Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food.
A whole chicken simmered to tender perfection with veggies and seasonings. Simple dumplings, made with pantry ingredients are simmered in the broth until plump and tender.
Chicken and dumplings is easy to make from scratch and will be requested again and again.
You’ll Crave This Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings Because…
- Homemade Chicken and dumplings is good ol’ comfort food at its best.
- Making chicken and dumplings from scratch is easy, most of the time is spent simmering.
- The broth is so flavorful, the chicken is incredibly tender, and the simple dumplings are made with pantry ingredients.
Ingredients for Chicken and Dumplings
The Broth
This is a simple broth made with a whole chicken and vegetables. Onions and carrots add flavor. Use a large onion and leave the skin on to add extra color to the broth. You can add your favorite herbs, such as bay leaf, a pinch of poultry seasoning, and fresh parsley.
We like to eat the veggies as a side dish, but feel free to chop the carrots & celery and add them back into your broth.
How to Make Dumplings
It’s so easy to make dumplings from scratch with basic ingredients (and doesn’t take much longer than making them with Bisquick). Flour, shortening, milk, baking powder, and salt are combined to make the dumplings.
Don’t worry about making the dumplings perfect; it doesn’t matter how they’re cut as long as the dough is rolled to about 1/8-inch thick. This gives the dumplings the perfect consistency.
How To Make Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
- Cut the chicken and add all the broth ingredients to a large pot. Simmer.
- Prepare the dumplings (recipe below).
- Remove chicken from the broth. Discard the bones and skin and chop the meat.
- Add dumplings to broth and simmer.
- Add the chicken to the broth. Thicken with optional cornstarch.
Some Extra Tips
This will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If freezing, it is best to freeze without the dumplings. They will become soggy. It is best to freeze the chicken and the dumplings separately.
Did you enjoy this Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 whole chicken 4 to 5 pounds, cut into pieces
- 1 yellow onion cut into quarters
- 3 large carrots cut into thirds
- 3 ribs celery cut into thirds
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf or a ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning, optional
For the Dumplings
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
Other
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine the chicken, onion, carrots, and celery. Add salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon).
- Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. While the broth is simmering, prepare dumplings below.
- Remove chicken and vegetables from the broth. Discard skin and bones and chop remaining chicken, set aside.
- Gently add dumplings to broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
- Stir chicken (and vegetables if desired) into the broth and cook about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
To Make the Dumplings
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening with a fork until shortening is mixed in.
- Add milk a little at a time and mix until combined (you may not need all of it, you want a soft but not sticky dough).
- Knead a few times on a floured surface until dough is smooth.
- Generously flour your surface and roll the dough out to ⅛-inch thick. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1-inch x 2-inch strips. Flour generously to avoid sticking.
- Cook in broth as directed above.
To Thicken the Broth
- In a small bowl combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons water.
- Add to boiling broth a little bit at a time stirring to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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I have been making homemade dumplings since I can remember. My grandmother made them, my mother, I grew up learning how. One thing my grandmother did, she used the turkey liver (or chicken, when it wasn’t for Thanksgiving) she would boil the liver and gizzards to use the broth, throw out gizzards and take cooked livers, grind in food processor. Add ground liver to your bisquick mix with canned evaporated milk. Roll out dough just like you do for your dumplings, cut into the same size strips, 1/8″ thick, 1″x3″ roughly strips and then let them dry. Will be speckled. Make broth, drop them slowly in batches. Add turkey or chicken, same result, but the flavor is beyond measure.
That sounds delicious Leslie!
So good! I made this yesterday for my daughter, and we’ve both about demolished it.
I did test 2 dumplings before dumping them all in the pot, and I’m so glad I did as they dissolved. I just added a bit more flour and it was perfection!
I have tried to make this dish in the past without luck. I made this today and it’s delicious! My first dumplings ever (Bisquick before).
Excellent, just like my mom used to make
Just like my grandmother’s.
Pretty disappointed in this recipe… I followed the directions to a T and the dumplings ended up dissolving into the broth, making one big mush mess. I saw some other reviews said to add more flour and that should help, but I just used up the last of my ingredients to make the dough. What a waste!
That’s so disappointing Mallory. I haven’t had that happen so I can’t say for sure what happened.
Absolutely love this recipe
***** 5 star flavorful
Thank you for this recipe. Have been using it for several years and it’s the closest I can get to my mom’s cooking. I always double it to make enough.
