Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe – Make warm, comforting chicken and dumplings from scratch using the stovetop, Crock Pot or the Instant Pot. This cozy dish features tender, juicy chicken and fluffy dumplings in a rich, savory broth. Perfect for a family dinner or a cozy night in, it’s an easy-to-make meal that brings everyone to the table!
Why We Love Chicken and Dumplings
When I was a little girl, “chicken dumplings” meant one thing… Hearty chicken soup with small biscuit-like dumplings that were dumped into the broth. The little mounds of dough simmered in the soup to cook and thicken the broth into a rich gravy.
When I moved to the South, I learned that is not the only way to make chicken and dumplings! You can also make noodle dumplings. These dumplings are rolled and cut into thick noodles that simmer and thicken the broth in the same way. Yet they have a totally different texture.
This Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe has all the same ingredients as a classic chicken dumplings recipe, yet with slightly different proportions, and with a different dumpling preparation. The dumpling dough is mixed, rolled, and cut into thick home-style noodles that are gently stirred into the hot broth, making it the ultimate comfort food!
Because the dumplings are thinner and more delicate than drop-style dumplings, you have to be careful not to stir the dumplings too much after adding them to the broth. You don’t want to break them into little pieces! You also don’t want to cook them too long, or they start to break down into the broth. Yet other than mindful stirring and watching the time, this Chicken Dumplings Recipe is easy to make and oh so comforting!
If you love chicken and dumplings, you will love my lightened up chicken and dumplings soup recipe, too!
Ingredients You Need
For the Chicken Soup Base:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts and chicken thighs – use both light and dark meat or one or the other, shredded rotisserie chicken also works great
- Butter – to add richness and to sauté the veggies
- Large Onion, Celery, and Carrots – for a deep zesty flavor
- Fresh Thyme Leaves – or dried, to add a pop of herby essence
- Bay Leaf – for a deeper herby note
- Chicken Stock – or chicken broth, the base of the gravy
- Fresh Parsley – to add extra freshness at the end
For the Dumplings:
- Flour – all-purpose or gluten-free mix
- Vegetable Shortening – a flexible fat source to make the dumplings soft and bendable
- Salt and pepper – just a teaspoon to enhance the flavor
- Baking Powder – for lift
- Buttermilk – to soften the dough and add a twangy flavor
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings on the Stovetop
- Set a large 6-8 quart pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and onions. Stir and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then stir in the celery and carrots. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, thyme, bay leaf, and broth to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Reserve the parsley for later. Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set out a medium mixing bowl for the dumplings. Add the flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder.
- Use a pastry blender or large fork to mash the mixture until it resembles oatmeal.
- Then mix in the buttermilk, until the dumpling batter consistency is mostly smooth.
- Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough out into an even sheet 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into 1 X 1 1/2 inch pieces. They should look like thick, wide noodles.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the broth. Add the dumplings to the broth, a handful at a time, stirring gently in between so they don’t stick together. Simmer the dumplings for 8-10 minutes, uncovered. Try not to stir too much, or you will break up the dumplings!
- While the dumplings are cooking, shred the chicken with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot, along with the parsley. Stir, taste, and add salt as needed. Once the broth has thickened into a gravy, turn off the heat and serve!
Get The Full (Printable) Homemade Chicken Dumplings Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
Slow Cooker:
The two main keys to making Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings are:
- You still need to sauté the onions on the stovetop so they soften and sweeten.
- Don’t slow cook the noodles all day or they will disintegrate. Instead, slow cook the chicken soup all day, then stir the noodles in at the end. The chicken will be fork tender.
Instant Pot:
The biggest thing to remember here, is that depending on the size of your electric pressure cooker, the full recipe may not fit! If you have an Instant Pot that is smaller than 6 quarts, be sure to use our recipe form servings slider to adjust the recipe to fit your pot.
Using the Instant Pot, you can even add frozen chicken pieces to the pot. It takes 8 minutes to pressure cook thawed chicken and just 11 minutes to pressure cook frozen chicken.
Can I Make Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings?
That’s right, you can also make gluten-free dumplings using gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour mix, instead of wheat flour.
One thing to consider: Like store-bought gluten-free dried pasta, the noodle-style dumplings do not hold up quite as well as they do when made with standard all-purpose flour.
So just be sure to serve this right away, before the dumplings have time to break apart.
