Chicken and Dumplings is the ultimate comfort food, with tender chicken, homemade dumplings, and a flavorful broth that warms you from the inside out. This classic recipe is simple to make from scratch and perfect for a cozy family dinner any night of the week.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Chicken and Dumplings
Flavor: The rich, savory broth, tender chicken, and soft, pillowy dumplings come together to create a comforting, hearty dish with classic homemade flavor.
Recommended Tools: A large soup pot, rolling pin, pizza cutter, and cheesecloth make preparing this recipe easier and help achieve the best results.
Serving Suggestions: I like to serve this chicken and dumplings with a simple green salad.
Total Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes Serves: 8 Cooking Method: Stovetop
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Chicken: A whole chicken creates a rich, flavorful homemade broth while providing plenty of tender meat. Bone-in chicken thighs are a great substitute.
- Carrots and Celery: These vegetables add savory flavor to the broth as it simmers. For a heartier soup, chop and return them to the pot, or discard them for a smoother, clearer broth.
- Bay Leaf or Poultry Seasoning: While optional, either adds extra savory flavor to the broth. Poultry seasoning, thyme, or a pinch of sage all complement the chicken with a classic, comforting taste.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the homemade dumplings. Keep extra flour on hand for the work surface and dough to prevent the strips from sticking while rolling and cutting.
- Variations: Stir in frozen peas with the chicken for extra color and sweetness. For a richer finish, add a splash of cream before serving. For a shortcut version, use cooked shredded chicken, keeping in mind the broth will have a lighter flavor.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
- Place the chicken, vegetables, and seasonings into a large pot and pour in the chicken broth.
- Simmer the chicken with vegetables, broth, and seasonings.
- While chicken is simmering, start the dumplings. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients and gradually add milk to form a soft dough.
- Gently knead the dough on a well-floured surface a few times until it becomes smooth.
- Roll the dough out thinly and use a pizza cutter to slice it into short strips.
- Strain the broth and shred the cooked chicken while discarding the skin and bones.
- Simmer the dumpling strips in the broth, thicken with a cornstarch slurry, and stir the shredded chicken back in before serving.
Tips for Tender Dumplings
- For Even Cooking: Roll the dumplings thin, about ¼ inch.
- To Prevent Clumping: Flour the dough generously before cutting so the strips do not clump together.
- For Soft Dough: Add the milk slowly to the dumpling dough. Soft dough is good, sticky dough is harder to roll.
- Do Not Over-Knead: A few folds of the dough are enough to bring it together.
- Simmer the Dumplings Gently: A hard boil can break them apart.
- Add the Cornstarch Slurry Slowly: The broth thickens quickly.
Storing The Cozy Extras
- Storing Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: The chicken and broth can be frozen for up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze before adding the dumplings, then make fresh dumplings when reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave at reduced power, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of broth or water if the dumplings have absorbed too much liquid.
Cozy Chicken Dinners
Did you enjoy the following Chicken and Dumplings recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Chicken and Dumplings
This cozy chicken and dumplings recipe is made with rich homemade broth, tender shredded chicken, and soft rolled dumplings simmered right in the pot.
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 is an excellent recipe! I’ve never made dumplings from scratch and I had to use a Pam spray can for rolling. I think I might’ve rolled my dumplings too thin and stirred too much. This caused almost half to fall apart. The taste is still there and overall I’m very happy with how this turned out. Next time, I know to roll slightly thicker. It’s a learning process. P.S.- I went through a lot of the reviews for this recipe and I appreciate the author leaving up the good and bad feedback. This shows me that the ratings are an accurate representation of people’s opinions. Some websites only leave up the 4-5 star reviews and that is “cheating” to me lol. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to making this again!
I have made this at least four times. Dumplings turn out perfect every time. Thank you for sharing.
So happy to hear that Mary-Beth! You’re welcome!
Followed recipe exactly. My dish came out excellent. Thank you. Will recommend this recipe to my friends
You’re very welcome Karen! So happy you love the chicken and dumplings!
I’ve used this recipe lots and it is delicious. Today I used chicken legs I found in the freezer and needed to be used. Yummy!
