A hearty, creamy chicken soup with homemade dumplings floating on top like soft fluffy clouds this is the BEST chicken and dumplings recipe. Based on my Mom’s easiest homemade chicken and dumplings recipe with all its cozy flavors, this is the perfect fall soup to warm you up from the inside out. For anyone new to making chicken and dumplings, I’ve included step-by-step recipe photos and a short how-to-make chicken and dumplings recipe video.
Be sure to try my Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (With a Twist) for a fresh new take on class chicken soup!
What is Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings are a delicious Southern comfort food that I grew up eating my entire life! This dish is made up of two basic components and the thickness varies depending on the recipe used:
- a hearty savory chicken soup
- the chicken soup is then topped with uncooked dumplings and simmered (covered with a lid on) until steamed and fluffy and the soup is creamy
- the thickness of the soup will be determined by whether or not you use a roux (flour and butter mixture that thickens liquids), how much chicken broth (or water) you use, whether or not you add milk or heavy cream to it, and what type of dumplings you use.
In its most original authentic form (see below photo), southern chicken and dumplings have few (if any) vegetables other than a little onion or celery. But adding sautéed vegetables makes a really tasty chicken and dumplings as you’ll see with this recipe.
Watch The Chicken and Dumplings Video Before You Get Started
What Types of Dumplings Are Used For Chicken and Dumplings?
For chicken and dumplings, there are 4 main dumpling styles to choose from (with the first 3 in the list being the most popular):
- Drop Dumplings: (used in this recipe) These dumplings are stirred together in a mixing bowl, scooped out, and dropped into the soup and steamed.
- Rolled Dumplings: The dough is rolled out, cut into rectangles or squares, and added directly to the broth much like homemade noodles for chicken soup.
- Biscuit Dumplings: Biscuit dough (from either homemade buttermilk biscuits or store-bought canned refrigerated biscuits) is added to the soup and steamed.
- Cornmeal Dumplings: These dumplings are mixed up in a bowl the same way as drop dumplings and are a great oil-free, dairy-free dumpling option.
Drop Dumplings vs Rolled Dumplings — What’s the Difference?
Chicken and Dumplings are a staple of southern cuisine. I grew up eating rolled dumplings and drop dumplings and I love each style for different reasons. Both dumplings produce similar tasting chicken and dumplings soup, but they’re very different in terms of texture and how thick the soup itself is.
1-Drop Dumplings are Light and fluffy. They’re mixed up in a bowl and dropped by the spoonful into a simmering base of chicken soup, covered with a lid, and steamed until cooked through. They’re meant to be soft and fluffy, not dense, or gummy (or falling apart). My Mom used to make Bisquick dumplings which are convenient because you just have to add milk. But I make dumplings from scratch because they’re delicious and take almost the same amount of time as Bisquick dumplings.
- (Basic Drop dumplings ingredients: Flour, warm milk, baking powder, melted butter, salt, and pepper)
2-Rolled Dumplings Dense and toothsome. These dumplings are made using the pastry dough method where you cut the butter (or lard or Crisco) into the flour, add the liquid, then roll them out, cut them into rectangles, and add them directly to a simmering base of chicken soup to cook through. They’re chewy and never gummy and delightfully slippery. This style of dumpling usually produces a thicker chicken soup.
- (Basic rolled dumplings ingredients: Flour, milk, baking powder, cold butter (or lard or Crisco) are the most typical ingredients found in southern rolled dumplings (aka flat dumplings, slip dumplings, or slick dumplings), but in their most basic form they’ll at least include Flour, milk, egg, and salt.
As for biscuit dumplings, no one I knew growing up made this style, nor have I ever eaten them (most likely because our family was making the other two versions way before canned biscuits were invented). I can bet homemade biscuit dumplings are delicious and that the canned biscuits are a great way to make a really quick chicken n dumplings!
Why We Love This Chicken and Dumplings Soup
Chicken and dumplings from scratch are guaranteed to taste better than anything you’re going to buy at the store. Here are the best ways to make homemade chicken and dumplings taste even better:
- Use whole bone-in chicken. Not only is whole bone-in chicken usually less expensive than a pre-cut fryer or other pre-cut chicken pieces, but the bones are also important to extract the best flavor for the soup. The bones also keep the chicken tender and moist as it cooks. Plus, we like the textural and taste contrast between dark and light chicken meat that you don’t get if you’re only using boneless chicken breasts for instance.
