for extra flavor.
Homemade dumplings never made from Bisquick are key as well. However, in the frozen section Mary B's has a dumpling that is comparable and I promise you wont be disappointed. Especially for those of you on the fly. You simply break them apart and put them in your boiling broth. You can also adjust the length to your taste. If I use these I break them in half. Enjoy!!
Why would you cook the chicken in water? Then finish with stock? Cook the chicken in stock for bonus flavor.
You cook the chicken in water to make stock. I’ll boil a whole chicken for about an hour. Remove the chicken and pick through it to get what meat you want. Strain the broth to get any bone fragments out.
I always "tweak" recipes many times based on the reviews. I made these dumplings per the recipe and they turned out well. Don't forget to use flour on the bottom and top of the dough. As for the chicken part, I boil my chicken in chicken broth. I take chicken out to cool and shred and add some celery and green onions to broth. When celery is tender, I add the dumplings, then chicken, carefully mixing them. I finish by adding a little milk because that's how my grandma did it. It's all about personal taste, but the dumplings we're great and not "doughy" tasting.
I also just recently found your site. You have some very nice recipes! I'll be back! ????
That's how my 80 yr old neighbor made them too. She added a little milk at the end and they are soooooooooo good!
A little milk never hurts! Ha!!
I also like to season my flour with chives and thyme and creole seasoning before I make my dumplings..DELISH..
Ok., I’m a guy. My Grammy taught me how to cook stuff while my single mom was out playing.
Made C &D today cause of a cold front in the Keys. Granny says stockpot and boil the kaKa out of the bird salt, pepper, garlic to taste and pull it to cool. Basic right! Now here’s my newbie to all this. I had a 1/4 bag of SR flour in the fridge. Mixed an egg whole milk with some oil and blended in my flour. Well it was too soft I reached in the fridge, grabbed a bag and commensed to blend. The dumplings mix began to thicken nicely. But, something was strange. My dough was weirdlyk to the touch. WHH is wrong. Well, my blend to the batch was SR cornmeal. The dumplings are the BOMB!!!! I think it ended up 2 part flour 1 part cornmeal. Ya gotta try this. My grandma probably rolled over in the grave. Lol! A wonderful new twist to good ol dumplings.
Johnny that sounds delicious. I will give it a try.
Too funny! Glad they turned out! 😀 I may have to try that some time. 🙂 I always add celery to my stock. Adds flavor. I usually skim some of the fat off the top for the oil part of my dumplings and use broth, never water. Any way you fix 'em..dumplings are an old favorite of mine!
I made these 2 weeks ago with bisquik. And they were amazing
That's awesome Melissa! Love hearing that it turned out well with Bisquick!!
I love this recipe. I boil my chicken for 25 minutes and then make the dumplings while that is happening. I also add cracked rosemary, thyme and sage at the end for a herby finish that my partner and I really enjoy.
I am so trying this! It's one of those recipes I always mean to try or make and never get around to it, but put it down for later this week. Thx!
Now this is some down home cooking!! Looks delish!
Just made a batch of mom's chicken and dumplings, I was stumped on the baking soda, it's been a long time.
The warm memories of my mom's love from a bowl of chicken and dumplings are just what the doctor ordered.
I think the recipe says baking powder, big difference! lol
Ugh youre making my mouth water! If i wasnt just starting back on weight watchers id be heading to the store for some chicken and dumplings lol
Have made chicken and dumplings this way for years and my kids and grandkids love them. In fact, had family here for the Easter weekend and the grandaughters asked it I was going to make chicken and dumplings. Unfortunately ham took priority for Easter dinner but you can bet I'll be making them next time around. So easy and tasty.
You can do it with ham. Make a nice rich stock then throw in the dumplings.
Few dishes remind me of home but this one certainly does. Looks delicious.
My Mom made Chicken and Dumplings when we were kids. Her dumplings were little clumps of dough. mmmmm...
Your sounds good too. lol This is definitely a comfort food.
It sounds yummy! Rainy & cool here in Kansas, too. Think I'll make some tonight!
This dish looks perfect! I would love every tasty bite...your tutorials are always so great. So glad you shared...my mouth will water every time I think of this, and I WILL make it one of these days too.
chicken and dumplings, the perfect comfort food, and yours looks soo good, like I want some now.
I haven't had chicken and dumplings in the longest time! Looks delicious!
Brandie,
Thanks for featuring my Easter Bunny Cupcakes and hosting this fun event!
Brandie,
I have to leave now. Appt with Hospice Social Worker. I don't have time to post on my FB page. I'll have to do it later, unless you want to do it.
Thanks
Rebecca Ann
AS I promised, earlier this week, I made this tonight.... turned out terrific! My first time making chicken and dumplings, too. I added frozen mixed veggies to the chicken and broth. Thanks again.
When I post it on my blog, I'll mention you and link to your blog page.
Nothing better on a sick day then a big bowl of hot and steaming chicken with dumplings.
Iknow you stated before the recipe for anyone who has never had chicken and dumplings....that just broke my heart because I can't IMAGINE living in a world where I had never had chicken 'n dumplings! There truly is nothing better and I can't wait to try your recipe!!
I have never had chicken and dumplings--I think I've have missed out on something yummy. This recipe looks easy and usually have all items on hand. Going to try this over the weekend. Thank you!!!!
I made these last night. They were absolutely delicious. I have always made my dumplings just using flour and warm water BUT these were the best ever. Recipe is a keeper!!
I posted my success using your recipe on my blog and linked to your blog. This recipe was terrific and the dumplings now one of my favorites to make. Thanks again.
http://gooddealmeals.blogspot.com/2012/04/chicken-and-dumplings.html
This is the kind of dumplings my mama used to make. Just one question: it's baking powder in the recipe (not what mama used) and baking soda in the direction. I'm thinking it's supposed to be soda, or just salt. Which one?
Wonderful recipe, really enjoyed it. Reminds me of my mom's chicken and dumpling.
Oh, Brandie! This is exactly how my Nanny Richburg used to make her dumplings. I reeeaaally don't like the doughy, drop dumplings! Thanks for all your great recipes. I appreciate you!!!
My husband is NOT a chicken n dumplings fan, but after making this tonight he ate THREE bowls of it. I was in shock lol...our daughter and her friend also downed their entire serving, which is saying a lot since our kids are quite picky. This one is definitely a keeper!!!
There was a comment on here about baking powder. Sorry about the typo in the instructions, but you do use baking powder - not baking soda. 🙂
I use self-rising flour so there is no need for the baking powder. I had never had Chicken and dumplings until I met my sister-in-law in Tennessee and she taught me how to make it that way. It is awesome!