I’ve used this recipe for many years. My mother always made the flat dumplings, but she did not measure, so I had to search for a similar recipe, if I wanted to make dumplings. Well, this is it! The one time I forgot to put in the baking powder, I think was the best pot of chicken and dumplings ever. Now, I wonder if the baking powder is even necessary.
This was a great recipe! It had plenty of flavor and was a great dish on a cold day. I didn’t have any baking powder so I left that out for the dumplings but they still turned out great. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Thank you Laura, so glad they turned out so well for you!
I loved this recipe. How can anyone not like dumplings? Just kidding. My husband always asks for dumplings instead of rice or noodles now. Will definitely make this again. Actually I’ve already made it about 6 times. Love it love it love it. Thanks
This is our go-to bad day, easy comfort food meal. I doubted the canned biscuits would taste like my mom’s dumplings, but Lordy if they don’t. They’re as good as they are easy to slice and pop in. Thank you!
I thought this was very good! I’ve never made dumplings from scratch (in fact, I’ve never *had* dumplings and I found out I don’t care for them……) but it was very easy!
I used 3 very large chicken breasts (all I had on hand) and bone broth. I don’t like celery, so I added peas at the last minute to go with the onion and carrots. I also added 4 bay leaves. The chicken breasts were frozen, so I simmered them gently in bone broth for about an hour or so.
This is a great recipe that you can start earlier in the day and take your time with, just let it lightly simmer until you’re ready to add the dumplings.
My husband and daughter really liked it and I like that it was all homemade, I’ll definitely make this again.
Absolutely delicious! Turned out perfect!
Can you substitute butter for shortening?
I have only tried this with shortening.
this was the worst I have ever had. the dumplings dissolved and all I had was thick broth. I think you need to rethink this one before you make it. thought that i would try something new but i think you need egg or something to hold it all together. NEVER AGAIN
How disappointing, I’m sorry to hear that these didn’t work out for you. Most reviews on this recipe have had good success so I can’t say for sure what went wrong for you. Thank you for trying it.
You took the words right out of my mouth I always read reviews before making a recipe & I’ve seen numerous authors screening all the negative comments, leaving only the good/positive ones. But not this wonderful woman! When I see a comment section with both good & bad reviews, like in this comment section, I know that the recipe is gonna be a good one. And y’all…these scrumptious chicken & dumplings are sinfully delicious. In fact, I’m currently in the process of devouring a very large bowl as I type this comment haha It’s hard to see how this simple recipe fails for some folks, but if you follow the directions & complete each step thoroughly your chicken & dumplings will be a success everytime! Thanks Again Friend!
Thank you for your kind thoughts Lydia! I’m so glad to hear that you love this recipe (now I think I need to make this soon!). It really is disappointing when things do not turn out, but we strive to make recipes foolproof!
I wonder if you did something wrong. I have been making a similar version of dumplings for almost 50 years and I have never had them fall apart.
Thanks for this recipe it’s delicious
Can I use skinless breast and thighs? Would I need to add anything for more flavoring?
Skinless breast and thighs should be fine, you’ll want to ensure you’re using chicken with bones as this flavors the broth.
A good substitute for using chicken with bones is to use Bone Broth
I made this tonight and had my 12 year old help!!! Major crowd pleaser!!!! I think we need a little bit more dumplings so I will add more to it next time and we put a little bit of Cayenne pepper in it it was so delicious!!!!
My kid declared this recipe a winner! This was my first time making flat dumplings and they were easy and delicious. A little more time than drop dumplings, but they tasted much better. This recipe makes lots of dumplings, enough so that most of the soup is dumplings. I prefer a little more liquid so next time I’ll probably cut the dumpling mixture in half, but that’s just personal preference. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome! Love all kid approved recipes!
I made this recipe tonight and it was absolutely the best. Reminded me of my mother’s. I’ve tried other chicken and dumpling recipes but this one was easy and the flavor was awesome.
Sounds real easy can’t wait to try it.
A lot like I make mine. I don’t measure anything but that’s how I cook everything lol. You really don’t need cornstarch if you have flour dustbin your dumplings when you drop them in. It thickens it up nicely. I put an entire stick of butter in at the end. I know lol but I make them like once a year.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My mom used to make one just like this throughout our childhood, but never wrote it down. After we lost her, I’ve never been able to figure out what she did. This brings back so many memories! Yum!
You’re so welcome Kitty, thank you for sharing!