Can I use Ghee, Grass Fed, Pasture Raised Organic Butter instead of Shortening. And if so, what is the ratio?
I have never tried but other readers have used the same amount of butter in place of shortening and the recipe turned out great! Let us know how it goes for you!
Taste like Grandmas. We love this recipe. We have used it twice since finding it and it’s wonderful. We add a little more salt but that’s it. Great southern food
Can you use frozen chicken in the pot?
For best results, I would defrost it a bit before adding it to the pot to make broth.
Looking forward to trying your recipe! My mom always puts eggs in hers but they tend to break up easily so I’ll try your recipe to see if it makes a difference. I read all of the comments and noticed several people mentioned that their dumplings dissolved. This happened to me as well the last time I made it using another recipe. Could this be due to not kneading the dough enough before cutting it into pieces? I’m thinking that the kneading might help to hold the dumpling dough together better when cooking and may be why others encountered problems. Also, how long do you knead and do you let the dough rest after kneading it?
I haven’t been able to replicate the problem so I can’t say for sure Dianna. I just turn the dough out and knead it for 3 to 4 minutes until it’s smooth. If the flour is incorrectly measured, this can also keep the dough from holding together. Enjoy the recipe and Let us know how it goes!
Has anyone else had issues with the dumplings dissolving in the soup?
I have not had a problem with the dumplings dissolving.
Yes,,, my dumpling turned out into a thick broth. I was very disappointed in this dumpling recipe.
I did add an egg after I cut the crisco into the dough with a fork. I only kneaded it for a couple of minutes. They were perfect.
I have had that issue and to avoid it the second time cooking I added more flour to the dumplings so that the dough was a bit firmer.
This recipe is delicious! Added potatoes also. When it was finished, added some milk to the broth. ❤️
This was a hit with our family! I didn’t have cornstarch but had a pack of pepper gravy mix, so I mixed it with a little water and added it. My kids said it was better than Cracker Barrel!
Seeking some help here, would love replies from either the recipe author or those on site that may be able to help. I have been a home chef for about 7 years and very skilled at a lot but very inexperienced with the science of baking. I am currently on vacation in Denver and so attempting this recipe at 5200 ft above sea level, that info may help someone diagnose my issue. Broth turned out amazing. Here is what I used for dumplings: White Lily Self Rising Flour, Clabber Girl Double Acting Baking Powder, Crisco shortening, Whole D Milk (cold).
1st attempt: Followed the ratios and probably had a little too much milk in my dough, it was in fact sticky and took a lot of rolling on counter in flour to get it dried. Broth was bubbling boil. Although dough rolled super thin, the dumplings swelled up really thick which I didn’t mind and they tasted amazing in the broth, but would never get close to firming up. Extremely soft and would fall apart when lifted, consistency when tasting. Second attempt, I made exactly the same but with less milk and same result. I am frustrated bc I know that so many on here have found such success with this recipe and I know I am close but can’t figure out what is going wrong and plan to attempt again tonight.
Flour – I know some use all-purpose not self rising but also a lot of recipes online call for self rising so don’t know if it should affect it so much that they won’t get firm at all.
Broth temp – Am I needing a full boil? More of a simmer?
Altitude – Is there an adjustment I need to make?
Any help is appreciated. I love the recipes on this site and this is first one I can’t seem to master.
I don’t have experience in cooking at altitude so I can’t say how that affects anything. I use all purpose flour in this recipe so the self rising flour could be the culprit. I do add them at more of a full boil as the dumplings will lower the temperature once they’re in the broth. Once they’re added and it’s boiling again, I keep it at a low boil. I hope that helps and I’d love to hear how it works out for you!
Tonight was my second time making this and again, it was a hit! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Hey Holly! I’ve been making this recipe since last fall and it’s been a winner with me and my husband. The family recipe I had from my mom is good, but doesnt hold a candle to this. It’s been my go to. Thank you for sharing!
This was absolutely wonderful. I usually follow recipes pretty much as written but sometimes like to make it my own…depending on whether there are ingredients i do not prefer. Love celery, but was out and didn’t feel like running out to the store, I so used Celery Salt. I marinated Chicken tenders for a few hours in balsamic and soy before starting the cooking. I also used half & half vs milk for the dumplings. Will definitely make this again, and again!