There’s something about a bowl of chicken and dumplings that makes you feel all the feels. It’s total comfort food, and this version makes it easy to enjoy on any night of the week. It’s ready in about an hour, with only 20 minutes of active prep. This recipe keeps things simple, yet still brings the flavor. The dumplings puff up perfectly, creating tender, melt-in-your-mouth bites that are sure to bring all the comfort food vibes you are looking for.
For the rolled flat noodle dumplings, check out our Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings.
Why Our Recipe
- Ready in about an hour, with 40 minutes of it being simmering time.
- A flavorful broth with carrots, celery, and onion.
- 4-ingredient drop dumplings that are fluffy and melt in your mouth!
Chicken and Dumplings is a classic American comfort food. You can find a wide variety of methods and preparations out there for chicken and dumplings, particularly when it comes to the dough for the dumpling itself. This particular recipe uses the drop biscuit type of dough. It’s a simple dough with only a handful of ingredients. Buttermilk is used to interact with baking powder to form a puffy dumpling. The dough is dropped into the simmering liquid in various sizes for a rustic, homestyle look.
Ingredient Notes
- Celery: Go ahead and slice them up.
- Carrots: Give them a dice. No need to peel, but you can peel them if you prefer.
- White Onion: Give them a dice. You can use a white or a yellow onion here.
- Garlic: Fresh is best and will always give you the best flavor.
- Chicken Breasts: These are convenient and shred easily. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer the dark meat.
- Chicken Broth: Using a low-sodium broth is recommended so you can control the seasoning.
- All-Purpose Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour for tender, fluffy dumplings.
- Baking Powder: This is what makes the dumplings puff up.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes the dumplings extra tender and gives them a slight tang. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute it with 1 cup of milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar; let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
Rotisserie Chicken Time Saver
If you’d like to save time, rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut for this recipe. Simply skip the step of cooking the chicken breasts and add shredded rotisserie chicken directly into the pot after the broth has come to a boil. About 2 to 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken should be enough. Since the chicken is already cooked, you’ll only need to simmer it for a few minutes to let the flavors meld before adding the dumplings. This option cuts down on cooking time and still delivers deliciously tender chicken in every bite!
Thicker Broth Option
If you prefer a thicker broth base rather than a thin, brothy soup, you can easily thicken it before adding the dumplings. Take about 1/3 cup of the liquid from the pot and place it into a bowl. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps, then pour it back into the soup pot, stirring to combine. Once your thickening mixture is incorporated, you’re ready to add the dumplings. The broth will continue to thicken as the dumplings cook, giving you a heartier, stew-like consistency.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.
Reheat in the microwave on high in 1-minute increments, stirring in between, until hot.
More comfort food soups…
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I add garlic and onion powder to my dumplings as well as some dried parsley instead of the butter. Bumps up the flavor without adding extra calories.
Purchased 3 drumsticks, 2 breasts, 2 thighs. Enough for 2 people. Washed and dried them and removed excess fat. Seared them in vegetable oil till there was a hint of golden brown then added 7-8 cups of cool water. Pepper and salt and pinch of nutmeg. I started with boil of 6 minutes then turned down to low and let it stew for 2 hours. Low and slow. At time’s end, I removed the meat which was slidig off the bone and set the broth to cool. The meat was tender enough to pull off. I set the meat in a bowl and covered in in plastic wrap. The next day, I chopped up two leeks, 5 carrots, 4 ribs celery and sauteed them in vegetable oil. Salt and pepper. Added in the broth.
Cooked them low and slow and when the vegetables were just “fork tender”, I took a potato mash to them, just enough to break them up, not have mashed vegetables. Then, mixed the dumpling and set them in the broth. When cooked, I put in the chicken to warm, added more salt and pepper to taste and served.
So you’re saying you just did your own thing.
Love your response. Perfect.
This recipe is delicious as is but I recently took a soup class at Sur La Table and chicken and dumplings was one of the dishes. One of the differences is the addition of fresh chopped chives and thyme to dumpling mixture, heavy whipping cream instead of buttermilk if you don’t have buttermilk at home, can use leftover chicken instead of cooking in pot, just add last 5 min along with a cup of frozen peas.
HI Elena.. I appreciated your comments as I have a cooked rotisserie chicken on-hand, so will debone and add at the end of cooking to warm the meat. I assume the rest of the recipe can be used as is.
Thanks for this as I didn’t want to have to buy buttermilk and I do happen to have heavy cream! Yay!
How do I store for the next day, or is that not possible because of the dumplings?
How long would the dumpling keep before dissolving?
I’ve been able to store leftovers for several days just fine.
Fantastic recipe! My dumplings have never turned out before using this recipe, but they were so soft and fluffy. I used dry buttermilk and it worked perfectly, however, I almost forgot to add the butter because the written recipe didn’t say when to but luckily you showed it in your video. This is a keeper, thanks for sharing! I tried giving 5 stars but was unable.
I made this chicken and dumplings today. It was delicious and my husband said that we have to save this recipe.
I see parsley on the dumplings?? No mention of parsley in recipe. Also, To make the dumplings once you have dropped dumpling into the soup mixture, do you cover them? or cook uncovered?
Parsley can be used as a garnish.
The recipe indicates to cover the pot after dropping the dumplings in to cook.
I have always covered dumplings for 10 min and uncovered for 10 min.
I always uncover for 10 min and cover for 10 min.
I thought ten minutes covered on and ten minutes uncovered. This leaves you with fluffy dumplings.
One of my favorite dinner’s mine is more like a stew.I like it hearty.And dont forget cranberry sause for a tad of sweetness.Also some coleslaw makes it as close to a thanksgiving dinner you can enjoy and love.Chow down and enjoy!!!!
How long do you cook the chicken?Is it best to use a whole chicken for your brooth?
What type of chicken works best?
you don’t have to use a whole chicken you can just use 2 chicken breast or 1 chicken breast and 2 thighs If you use chicken with the bone it is more flavorful you take it out and carefully pick the meat off the bones OR you can use boneless chicken and you don’t have to pick the bones but you add canned chicken broth.
This was delicious, my whole family loved it. Plus the leftovers were even better reheated the next day