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 is similar to my mom’s traditional Appalachian chicken and slickers except we use the chicken stock for the dumplings instead of milk and chicken fat in place of the butter or shortening, also use a teaspoon of baking powder and roll the dumplings thinner, about 1/8 inch.
It really knocks it up a notch or two in flavor.
First time making it and it was delish! Will become a staple in my house.
Exactly how I want my chicken and dumplings to taste! The ultimate comfort food, reminds me of Cracker Barrel but better!! Don’t be afraid to sprinkle a little flour in the pot to thicken as needed 🙂
this is my go to recipe for this yummy country style comfort food
The absolute best chicken and dumplings. So comforting and everyone ate all that I made. I should have doubled the recipe LOL
Love it! I also added a can of cream of chicken soup and they are perfect!
The real deal! We knew it as “Chicken Pot Pie” (because of the pot?). As a true, blue Southerner, we had this as a side dish every Sunday at family dinner, made by my Great-Grandmother, born 1889. STILL my most favorite comfort food with the fondest memories of her. Perfect as is – exactly how she made it. Thank you so much for this recipe!
These are the best chicken and dumplings ever! My Grandma used to make this type of chicken and dumplings and I never thought I’d be able to make them as good as her. Thank you so much for this recipe – it was easy for me to understand and you honestly explain and teach everything so well. I felt like my Grandma was in the room with me. I have made so many of your recipes and I absolutely trust all of them. Blessings
Love this recipe thank you
Chicken and dumplings are one of my favorite things to make. This is a great recipe for a very easy and delicious meal. I had to add a bit more flour to my dumpling mixture as mine was way to sticky to roll.
I added a few bay leaves, dried thyme, oregano, basil, oregano, and parsley seasonings to my broth only because I just love the flavor profile of this. I also sprinkled some onion and garlic powder to my chicken before cooking it. The flavor was phenomenal!!
Absolutely love, love, love this recipe!! Tastes exactly like my Mee Maw used to make us. Thank you for the amazing recipe and memories!
They were delicious melted in your mouth
Thank you Diane!!
dude I love this recipe
Very tasty!!
We have greens- turnip salad and mustard— deviled eggs and hush puppies. Comfort food at its best. Thanks for this recipe and your chicken broth recipe
First time making homemade dumplings and I was surprised how easy it was! I wanted to add veggies but decided to keep it simple and traditional. My husband said it was like his grandma’s. We ate them with warm, buttered dinner rolls. Thank you for the recipe, this one is a keeper!
*My couple of tips: if you don’t want to roll your dough on the counter, simply line it with parchment paper. Breaking it up in two or 3 lumps, makes the dough easier to manage. If you’re like me and don’t own a rolling pin, use a wine or another glass bottle, just dust it with flour as needed.
Thanks so much Shayne. I see what you’re saying. It seems to only happen when the jump to recipe button has been used and not when you just scroll down to the recipe card. Thanks for bringing it to my attention so I can work on that!
they where awesome
I made this recipe. My mom grew up in tennessee and this is the closest thing I’ve found to her recipe passed down generations from the women on her side. I’m a dumpling girl with the chicken taking the back seat so this was the perfect amount of chicken for me. Thanks so much for this great recipe! If you’re a true southern woman, this is the dumpling recipe you’ve been looking for!
Great recipe added celery onion peas and carrot
So glad to hear that Tony – thank you!
Excellent!!! Just like Grandmas! Easy to prepare. Resemble (The Cracker Barrell’s)—Yes.
Thanks so very much Terry!! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
very good and easy to make. EXCELLENT !
Thanks so much John!
I am pretty sure this recipe has changed. I used to make dumplings from this recipe and I could have sworn that the ratio for mild said: “Slightly under a cup”. These measurements made the dough very soupy. For those reading this, don’t use the full cup of milk.
What I did to make it my own and slightly better health-wise – I cut carrots and celery and cooked them in the stock. I also used my homemade veggie broth. I like a soupier dumpling and I felt like there was not enough liquid in this recipe. I used 4 cups of chicken broth and then I used 6 cups of veggie broth. My husband even said it was the best dumplings that he ever had!
Hey Dacey – thanks for commenting! This recipe hasn’t changed. I have updated the photos but this recipe is my tried and true. Southern dumplings are made by feel. Some people measure too little flour and some measure a little too much – just depends on how you measure (scoop and clean the top with a knife or just dip and shake to remove excess) so sometimes you get a little more or little less with the flour. This is a forgiving recipe so just add a little more flour or little more milk as necessary to get the right texture. Hope that helps!
These were absolutely fantastic. Some of the best I’ve ever made!
I love making homemade chicken and dumplings,you can make it your own recipe by adding a lot of different ingredients.
This is sooooo yummy! I did half chicken stock/ half broth and boiled my chicken in my Dutch oven with a bay leaf and some seasonings. I CANT STOP EATING IT !!! Thank you for the recipe
Easy and tasty
Thanks Scott!
5 stars – every single time. This is true chicken and dumplings right here. The real southern folks know! Perfection!