Chicken and Dumplings (+Video)
Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a super simple recipe. Flat strips of dough simmered in a yummy broth with tender chicken.
AN OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN STYLE RECIPE
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.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Absolutely! Use whatever cut of chicken you and your family enjoy! You could even purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this a little faster to prepare.
Personally, I like to serve with some sort of French Bread or Biscuits. If you want some more veggies with your meal, you could serve with a side salad or Green Beans.
For those of you who didn’t grow up eating this style of Chicken and Dumplings – then you may have eaten it at a place like Cracker Barrel. A lot of us grew up eating Chicken & Drop Dumplings. Flat dumplings are very basic and are meant to soak up the flavors of the broth. It’s an easy, comforting homestyle meal.
You certainly could. This particular version of chicken and dumplings usually does not have any vegetables added but you certainly could throw in some peas and carrots if you prefer.
Chicken and Dumplings are best eaten the day they are made. You can store it in a covered container in the fridge; however, the dumplings will continue to soak up the broth and can turn gummy over time.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chicken broth – if you have any sensitivity to sodium, you can get the low or no sodium option. Alternatively, if you really want to kick up the flavor, try making Homemade Chicken Broth.
- all purpose flour – my favorite brand of flour is White Lily but any brand of all purpose flour will work here.
- baking powder – it’s super important you make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it isn’t the dumplings won’t puff up at all.
- salted butter – it needs to be real butter and not margarine.
- milk – whole milk is best if you have it.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS:
Time needed: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Cook the chicken
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. Chicken will reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees when fully cooked.
- Start preparing the dumplings
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.
- Cut butter into flour
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.
- Roll out dumpling dough
Now pour in the milk. 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 1/4″ thickness. Be sure to add flour as necessary to keep it from sticking underneath or to your rolling pin.
- Cut out dumpling shapes
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.
- Warm up broth and chicken
Bring the chicken broth up to a boil. Add in the shredded chicken and stir.
- Add dumplings to the pot
Begin adding dumplings one at a time so they don’t all stick together. Stir frequently while adding them.
- Let dumplings cook
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.
- Serve it up
Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and serve! Happiness and comfort in a bowl!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: April 2012
Updated and republished: October 2020
Chicken and Dumplings (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts (about 3 cups of cooked chicken)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
- 1 cup milk
- all purpose flour (for your counter and for rolling out the dumplings)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place 2-3 chicken breasts on the baking sheet. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil on the chicken and season with salt and pepper
- Bake chicken for about 45 minutes. Chicken will reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees when fully cooked. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks.
- Pour 2 quarts chicken broth into a large pot and start warming it up on the stove top while you make the dumplings.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Then add in 2 Tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed.
- Combine using your fingers, fork or pastry cutter. The butter should resemble tiny pebbles when combined well.
- Pour in 1 cup milk. Mix it all together.
- Dust your counter with a generous amount of all purpose flour. Place dumpling dough on the counter and dust it with more flour.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4" thickness. Be sure to add more 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 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. Then serve!
Video
Notes
- Use whatever cut of chicken you and your family enjoy. Chicken thighs are a great alternative. Also, if you want boil your chicken and use the broth from that, it’s fine. My family just doesn’t like the taste or texture of boiled chicken.
- If using a rotisserie chicken, you’ll want to cut up about 3 cups worth of chicken for this recipe.
- This particular version of chicken and dumplings usually does not have any vegetables added but you certainly could throw in some peas and carrots if you prefer.
- I like to serve this with French Bread or Biscuits. If you want some more veggies with your meal, you could serve with a side salad or Green Beans.
Nutrition
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.
This recipe was delicious! I added carrots and parsley to it & my family loved it!
Perfect additions!! Thank you so very much LaKeisha!!
Brandie,
I made these for a Halloween Party that I’m giving my Grandchildren and children. I froze the dumplings. I had to add more flour, but that’s fine. I’ve made your recipe before, and it came out delicious. I’m calling this dish “Cooked Ghosts” for the party!! Lol I’m sure everyone will love them!!!! Thank you so much for delicious chicken and dumplings like Grandmother use to make!
Love this Pamela! What a cute name too!!
LOVE THEM.
Wonderful
I made this tonight and to say it was a hit would be an understatement. My family absolutely loved it. My son has a major dairy/soy allergy so I had to use unsweetened almond milk and vegan butter and this still turned out amazing!
Tessa, thank you so much for coming back to comment. I love hearing how recipe tweaks work out for folks. So happy everyone loved it – yay!!
So easy to make and taste amazing!! Can i make the dumplings ahead of time and refrigerate them?
Hi Megan! So happy you liked this one! That is a really good question. I have not tried it but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work…
I use to have my grandma’s recipe for chicken and dumplings but lost it along with my prized baptist church cookbook. I’ve searched for something similar and this was the closet by far! She would add carrots, corn and/or celery if she had it. I made it just like recipe called for but added cut cooked carrots. Absolutely perfect.
There really is nothing like Grandma’s cooking, is there? I am so happy that this one at least came close to what you remember. It’s always an honor to even come close to Grandma’s cooking!!
This is a recipe that has been in my family for many years,my mother was raised in a French settlement in Ontario, they called it Potzins,mother would actually catch a chicken & clean it, put whole chicken in a large pot, I do not remember any veg in it,boil chicken for a few hrs, debone the chicken,add to broth make noodles,just flour,salt,use some cooled chicken broth for liquid,roll out,cut in squares & drop in liquid,used to be my favourite meal, the free run chickens had so much flavour.
Sounds amazing Carol!
My family is from Penetang Ontario. This recipe was always referred to as Chicken and Sliders.
That is new to me! Love learning about regional cooking!
