Make this cozy classic chicken and dumplings recipe from scratch. It’s an old-fashioned comfort food classic with rich broth, tender chicken, and homemade dumplings.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and savory broth is filled with juicy chicken and soft, pillowy dumplings.
- Time-Saving Tip: Use frozen veggies and biscuit mix to keep the prep time low without sacrificing flavor.
- Recommended Tools: A pizza cutter makes quick work of cutting dumplings into perfect strips.
- Serving Suggestions: Let everyone help themselves by keeping this recipe warm in a slow cooker. Just serve some homemade breadsticks on the side to soak up all of that creamy broth.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Base: Use any combination of chicken up to 5 pounds for the broth; a whole bone-in chicken adds richness and body, while individual pieces of chicken work too. If using frozen chicken, thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Vegetables: Celery, carrots, and onions are the foundation that makes a sweet and savory, balanced base for this recipe.
- Dumplings: These super-easy dumplings are soft and plump, and made with a handful of pantry staples. If short on time, replace them with any pasta that has tubes or ridges to hold the creamy broth.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
- Cook the broth and chicken.
- Prepare the dumplings (full recipe below).
- Strain the broth, shred the chicken, and add it back to the pot.
- Add dumplings to the simmering soup, and cook until tender.
Before serving, adjust the seasonings if needed.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Store leftover chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze chicken separately from the dumplings for up to 4 months in a zippered bag. Dumplings can be frozen separately, but taste best when made fresh.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through. If the broth has thickened, stir in a splash of broth or water to loosen it up.
How to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings
Mix cornstarch + cold water into a slurry, then whisk it into boiling broth a little at a time until it’s the thickness you like.
What Goes with Chicken and Dumplings
Something fresh and simple: roasted green beans or broccoli, a basic green salad or Caesar, and dinner rolls or biscuits.
Can You Freeze Chicken and Dumplings?
Yes, but it freezes best without the dumplings. Freeze the broth and chicken, then make fresh dumplings when reheating.
Can You Make Chicken and Dumplings in a Crockpot?
Yes, I recommend following this Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings recipe.
What to Serve with Chicken and Dumplings
Did you enjoy this Chicken and Dumplings Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
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
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 bay leaf or a ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning, optional
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch plus 4 tablespoons water
For the Dumplings
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and the bay leaf.
- 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.
- Strain broth through cheesecloth. Shred or chop the chicken and discard the skin and bones. Chop the vegetables if desired (or discard). Set aside.
- Add the strained broth back to the pot. Bring to a boil and gently add dumplings to broth. Reduce heat and 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, shortening, baking powder, and salt with a fork or pastry cutter until shortening is the size of small crumbs.
- 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 5-6 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
- Chicken: *The whole chicken can be replaced with 3 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs.
- Vegetables: Carrots and celery can be served on the side or chopped and added to the broth along with the chicken. If adding to the broth, frozen peas can also be added.
- Seasonings: While I’ve kept the seasonings simple, any of the following can be added to the broth: ¾ teaspoon poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, ¼ teaspoon ground sage.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 461 | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 619mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4756IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This recipe is shear perfection! Followeed the recipe to the letter(except for milk) and was wonderful. Holly you always amaze me!
Thank You, Nancy
You’re welcome Nancy, thank YOU!
Eh, for me 1/2 cup of milk was waaaay to freaking much. I have a gooey dough ball that needs at least 1/4 cup more flour. Won’t roll out unless I modify it.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you Kari, our readers usually have great success with this recipe.
Dumplings don’t hold up. And I’ve made plenty dumplings before.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Asher. Since you’ve made plenty of dumplings I am not sure what went wrong, this recipe has worked out great for many readers!
This recipe is awesome! Mine looked exactly as pictured. Perfect comfort food!
It was a delicious recipe, what brought it down to 3 stars is the dumplings. The shortening made the dumplings taste way to fatty and oily. I simmered my dumplings for way longer then the time written on the recipe and they were still undercooked. It was disgusting. I suggest you find a different recipe.
Oh no, I am sorry that the dumpling didn’t work out, Sally! To help the dumpling fully cook while simmering we recommend rolling them out to ⅛” thick and slicing them into 1″ by 2″ strips. Hope that helps!
Holly’s recipe is delicious!! Some things work for some…others don’t. With that said, she does not need to find a new recipe. Hope you find one you enjoy!
I love chicken and dumplings. Would love to have the recipe
Hi Pam, the full recipe can be found towards the bottom of the post or by using the Jump to Recipe button found at the top of the post.
This was a very easy and wonderfully tasty recipe! I used leftover roast chicken and Crocker the carcass to make the broth, cutting down the cook time and using every bit of the chicken. Spend With Pennies is a amazing resource and every recipe so far has been perfect.
Thank you so much Cynthia! I’m so glad that you are finding the recipes to be so helpful!
Absolutely PERFECT!!! THANK YOU HOLLY!!!
So glad you loved this Nic!
This recipe is so simple and delicious. My dumplings didn’t hold up well, kind of disintegrated, though you could tell they were dumplings. But even with that, it’s delicious.
I want to make this but only have boneless breasts. You told another person to do the crock pot recipe but I don’t have time for that. Can I use the boneless breasts for this recipe?
If I need to make it differently could I cook the breasts separately and make the broth and dumplings as shown and then add the shredded breasts at the end?
Hi Lisa, We haven’t tried this recipe with boneless chicken breasts but they do not take as long to cook so I would let the veggies boil first and add the chicken in towards the end (check out this boiled chicken recipe for an idea of cooking time). You could also make them separately and add them in at the end if you prefer. :)
DELICIOUS!!!!!!!
Love your family recipe ❤️
Made this recipe exactly as written, and it was so good! Next time I make it, the only change will be to double the dumplings. I rolled them out as thin as I could and I only got about half the amount shown in the video. Thank you for a great recipe!
You’re welcome Kim, so glad you love this chicken and dumplings dish! It’s a fave around here too!
I want to make this, but one problem I have is all the shortening I have is Crisco Butter. Will that work?? Usually my Dumplings come out tough, so I will try your recipe, and hope for the best. I love Chicken and Dumplings. To my bring up it is good country meals. Thanks in advance for your reply. May God Bless You !!!
It sure will Jackie. It’ll add a little bit different flavor and it will be delicious!
That was my same question, and guess what it works just like the white crisco! The only difference is the golden color for your dumplings
I also add a half red & green pepper! Wonderful recipe
I have made chicken and dumplings for all my married life,68 years.I had made them with buttermilk,but with Whole milk they are the best thank you.
So glad to hear that you love the chicken and dumplings Mary!
look fore a chicken and recipe
Loved this – first time ever trying it. Big hit with the whole family and will make again!
So dang good….even better the next day…
Made this recipe today. Big hit with everyone!
Love this recipe! Substituted a rotisserie chicken from Wegmans and oatmilk for the regular milk and 1.5x the dumplings. But its delicious! Also if you still have it (its literal gold) – Trader Joes Everything But the Leftovers seasoning was MADE for this recipe !
How much did you use?
If I’m using boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, how many should I use and do I need to modify the chicken cooking time?
Rebecca, please take a look at this recipe for chicken and dumplings that uses chicken breasts!