Mom's Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (6-Ingredients, Southern)

This is my Mom's easy Southern chicken and dumplings, hands down the easiest chicken and dumplings recipe you'll ever make. Fluffy, scratch-made dumplings and tender chicken in a rich, savory broth, this is the dish that fed our family of six hundreds of times throughout my childhood. With just 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) in the whole recipe, it's the ultimate budget-friendly comfort food.

In its purest, most original form, Southern chicken and dumplings is simple and unburdened by extra vegetables and herbs. The flavor of the chicken is the focus, while the dumplings thicken everything into a rich, hearty meal that fills you up, this is simple Southern cooking at its finest.

If you'd rather have the elevated version with carrots, celery, and fresh herbs, try my creamy chicken and dumpling soup recipe instead.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Just 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) in the whole recipe
• 100% from scratch, no canned biscuits, no cream-of-chicken soup
• Budget-friendly, filling, wholesome, and feeds the whole family for a few dollars
• Fluffy, scratch-made dumplings that take 3 minutes to mix up
• The easiest scratch-made chicken and dumplings you'll ever make
• Bone-in chicken for way more flavor, and juicy, never-dry meat
• No box of stock needed, the chicken makes its own rich broth
• Lower sodium than store-bought
• Kid-friendly and a guaranteed clean-plate dinner
• Two ways to make it, on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker
• Freezer-friendly for easy make-ahead meals

What Are Drop Dumplings?

Just about everyone I grew up with in the South has their own family chicken and dumplings, and the biggest difference is almost always the dumpling. Drop dumplings are the feather-light, fluffy kind I use here, a quick mix of flour, baking powder, warm milk, melted butter, salt, and pepper that comes together in about 3 minutes.

They're scooped by the spoonful straight into the simmering pot, covered, and steamed until cooked through, thickening everything naturally without needing a roux. Want the other kinds? My creamy version breaks down the different Southern dumpling styles, drop, rolled, and biscuit, plus how to keep them light and never dense or gummy.

Ingredients

You don't need boxed stock, Bisquick, or fresh herbs for this one, just a handful of whole ingredients. Don't let the simplicity fool you, it's absolutely delicious. My Mom always added a rib or two of celery, and I usually do too, but I'd run out while shooting these photos, and it's just as delicious without it (plus costs even less). If you have it on hand, I recommend using it.

For the Chicken and Broth

• Bone-in chicken, a whole chicken or bone-in pieces; the bones make a rich broth, so there's no need for boxed stock
• Onion, for savory, aromatic depth
• Water, to simmer the chicken into its own broth
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional ingredient: a rib or two of celery (the way my Mom made it)

For the Dumplings

• All-purpose flour (substitute 00 flour, cake, or whole wheat flour)
• Baking powder, the lift that makes them fluffy
• Whole milk, warmed (substitute evaporated milk)
• Butter, melted
• Salt and black pepper

Full ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Drop Dumplings From Scratch

The dumplings are the easiest part: no rolling, no cutting, no chilling. You stir together a soft dough and drop it right into the pot. Here's how to make drop dumplings for chicken and dumplings that turn out light and fluffy every time.

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Heat the milk and butter together, then stir them into the dry ingredients using a fork until a soft dough forms.
3. Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the gently simmering broth.
4. Cover and steam until puffed and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Find the full measurements and timing in the recipe card below.

Tips for Light, Fluffy Dumplings

• Don't overmix, stir just until the dough comes together (overmixing makes them dense and tough).
• Keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, so the dumplings steam instead of breaking apart.
• Don't lift the lid while they cook (the trapped steam is what makes them fluffy).
• They're done when a toothpick comes out clean; if the centers are still doughy, cover and give them a few more minutes.

How to Make Chicken and Dumplings

Here's the whole thing, start to finish. It's mostly hands-off while the chicken simmers into its own broth. Short on time? Turn it into a 3-ingredient chicken and dumplings by dropping in canned biscuits instead of the homemade dumplings.

Step 1. Simmer the chicken. Add the chicken, onion, water, and salt to a large pot and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is rich, about 1 hour. Let it cool enough to handle, debone it, and discard the bones and skin.

Step 2. Make the drop dumplings. Mix up the dumpling dough as described above in the How to Make Drop Dumplings From Scratch section.

Step 3. Cook the dumplings. Return the shredded chicken to the simmering broth, drop in the dumpling dough by heaping spoonfuls, cover, and cook until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 15 minutes. If you don't have a portioning scoop, use two large soup spoons like my Mom used to. Serve while piping hot!

Find the full measurements and timing in the recipe card below.

How to Make Chicken and Dumplings in a Pressure Cooker

This is already about the easiest chicken and dumplings you'll ever make, but a pressure cooker or Instant Pot speeds it up even more. It cuts the cook time by more than half while keeping the chicken juicy and never dry.

1. Pressure cook the chicken, onion, water, and salt for 30 minutes at high pressure (set over the lowest flame or heat setting that still allows it to maintain high pressure), then let the pressure release naturally.
2. Debone and shred the chicken (same as in the stovetop method above).
3. Mix up the drop dumpling batter (same as the method above).
4. Return the chicken to the pressure cooker pot, spoon in the dumplings, cover with a regular pot lid, and cook about 15 minutes until puffed and cooked through. If using an Instant Pot, place it on the sauté setting, cover with a regular lid, and cook the dumplings.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Freezing

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring in a splash of broth or water to loosen it (the dumplings keep thickening as they sit), until hot all the way through.
• Make ahead: Make the chicken with broth up to a day in advance and refrigerate. When you're ready to eat, bring it back to a simmer. Drop in fresh dumplings, cover, and steam to cook.
• Freeze: Freeze the chicken and broth without the dumplings, up to 3 months, cooked dumplings turn grainy and mushy once frozen. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat to a simmer, then add fresh dumplings, cover, and steam.

FAQs

More Easy Chicken Recipes

Food Safety

• Keep it clean: wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they touch raw chicken.
• Keep it separate: don't let raw chicken or its juices touch other foods.
• Cook the chicken to a safe internal temperature of 165°F (75°C), checked with a food thermometer.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, and reheat them to 165°F (75°C).

For more, see the USDA FSIS guide, Chicken from Farm to Table.