- Use homemade chicken broth. Making homemade chicken stock/broth to cook the chicken and dumplings in is simple and gives the soup an even deeper chicken flavor. If you’re using whole bone-in chicken you won’t need to make chicken stock (or buy it) because the meat and bones will make its own chicken broth as it cooks. That said, if you’ve got a pressure cooker, you can cut off the wings, spine, and tips of the legs from the whole chicken and use them to make a 30-minute chicken stock with a few leftover vegetable ends. You can then use this quick broth to then cook the chicken in like I often do.
- Add fresh herbs or chives to the dumpling dough. Adding a little parsley or chives to the dumpling dough gives the dish another subtle flavor. Additionally, just a tiny bit of freshly grated nutmeg is common in German dumplings and works great in this recipe as well. If you’re a dumpling purist, leave the herbs and spices out.
- Use fresh and dried herbs for the chicken soup. Seasoning for chicken and dumplings varies widely. I sometimes add fresh parsley for a little flavor and color and (although my Mom never did). I also like to add warm spices like sage (or poultry seasoning) because they pair so well with chicken. You can add thyme or rosemary as well. If you add a small bay leaf, be careful not to add it early on or it may overpower the other flavors in the soup. When I add it, it’s always toward the end just before I add the dumplings to steam.
How to Make Dumplings From Scratch (Always Fluffy, Never Gummy)
Making dumplings from scratch couldn’t be easier (they literally take about 3 minutes) so if you’ve never made them, don’t be intimidated! The trick to making them super fluffy is to gently mix the liquid into the dry ingredients. So, it’s important for the dry ingredients to be whisked well before adding the the melted butter and milk.
If you’ve been wanting to learn how to make homemade dumplings this is a great recipe to try because so easy! In fact, it’s a great dumpling recipe for kids to make.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
For this chicken dumpling soup, I’ve used my Mom’s basic chicken and dumplings recipe and added diced vegetables, fresh herbs, and a quick 30-minute pressure cooker chicken broth to get even more delicious chicken flavor into each bowl. Save time and skip making the broth, and instead use store-bought chicken broth or just use water.
FOR CHICKEN SOUP BASE
- bone-in chicken
- water or homemade or store-bought chicken broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion
- carrot
- celery
- rubbed sage (optional but recommended)
- poultry seasoning or other favorite dried herbs like thyme or rosemary (optional but recommended)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional but recommended)
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
- all-purpose flour (sub 00 flour, cake flour, or whole wheat flour)
- baking powder
- salt
- whole milk (sub evaporated milk)
- unsalted butter
- finely chopped chives (sub parsley or omit herbs altogether)
- freshly ground black pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg to taste (optional)
Overview: How to Make Chicken Dumplings
This savory chicken soup with homemade dumplings can be made in 4 simple steps! And if you’ve never made homemade dumplings don’t worry, they literally take just about 3 minutes to mix up! You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the chicken soup base. Sauté the veggies in a little butter or olive oil, add the chicken and spices, cover with water or chicken broth, and simmer for about 35-40 minutes.
- Debone the chicken. Shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Make the dumplings. Add the ingredients to a bowl, stir together using a fork, and voila!
- Steam the dumplings. Add the chicken back to the pot, scoop the dumplings on top, cover, and steam for 15 minutes.
Chicken Dumplings recipe step-by-step photos
Chicken and Dumplings Best Tips & FAQs
Can You Overcook Dumplings?
You can overcook dumplings by cooking them too long at which point they’ll start to disintegrate into the soup. Set a timer for 15 minutes for larger dumplings like in this post, and 12 minutes for smaller dumplings.
Need Make-Ahead Chicken and Dumplings?
Meal prepping chicken and dumplings is a cinch! Prepare the chicken soup portion of the recipe and refrigerate it or freeze it. You can refrigerate or freeze the deboned chicken separately and add it back to the soup just before you steam the dumplings (which helps keep it from overcooking). When you’re ready for chicken and dumplings, reheat the chicken soup to a simmer, add the chicken, add the dumplings dough, and steam them for 15 minutes.
What to Do With Leftover Chicken and Dumplings and How to Store It
- Leftover dumplings will absorb liquid, so it’s best to store the dumplings separately from the leftover chicken soup. When you’re ready to eat leftovers, add the dumplings back to the soup, cover with a lid, and simmer to reheat until warmed through.
- If you’ve eaten all (or most) of the dumplings, but still have quite a bit of chicken soup leftover, go ahead and make another full or 1/2 batch of dumplings depending on how much soup you have left. It’ll be slightly thicker but just as delicious.
Looking for a Few More Easy Chicken Recipes to Make?
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly easy chicken recipes, below are a few of our family’s favorites you may want to try!
