Nothing says comfort food like a bowl of southern chicken and dumplings. A creamy soup base is lightly seasoned and filled with shredded chicken and homemade drop-style dumplings.
I made this recipe for my family and neighbors and they said it’s one of the best dumplings they’ve ever had, said they hated to see the bottom of the bowl!! I can’t rave about this flavor enough, thank you so much for the recipe- it was delicious! ★★★★★ - Kendra
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Thick, creamy soup packed with classic, savory flavor. Filled with shredded chicken, fluffy dumplings, and tender cooked veggies.
Simple ingredients. Made from scratch with simple ingredients like broth, milk, onion, celery, and flour.
Perfect for cold weather. Chicken and dumplings is hearty, filling, and soothing on a cold day.
Similar to: Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup and Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Thickener - Butter and flour create a paste called a roux, which thickens your soup.
- Soup base - We're using a combination of chicken broth and whole milk to create a creamy, flavorful soup base. Low-sodium broth will result in a less flavorful soup. I recommend regular broth for best results.
- Flavor - Onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning add a mild, savory flavor to your soup. Don't omit any of these ingredients for best results. A diced carrot could also be added along with the onion and celery if desired.
- Chicken - Today we're using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs would also work just fine in this recipe.
- Baking powder - Necessary to help your dumplings puff up while cooking.
How to make chicken and dumplings
- Sauté veggies in a stock pot over medium heat, then coat in flour.
- Whisk in broth and seasoning, then add chicken and simmer until cooked through to 165F in the center.
- Meanwhile, prepare dumpling mixture in a bowl. Mixture will look very sticky and thick.
- Shred cooked chicken, then return to the pot along with milk and small scoops of dumpling mixture. Simmer until dumplings are cooked through to your liking.
Tips and tricks
Use a meat thermometer - To prevent overcooked, dry chicken, use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked through when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
Work on the next step while your soup cooks - While the chicken is cooking in the soup base, the dumpling mixture can be prepared. While your dumplings are cooking, the chicken can be shredded. This helps reduce your overall time in the kitchen.
Don't overwork the dumpling dough - Stir the dough until it's just combined and a bit sticky. There's no need to keep mixing - this can make your dumplings turn out tough.
Don't stir the dumplings - Once the dumplings have been added to the soup, try not to move them around too much. Otherwise, they can crumble apart before cooking.
Frequently asked questions
Flat and drop are the two styles of dumplings that are commonly used in chicken and dumplings. They can be made with a from-scratch dough or by using canned biscuits. Flat dumplings are rolled out and cut into square "noodles", then added to the soup base to cook. Drop-style dumplings are made by dropping spoonfuls of dough directly into the soup base.
Depending on where you're from and what your family made growing up, you may prefer one to the other. This recipe can be prepared with flat or drop dumplings.
Yes, simply skip the step of cooking the chicken in the soup base and add the cooked shredded chicken as directed in the recipe card.
Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days when stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. To reheat, warm up in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed to your liking.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Soup
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 32 ounces (907 g) chicken broth
- 16 ounces (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 16 ounces (454 g) whole milk
Dumplings
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup (227 g) whole milk
Instructions
Soup
- In a stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until lightly browned around the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to catch any browned bits.
- Add chicken breasts, salt, pepper,and poultry seasoning to the soup and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until chicken breasts are cooked through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center (while chicken cooks, prepare the dumpling dough below). Remove chicken from soup base and set aside to cool slightly before shredding.
- Add milk to soup and stir to combine.
Dumplings
- In a bowl, add flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine and remove lumps. Grate cold butter using the large side of a box grater and add to flour mixture, tossing to combine.
- Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and add milk. Gently stir until ingredients are just incorporated. Dough will look shaggy and sticky.
- Drop dumplings: Using a spoon, scoop dough and drop gently into the soup.Flat dumplings: Toss dough out onto a floured surface and roll to about ¼" thickness. Slice into 1 inch strips, then cut strips into squares. Drop squares gently into the soup.
- Bring soup to a simmer, cover tightly with a lid, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through to your liking.
- Remove lid and add shredded chicken. Stir gently to combine, then remove from heat and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Leftover soup will keep for up to 5 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. To reheat add to a saucepan over medium heat and stir gently until warmed to your liking.
- Dumpling variation: Dumpling ingredients can be substituted with biscuit dough to save time if desired.
- Chicken variation: Chicken can be substituted with rotisserie chicken or any cooked, lightly seasoned chicken if desired.
This recipe was excellent! It scratched that itch for delicious, creamy, comfort food. I made two alterations: 1. I used shortening in place of butter for the dumplings (ran out!), and 2. I used a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, to accommodate an intolerance. The dumplings turned out BEAUTIFULLY. I will be adding this recipe to my recipe book.
So....It's listed as an ingredient, but never used. Where is your heavy cream element?
Hi Jay, the ingredient photograph is mislabeled (I'll get this updated asap). Milk is used in the recipe. If you follow the recipe card, the recipe will turn out as intended.
Thank you for sharing this warm hug when I really needed one 💖 Chicken and dumplings.... also gave me a much needed restful night.
This was SO good! My family asked me to make it again. I used a little more flour for thickening.
I also cheated and used Annie’s frozen dumplings.
This will be in my regular meal rotation.
Never leave reviews. BUTTT!!! I just had to say this is nothing less than amazing, added some tyme and bacon pieces and peas ( just never had celery ) forever my chicken dumpling recipe!!! You da bomb girl!
I made this recipe for my family and neighbors and they said it’s one of the best dumplings they’ve ever had, said they hated to see the bottom of the bowl!! I can’t rave about this flavor enough, thank you so much for the recipe- it was delicious!