Description
This is my Mom’s Southern Chicken and Dumplings — and it’s hands down the easiest chicken & dumplings recipe you’ll ever make! Filled with fluffy scratch-made dumplings, this chicken soup fed our family (of six) hundreds of times throughout my childhood. With just 6 ingredients (+ salt and pepper) in the entire dish, this is one of our favorite go-to easy fall soup recipes!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
CHICKEN SOUP BASE
- 1 (3lb) whole chicken (1.5kg)
- 2 1/2 quarts of water, or enough to cover the chicken by 2 inches (1800g)
- 1 medium onion, diced (200g)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Optional herbs:
- 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, or rubbed sage, thyme, or parsley
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)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the chicken soup base. Add the onion and chicken to a large pot and add enough water to cover the chicken by 2 inches (about 8-10 cups). Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, cover with a lid, and bring the pot to a slow steady simmer (do not boil). Simmer for about 1 hour or until the chicken is tender and cooked through skimming the top as necessary. Remove the chicken to a plate and continue cooking the soup without the lid to reduce and concentrate the flavor.
- Debone the chicken. After about 5 to 10 minutes 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 while you make the dumpling dough.
- Make the dumplings. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Melt the butter in a small pot, add the milk, and heat over medium until hot, but not boiling. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir everything together using a fork just until combined. *Do not overmix or mix too vigorously or the dumplings will be dense and tough.
- Cook the dumplings. Add the chicken back to the soup and adjust the seasonings. Use a portioning scoop or two spoons to add the dumpling dough to the gently simmering soup. Cover with a lid and steam the dumplings on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Serve piping hot, and Enjoy!
Notes
- You will end up with anywhere from 6 to 8 cups of chicken broth after cooking the chicken. For a slightly thicker soup base, remove all but 6 cups of the chicken soup broth before you add the cooked chicken back to the pot and start cooking the dumplings. Reserve or freeze any leftover chicken broth to use in other recipes. You may also double the dumpling dough and make extra dumplings which will add more flour to the soup base. Just be sure you have enough room in the pot for them to properly cook.
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Sub your favorite bone-in quartered chicken pieces for the whole chicken if preferred.
- Do not open the lid when the dumplings are steaming or you’ll let out the steam which is what’s cooking them!
- For a creamier soup, substitute 1 cup of whole milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, or half and half for 1 cup of chicken broth.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Category: Soups & Stews
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