Terrific recipe! But I did the dumplings the old-fashioned German way.
Hi Dave, this is random but I’m from western PA, and our area cooked the old fashioned German way! I’m trying to find my Grandma’s dumpling recipe and I can’t find anything close. Would you mind letting me know how you made them? It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Best recipe I have found. Thank you
Thanks so much Bobby!
Turned out very tasty!
Love hearing that – thank you Klei!
Does it matter what kind of milk you use?
easy and good just taste and adjust salt at end !
Thank you for coming back to comment Peggy!
I was thinking of putting aside a batch of the dumplings in the freezers for quicker use. Do you think they would freeze and cook well?
I purchased frozen dumpling at the grocery store. They work great. I use this recipe for my chicken and dumpling, which is the way my Mom them.
I use Pioneer Biscuit Mix and follow this recipe, but cannot match my mother’s. Her’s were a little dry on the inside which I loved, but cannot duplicate. Can you tell me how to do that? Oh, and recently had someone else’s dumplings and they added vegetables making me wonder if this style was unusual, so I was glad to see your recipe was just CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS. The ones with the vegetables were good though. Oh, I just remembered a woman at work brought dumplings made out of soft tacos. I made some and you cannot tell the difference, so the lady that wanted to use pie crust might like this idea.
Hi Patricia – hmmmm….I’m not sure. Most folks don’t actually ever want a dry biscuit so it’s not something I ever thought of. Perhaps don’t use as much liquid in the biscuit mix? Also, hope you like this recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. It’s so simple but it’s always been one of my favorites!
How about biscuit dough?
Hi Dave! I have a recipe for the biscuit dough here: https://www.thecountrycook.net/chicken-and-drop-dumplings/
To get the dry biscuit on the inside simply don’t roll out the dough. Just drop it by the spoonful into your boiling broth. Bisquick has a great recipe for these types of dumplings. I am excited to try this other variation though.
So, i was curious. Are these softer dumplings? My mother and grandmoher cook and debone chicken, then they put flour on the kitchen table, make a well and put egg and mix, roll out, and cut. They usually leave them for an hour or even longer to dry for a bit. Then drop them in and cook.
Hi Krista, it’s hard to explain. They are soft but get more dense the longer you let them cook in the broth. You can easily chew them though. 🙂
This is my go to recipe when I need a scrumptious homemade dinner. Easy to make and comes out perfect every time! Thank you
That is so wonderful to hear Janet – thanks so much!!
Can I use premade pie crust dough instead of making it? Seems that it looks the same when rolled out, and it would make that part of the process a lot faster and easier. Just roll it out, cut and go. Looks the same to me. Doing it that way + a rotisserie chicken = done Thanks for your feedback
Hi Linda! I have never tried it with the refrigerated pie dough. They tend to be super thin. However, if you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out for you!
Thanks! How mau have when you cut out the dough?
Anne’s Dumplings- in the freezer section with the frozen pies
Yes, they are good too! Unfortunately not in Ohio. We use to live in Arkansas. I have called Anne’s and was told they don’t ship. 🙁
Thank you!!!
Do you use cold butter or room temp.?
Hi Kelly, cold butter. Sorry for any confusion. 🙂
I have made this recipe several times. I love it. It’s easy.
I’m making this right now … do you add a lid after adding the dumplings? And do you keep it on boil or low or ?
Hi Amanda, no lid necessary unless you find that the liquid is getting too thick and the dumplings aren’t ready yet. Some folks like to keep a lid on to get more of a “steamed dumpling” texture. Hope that helps!
What about using a Dutch Oven?
My Grandma had a flour bowl with a lid that she used for making dumplings and biscuits. She would hollow out a small depression in the flour and pour water and and a little vegetable oil in and then mix it with her fingers adding flour to it gradually. When she felt like she had the right amount of flour she would take the ball of dough out and sprinkle a little flour on the clean counter and roll the dough out with a glass and cut the dough into about six inch x 2 inch strips and add them to the pot that contained the boiled chicken. She used whole chicken pieces and didn’t season with anything except salt and pepper. The dumplings cooked in just a few minutes and they were delicious. I was always amazed at how quick she could make the dumplings. The only other recipe I liked as well was served at a small country kitchen run by two “grandmas”. They boiled their chicken and deboned it and then added it back to the stock. Once the dumplings were made and added they poured it into a baking dish and put strips of dumplings on the top. Once it was baked, they broke up the crispy dumplings on top and mixed it in with the others. Right before they took it out of the over, they added a little evaporated milk and pats of butter. This was even better than my Grandma’s recipe. I have never been able to find a recipe since then that called for baking the dish. Has anyone else ever run across one?
Hi Sharon! I love your memories! Grandma’s always have that special touch. So much experience in their hands. I’ll have to do some research on the other recipe you are talking about. I have some old handwritten cookbooks that were passed down to me. I’ll have to see if there is anything similar in them to what you are talking about. 🙂
When I look at the recipe I don’t see that it calls for any seasoning (salt, pepper, poultry, etc.) but people keep mentioning adjusting the salt. Am I missing something?
Hi Shawne, sorry for the confusion. It is salt and pepper to taste on the chicken breasts. The chicken broth and butter are both salted so it’s personal preference if you want to add additional salt and pepper. 🙂
Just like Granny made. I have always made my chicken and dumplings this way. I double the dumplings because everyone wants extras. 🙂 As other reviewers posted, please don’t over mix the dumplings, as they will get tough. I see the photo has parsley sprinkled on the C&D in the bowl…..Granny always added parsley to hers, she said it made it pretty. ???? With or without the parsley ~ it is delicious!
This was good!
This is an easy delicious recipe. I added cream of chicken and cream of celery to add flavor. Didn’t add the salt.