- 15-Minute Grilled Chicken Shawarma (with Homemade Shawarma Seasoning)
- Chinese Takeout Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry w/Glass Noodles
- Best Ever Chicken and Pork Meatballs (with Chicken-only Option)
- Easy Thai Coconut Lemongrass Blackened Chicken
- Basil Parmesan Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast
- Best Ever Chicken Dumplings Recipe (Plump & Juicy Jiaozi)
- Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Tender Crispers
- Shallow-Fried Chicken Breast Cutlets (Cotoletta di Pollo)
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (w/Homemade Caesar Dressing & Parmesan Croutons)
- Maggie’s Famous Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Let’s get started!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ . Tag me @BitingAtTheBits on Instagram and I’ll repost your beautiful Chicken and Dumplings!
The Best Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings depending on hunger level 1x
Description
This homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe makes a perfectly creamy chicken soup filled with feather-light fluffy dumplings (made 100% from scratch). This version is based on my Mom’s easy chicken and dumplings we grew up eating, but with a few tasty upgrades.
Ingredients
For this chicken dumpling soup, I’ve used my Mom’s basic chicken and dumplings recipe and added diced vegetables, fresh herbs, and a quick 30-minute pressure cooker chicken broth to get even more delicious chicken flavor into each bowl. Save time and skip making the broth, and instead use store-bought chicken broth or just use water.
FOR CHICKEN SOUP BASE
- 3lbs whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces (1.5kg)
- 2 quarts of homemade chicken broth, or enough to cover the chicken (sub water or store-bought broth)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (14g)
- 1 onion (7 ounces), diced (200g)
- 1 carrot (3 3/4 ounces), diced (100g)
- 1 rib of celery, diced (50g)
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning or other favorite dried herbs like thyme or rosemary (optional but recommended)
- 1 small dried bay leaf (optional)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional but recommended)
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (sub 00 flour, cake flour, or whole wheat flour) (240g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (15g)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (6g)
- 1 cup whole milk, heated until warm (245g)*You may need up to 1/3 cup more milk depending on the flour type you use. *See note below.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (45g)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped chives, or more or less to taste (14g) (sub parsley or omit herbs altogether)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- freshly grated nutmeg to taste (about 8 quick bursts on a Microplane) (optional)
Instructions
- Make the chicken soup base. Over medium-high heat, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large soup pot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and salt to taste, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender and onions are translucent. Add the whole chicken and pour enough broth (or water, if using) over it to cover the chicken completely (about 8 1/2 cups total). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a little black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture up to a steady simmer (do not boil), cover with a lid, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Continue simmering the soup with the lid slightly ajar while you debone the chicken which will further concentrate the flavor of the broth.
- Debone the chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and debone it. Shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Make the dumplings. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, (and nutmeg if using) to a bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Melt the butter in a small pot, add the milk, and heat over medium until nice and hot, but not boiling. Turn off the heat, add the chives, and stir to combine. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and use a fork to stir everything together just until combined. *Do not overmix the dough or stir it too vigorously or the dumplings will be dense and chewy.
- Steam the dumplings. Add the chopped chicken to the pot then using a portioning scoop or 2 large spoons, add the dumpling dough directly to the gently simmering soup until the top is covered with dumplings. Cover the pot with a lid, and steam the dumplings on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot and, Enjoy!
Notes
- Watch the chicken dumpling video to see how easy this recipe is to make.
- Make dumplings as large or as small as you like, just be sure to give larger dumplings (like I’ve made for this post) at least 15 minutes to fully steam.
- If you want make ahead chicken and dumplings prepare the chicken soup portion of the recipe and refrigerate it or freeze it. You can freeze the chicken separately and add it to the soup just before you steam the dumplings which will help it from overcooking. When you’re ready for chicken and dumplings, reheat the chicken soup, add the chicken, make the dumpling dough, and steam them for 15 minutes.
- I usually end up making a new batch of dumplings for this soup base when we eat the leftovers the next day. It really all depends on how many dumplings each person eats and how much of the chicken soup is left over. You may not have enough leftover chicken soup base, but if you do make extra dumplings. It’ll be slightly thicker and just as delicious.
30-MINUTE PRESSURE COOKER CHICKEN BROTH:
If you’re interested in making a quick homemade chicken broth using the same chicken you’re using for this recipe, here are the instructions:
- 2 chicken wings (cut from the whole chicken used in the soup base below)
- 1 chicken back (spine and neck) (cut from the whole chicken used in the soup base below)
- 2 drumstick joint tips (cut off from the ends of the legs) (cut from the whole chicken used in the soup base below)
- 8 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (or sub a pinch of cinnamon) (optional but highly recommended)
- leftover vegetable ends and peels including celery tips, onions with skin, and carrot peels (or sub 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1/2 rib of celery).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Soups + Stews
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bowl