However, the drop-biscuit style dumplings do hold up pretty well when made gluten-free! Therefore, you can make this exact recipe (with GF flour), then drop little clumps of the dough into the soup base, instead of rolling and cutting it.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken and dumplings are fantastic with a side of spoon bread, buttery biscuits, or classic Southern green beans for a cozy meal. They’re also delicious paired with a crisp, tangy Caesar salad or roasted Brussels sprouts to add some brightness to the plate.
For an extra cozy touch, serve with mashed potatoes or a side of roasted root veggies to round out this comforting dinner!
Frequently Asked Questions
Drop-biscuit dumplings are puffy and almost bread-like in the center. They offer a little more textural variation to a Chicken Dumpling recipe.
Noodle-style dumplings are soft and delicate, like fat homemade noodles. So this sort of Chicken and Dumplings tastes and feels like a thick version of Chicken Noodle Soup. Think creamy chicken soup with thick, fresh noodles!
Is one better than the other? No, in my opinion, it’s more a matter of preference. Both types are comforting, made with love, and melt in your mouth.
You can freeze chicken and dumplings in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Then thaw (completely) at room temperature, before reheating, so as to not break the dumplings apart.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat.
You can store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Usually, the base thickens with time as a small amount of flour from the dumplings simmers into the broth. If needed, you can coat the dumplings in extra flour before adding them in. Or, add a bit of cornstarch. First, mix about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Then pour it into the soup to thicken it!
Most likely, you simmered them way too long, or you stirred them too much. Once the dumplings are cooked through, turn off the heat, and be mindful to only stir the pot gently as needed.
Looking for More Comforting Southern Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Southern Cathead Biscuits Recipe
- Orangeade Recipe
- Tomato Slab Pie Recipe
- Cheesy Squash Casserole Recipe
- Easy Jambalaya Recipe
- Oven “Fried” Pickles Recipe
Get The Full (Printable) Homemade Chicken Dumplings Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken Soup:
- 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs and breasts
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
- 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I like the butter flavored.)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS: Set a large 6-8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the butter and onions. Stir and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then stir in the celery and carrots and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, thyme, bay leaf, and broth to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. (Reserve the parsley for later.) Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer, and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Dumpling Prep: Meanwhile, set out a medium mixing bowl for the dumplings. Add the flour, shortening, salt and baking powder. Use a pastry blender (or large fork) to mash the mixture together until it resembles oatmeal. Then mix in the buttermilk, until the mixture is mostly smooth.
- Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough out into an even sheet 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter (or knife) to cut the dough into 1 X 1 1/2 pieces. They should look like thick wide noodles.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the broth. Add the dumplings to the broth, a handful at a time, stirring gently in between so they don't stick together. Simmer the dumplings for 8-10 minutes, uncovered. (Try not to stir too much, or you will break up the dumplings.)
- While the dumplings are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken pieces. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot, along with the parsley. Stir, taste, and add salt as needed. Once the broth has thickened into gravy, turn off the heat and serve!
- CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS: To make chicken dumplings in the slow cooker, still start by sautéing the onions in butter on the stovetop. Then pour the butter and onions in a large 6+ quart crock pot. Add the vegetables, all herbs, chicken pieces, broth, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 5-6 hours on high.
- About 30 minutes before dinner, remove the chicken pieces from the broth. Then mix and cut the dumplings as directed in step 3 and 4. Stir them into the simmering broth, cover, and let them cook 10-15 minutes.
- While the dumplings are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken pieces. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot. Stir, taste, and add salt as needed. Once the broth has thickened into gravy, turn off the heat and serve!
- INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: To make this recipe in the Instant Pot you will need at least the 6 quart IP. Or you can use the servings slider above to adjust the ingredients to half the recipe for small pots.
- Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté and add the butter and onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chicken pieces, celery, carrots, thyme, bay leaf, and broth to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Lock the lid into place set on Pressure Cook High for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix and cut the dumplings as directed above in step 3 and 4.
- Once the IP timer goes off, perform a quick release. When the steam valve button drops you can safely open the lid. Remove the chicken pieces with tongs.
- Set the IP back on Sauté and stir in the dumplings. Let them simmer for 8-10 minutes. While they are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken pieces. Then stir the shredded chicken and parsley into the dumplings. Taste and add seasoning as needed.
Absolutely perfect! We love the recipe.