Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food.

In this recipe, a whole chicken is simmered to create tender meat and a flavorful broth. Dumplings, made with pantry ingredients, are simmered in the broth until plump and tender.

This meal is easy to make from scratch and will be requested again and again.

close up of easy Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings in bowls

Holly’s Recipe Highlights for Chicken and Dumplings

This Homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe is good ol’ comfort food at its best.

  • Flavor: The flavor is savory with broth and herbs—very homey flavors similar to chicken soup or pot pie.
  • Difficulty: This recipe is relatively easy but it does take time to prepare. Most of the time is hands off as the chicken simmers.
  • Dumplings: There are different types of dumplings and while these are rolled out and look somewhat like noodles, the texture (and ingredients) is different—they’re more pillowy than noodles.
  • Time Saving Tip: This recipe is made with awhole chicken to make the meat and broth. You can save time by using boxed chicken broth and cooked rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients Tips 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

This chicken and dumplings recipe uses homemade dumplings, which are easy to make with basic ingredients. Flour, shortening, milk, baking powder, and salt are combined to make the dumplings.

Simply mix and roll, I use a pizza cutter to cut the dumplings.

Lots of dough strips on a cutting board

How To Make Chicken and Dumplings

This is a quick overview of the steps in this chicken and dumpling recipe. Find the detailed recipe below!

  1. Make the broth: Cut the chicken and add all the ingredients to a large pot. Simmer.
  2. Make the dumplings: Stir the ingredients in a bowl, roll the dough, and cut the dumplings (recipe below).
  3. Debone chicken: Remove chicken from the broth. Discard the bones and skin and chop the meat.
  4. Cook dumplings: Add dumplings to broth and simmer.
  5. Serve: Add the chicken to the broth.
Chicken and Dumplings in a silver pot

Holly’s Recipe Tips

  • The dumplings do not have to be perfectly cut, ensure the dough is rolled to about 1/8-inch thick for the perfect consistency.
  • If you’d like to thicken the broth, mix equal parts water and cornstarch in a small bowl. After the dumplings are cooked, add the mixture a little bit at a time until the broth has reached the desired consistency.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • The dumplings should not be frozen in the broth. You can freeze the broth and dumplings separately; the texture of the dumplings will soften slightly, but they’re still delicious. Store in the freezer up to 4 months.
  • Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

More Cozy Chicken Recipes

Did you enjoy this Chicken and Dumplings Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

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Chicken and Dumplings

This old fashioned chicken and dumplings recipe is a family favorite meal that is comforting and delicious. 
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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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 black 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
  • 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

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 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. 
4.96 from 904 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 464 | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 599mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4060IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
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Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings in bowls and close up photo with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. I made this for my husband last week and he loved it (only I threw the chicken and veggies in the instapot to cook quicker)! He even asked me to make it again this week. Thanks for a winner!!5 stars

  2. New to cooking. If I have only boneless, skinless breasts will my broth still be flavorful enough? Tips for tenderest chicken? Would love to make for elderly father but chewing meat can be tough. Wd it it be noticeably more tender if I used dark meat or whole chicken, or does that not matter when you’re cooking the chicken so long anyhow? Thx in advance!

    1. Hi Jacquelyn, the broth will have a little more flavor if using bone-in skin-on chicken but it should still turn out delicious. As for being tender, dark meat is often more juicy and tender but when cooked for this long they should both turn out tender.

    1. That should work well. You wouldn’t need to cook the chicken in the broth in step 2 but you could put the chicken carcass in there to infuse the broth with the flavor.

  3. Made these for my dad and his exact words where “just like mom used to make”!!! I must say this recipe is great!! I did go ahead and make a double batch of dumplings because there will be some leftovers for lunch the next day then!!5 stars

  4. I tried this recipe because my husband loves chicken and dumplings and my past attempts over our 45 year marriage were, shall we say just better than horrible lol. I used lard, another of my hubby’s childhood memories and the fact that I was out of shortening and these dumplings were at 10 according to my husband.
    I believe that my marriage is now safe for another 45 years. thanks from a grateful wife.5 stars

  5. Can this be done in a crockpot? I saw you had two recipes for chicken and dumplings this one is stove top the other is crockpot. I just wondered if this can be done in the crockpot too.

  6. First time making dumplings and after reading many reviews, they turned out perfect. I used a Cuisinart to mix dry ingredients and frozen butter cut into small pieces. I also added a little poultry seasoning to mixture. Dough was perfect, pretty much 1/8th inch, and floured well. I had strained stock and had on a low simmer and they turned out perfect after about 17 minutes. I added veggies back, along with about 2 cups of frozen corn. I realize it may not be true dumplings by adding, but it was still great! Will certainly make again, thanks so much for the recipe!5 stars

    1. This recipe should still turn out with butter used in place of shortening. We would love to hear what you think Beth!

  7. I made this recipe and had to improvise while preparing. First the author should probably recommend a weight for the chicken. The amount of dumplings was not enough for the amount of meat that was extracted from my chicken so I had to make the dumpling portion of the recipe twice to double the amount. Otherwise, it was great! I used much more than a pinch of poultry seasoning and I also used onion powder, garlic powder, Lawry’s seasoning salt and black pepper and 4 bay leaves to season the chicken boil. However, THE DUMPLING RECIPE was PERFECT! so easy and quick! Makes perfect dumplings! I did add a little bit more salt than instructed but I’m glad I did. My husband could not get enough of this dish! I also used normal chicken broth opposed to the recommended low sodium broth. I wanted full bold flavor just how I remembered my grandma making it. Comfort food at it’s best!5 stars

    1. I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Mikahyiyl!

      I use one whole chicken cut up, about 3-4lbs. I hope this helps!

      1. I can’t imagine chicken and dumplings without carrots and celery! But to each his own!

    1. Destiny, I have been making chicken and dumplings for 54 years an I always freeze them together with no problem. they taste as good as freshly made when you thaw them

  8. Finally a recipe close to my great-grandmothers and my great-aunt possibly the best dumpling maker in history. At her 100th birthday celebration all of us kids (in our 50s-70s)agreed that was one of strongest memories of her. Tried to replicate them she used broth as the liquid in the dumplings. Another aunt would break an egg into a 1 cup measure and fill it with milk and flour from there. Also one summer at girl scout camp they cooked a huge cauldron of cherry dumplings-rolled over a fire with tripod. We all still remember how wonderful they were over 60 years later. Just recommended your website to my daughter yesterday as one of the best I’ve come across. Thanks Holly.5 stars

  9. The best dumplings – didn’t fall apart! Thank you so much for this recipe. I learned that I was putting too much baking powder in my dough. This is my new go-to dumpling recipe.5 stars

  10. I used the recipe for the dumplings only. Loved them in my own broth/soup base. My dumplings were not working for me anymore so I set out to find a good recipe. I couldn’t find a recipe where the dumpling actually stayed together. It seems like the dumplings always disappear into the broth. These did not! I’m not sure if the recipe was meant to yield a chewy dumpling but that’s exactly how I like them and that’s how they came out for me. awesome texture and flavor! Where has this recipe been all my life? ☺️ Thank you for sharing.5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jennifer. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!