Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food—warm, hearty, and packed with rich, homemade flavor. Whether you're craving a cozy family dinner or looking for a classic recipe to make from scratch, this dish is sure to satisfy.
With the cold weather rolling in, nothing warms you up quite like a big bowl of chicken and dumplings—especially with extra dumplings, because they’re just that good! Tender chicken and vegetables simmer in a rich, flavorful broth, topped with the fluffiest drop dumplings ever. It’s the ultimate comfort food, easy to make from scratch, and perfect for leftovers.
In my house, the age-old debate of flat dumplings versus drop dumplings is still going strong. My husband prefers flat dumplings, but I’m all about the fluffy drop dumplings in this recipe. They remind me of the biscuits on a biscuit-topped chicken pot pie, and something about their pillowy texture soaking up that rich broth is just pure comfort and nostalgia.
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How to Get the Most Flavor
The key to the best tasting broth in chicken and dumplings is to use both the broth made when cooking the chicken and a good quality chicken stock. As always, I highly recommend using homemade chicken stock.
Pan Sear the CHicken
When cooking the chicken, I always start by pan-searing it first. This step isn’t common in traditional chicken and dumplings recipes, but trust me—it makes a huge difference! Searing the chicken adds incredible depth of flavor to the broth, making the dish even more delicious.
Equally important is using bone-in chicken. Boneless chicken just doesn’t provide the same richness to the broth. Many traditional recipes call for using a whole chicken, which is a great option. If you go this route, simply add more chicken stock and adjust the seasonings as needed to balance the flavors.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
Pan Sear- Season and pan sear the chicken. Cook the chicken just long enough to brown it on both sides. It will be cooked further in the broth.
Make the broth- Cover the chicken with the water and chicken stock. Add in the thyme and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours.
Separate meat- Once the chicken is done, strain and reserve the broth. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set aside.
Sauté vegetables- In the same pot, that is now empty, melt the butter and sauté the celery, onions, carrots and garlic until softened.
Make a roux- Add in the flour to make a roux. Then whisk in the reserved chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until dumplings are ready to go in.
How to Make Dumplings
Mix dry ingredients- In a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
Drizzle- Drizzle the melted butter into the cold milk, stir until well combined. The butter milk mixture will resemble curdled milk.
Mix together- Slowly stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. Try not to over mix.
Add in the meat- Put the chicken in the pot with the broth, bring to a gentle boil.
Drop in dumplings- Once boiling drop in the dumplings. Try to not drop the dumplings on top of one another, they will stick together if you do. Once all the dumplings are in the pot, season the tops of the dumplings with additional salt and pepper (optional).
💡Expert Tips
- The size of the dumpling depicts how long it will take to cook fully.
- I use a 1 oz portion scoop for the dumplings in this recipe. At 10 minutes they get cooked perfectly. If making larger dumplings, after 10 minutes remove one to check the doneness. Adjust time as needed.
Cover- Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the dumplings for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, garnish with fresh thyme and serve. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
To get a thicker broth for your chicken and dumplings you can make a cornstarch slurry with 2:1 ratio of water to cornstarch. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water, mix together then whisk it into the simmering broth.
The dumplings should be fully cooked after just 10 minutes of cooking in the simmering broth.
Yes, you can use water instead of the chicken stock. While the stock will give the chicken and dumplings more flavor, you can still make them without it. However, I recommend using all of the broth made from cooking the chicken to add as much flavor as you can.
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📖 Recipe
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone in chicken thighs or leg quarters skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 ounces butter
- ½ cup celery small diced
- ½ cup onion small diced
- 1 cup carrots sliced ¼" to ½" thick
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup flour
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 6 ounces milk kept cold until needed
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and garlic powder. In a large pot over medium heat add in the olive oil. Once hot sear the chicken for 6 minutes on eat side. Do not cook the chicken fully, just enough to brown it.
- To the same pot add the water and chicken stock. Put in the thyme and bay leaf. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1 ½ hours.
- Once the chicken is done, strain and reserve the broth. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set aside.
- Put the pot back over medium heat and melt the butter. Then sauté the celery, onions and carrots for about 8 minutes or until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle in the flour, mixing to fully incorporate. Slowly pour in the reserved chicken broth, whisking to prevent any clumps from forming. Season with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a simmer.
- To make the dumplings begin by adding the dry ingredients to a small bowl. Mix well.
- Drizzle the melted butter into the cold milk and mix together. It will resemble curdled milk. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the chicken to the broth and bring to a gentle boil.
- Drop in the dumplings. Try to not drop the dumplings on top of one another, they will stick together if you do. Once all the dumplings are in the pot, season the tops of the dumplings with additional salt and pepper (optional).
- Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the dumplings for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, garnish with fresh thyme and serve. Enjoy!
Tiffany says
Browning the chicken first really adds to the flavor! This will be on regular rotation in our house! Thank you
Tayler says
I made this chicken and dumplings for dinner last night and my family adored it! Definitely a new go to recipe!
Lauren says
Chicken and dumplings was the perfect meal for a cold, rainy evening. This recipe was delicious - reminded me so much of the chicken and dumplings my mom used to make.
Sky Pilgreen says
What a great compliment, thank you!
Kate says
This is just my sort of comfort food, and I'm a sucker for dumplings!
Kay says
I made this last night and it was so good! Those dumplings are were fantastic. I have a feeling I'll be making this recipe often this winter.
Simply Scratch Made says
Thank you so much! I am happy you like the recipe!