This Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings Recipe is easy to make and full of old fashioned goodness. You’ll love the flat dumplings mixed in with a delicious creamy chicken soup.
Chicken and Dumplings is a classic Southern comfort food. It starts with a creamy chicken soup. Celery and carrots are optional vegetable additions to the soup base. Strips of biscuit dumplings are cooked directly in the soup base. 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 method uses the Southern-style strip dumplings that are similar to noodles. We also have a recipe for a more European style drop biscuit chicken and dumpling recipe with a non-creamy soup broth.
Vegetables in Chicken and Dumplings
You can add vegetables to the soup base, as written in this recipe, or you can leave them out. A frozen veggie mix like peas and carrots will also work as a time saver in place of the vegetables as listed.
Drop Biscuit Dumplings vs. Flat Noodle Dumplings
Dumplings vary from being flat and noodle like, to being more like a drop biscuit. This will depend on your region and personal preferences. This particular recipe uses the flat noodle strip dumplings. It’s a simple dough with only a handful of ingredients that is rolled out and cut into strips. The strips are then dropped directly into the soup base and cooked. You can use either buttermilk or regular milk to make the dumplings.
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, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings
SOUP
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 celery ribs sliced
- 3 carrots diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
DUMPLINGS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening cold
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Heat a large dutch oven pot over medium high heat. Add in olive oil and heat through, 1 minute. Add in celery, carrots, and onion and saute 5 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add in chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Pour in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil and boil 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and easily shreds with a fork.
- Meanwhile, make the dumpling dough. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold shortening using a pastry cutter or food processor. Gradually pour in the buttermilk, stirring until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and work it just until everything is well combined. Roll the dough out about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 1 inch strips. Cut each of those strips into pieces that are approximately 2 inches in length.
- Shred chicken directly in soup pot, or remove to a cutting board, shred, and return to soup. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Pour into soup pot, stir in, and return to a simmer.
- Drop strips into the soup and simmer 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.
I’ve been looking for a recipe with dumplings like this that isn’t just chicken and onion in with it. Found this tonight and made it for my sick daughter and loved all the veggies and the dumplings turned out perfect- with regular milk- I didn’t have buttermilk and we didn’t miss it. Side note, I used boneless skinless chicken thigh meat. My daughter has a weird texture aversion with chewy meat, which I feel happens every time I use chicken breast meat in soup. The thigh meat shredded easily and was super tender and she was digging around in the… Read more »
I was just debating on whether I was going to try this recipe you seal the deal for me or should I say your daughter did thanks a lot for sharing
You can make your own buttermilk w reg milk w lemon juice or w vinegar. I always goggle substitutes when I don’t have a certain ingredient. Just in case you ever need it…
I’m from the South, and my aunt used to make chicken and dumpling when I was a little girl. I remember watching her kneading the dough, rolling it out, then cutting it into strips. One cold fall day, I had an intense craving, so I called her and she gave me her recipe. However, I needed something visual as a guidance. This recipe was perfect. I made it for the first time and my family loved it!! It’s been 30 years since I had chicken and dumplings, and it brought back so many childhood memories when I visited my aunt!!!
I make mine like my great aunt Ella, in Sikes, La. While my chicken is cooking in a mixture of the above ingredients plus some poultry seasoning, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasonings, I dip out some chicken broth about a cup and a half. Set the broth aside and mix 2 cups of flour with 3 eggs. I don’t my dumplings to turn into mush. Once the eggs and flour are mixed, I then add the warm chicken broth to my flour mixture and then kneed and roll out as stated above. Let them sit and dry a few… Read more »
So, as chicken and dumplings, I have to give it a 3. I did everything exactly as stated and got the most amazing chicken soup! If it said chicken noodle soup, this would give 10 stars!! But I had to add almost 1/2 cup more of corn starch to thicken it up and it still was more soup then the super thick texture I like for chicken and dumplings. The noodle recipe was very dry and I had to add more milk to keep it from crumbling and then it was a bit rubbery. Still would be amazing as chicken… Read more »
The perfect dumplings; not too salty, but just right! Folding the dough over with my hands was like folding silk. Not only is it a tasty dumpling, but fun to create as well!
I had a few minor issues with this but it was delicious and easy to make. The main problem for me was that the milk split and so I needed to skim what I could of that off the top. It was also just a smidge thin for my liking but that was easy enough to fix. This was the closest to my grandma’s recipe(which were the best ever)that I’ve had.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe
I made this once and my kids couldn’t get get enough they really enjoyed it next time I have to triple the recipe so there is enough to go around. My kids are all huge eaters hopefully next time I can get a bowl for myself. Thank you
This is very flavorful and my family enjoyed it!
I like to use rotisserie chicken so I sautéed some onions then added flour and chicken broth. Once boiling I added the dumplings….sooo good!
The recipe was really simple and easy to follow. It turned out great
Made this tonight and this recipe is a family keeper, husband went for seconds and I caught daughter in kitchen later digging through pot for seconds! Highly recommend this recipe!
Just the one I wanted! I rolled some very thin a some not so thin…I feel the thinner the better. This is a very good version of chicken and old fashioned dumplings . I will make it again
I am going to try this, along with your pot roast, they sound delicious. Love your site,
JUST the recipe I wanted for today! my only changes were “drop” biscuit, and the addition of 1/2 cup of chopped “Baby Bella” mushrooms (I’m hooked on them.
On another note, a recent;y read (and now DO) the garlic a bit differently. I add chopped fresh garlic for the last 10-minutes or so rather than oil/onion/celery/whatever… it really does give a “Fresher” garlic taste that is not stronger – just really ‘pleasant’.
I make mine like Grandma did only without the celery and carrots. I add onion just before they are done. I don’t use any soup in them either. I do add some Italian seasoning and garlic salt to mine also plus table salt. Use the salt sparingly, you don’t want to stump your toe in it as my grandma used to say. Also I roll and cut my dough into strips. I cut butter into my dumplings too instead of shortening.