This hearty dish brings together juicy chicken, tender vegetables, and fluffy dumplings all simmered in a rich, creamy broth. Whether it’s a rainy day or a cozy weekend dinner, chicken and dumplings is a comfort food you’ll crave again and again.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Homemade Comfort: From scratch, with pantry staples
- One Pot Meal: Everything cooks together—easy cleanup
- Flavorful & Filling: Perfect balance of cream, herbs, and juicy chicken
- Customizable Dumplings: Choose drop, biscuit, or rolled style
- Great for Leftovers: Tastes even better the next day
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken (bone-in or boneless thighs/breasts)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional, like Frank’s RedHot)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- ¾ cup frozen peas
Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon each: dried basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ cup sour cream (cold)
- ¼ cup milk (cold)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Sear the Chicken (Optional but Recommended):
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high and sear for 3 minutes per side.
- Remove, rest for 10 minutes, then dice.
- Make the Soup Base:
- In the same pot, melt butter and sauté onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add chicken broth, then half-and-half, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in frozen peas and simmer on low.
- Make the Dumplings:
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar.
- Fold in sour cream, milk, and melted butter until a dough forms. Don’t overmix.
- Finish the Soup:
- Return diced chicken to the soup and stir.
- Add Dumplings:
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop dough over the soup evenly.
- Spoon a bit of broth over each dumpling.
- Cover tightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Don’t lift the lid while cooking!
- Test with a toothpick—if it comes out clean, they’re done.
Recipe Details
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 6
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving – Approximate)
- Calories: 657
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Protein: 29g
- Fat: 38g
- Sodium: 1410mg
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 6g
- Vitamin A: 4678 IU
- Calcium: 218mg
- Iron: 3mg
Tips & Variations
- Dumpling Types:
- Use drop dumplings for ease
- Try biscuit dough for a shortcut
- Or rolled dumplings for a rustic look
- Flavor Boosters:
- A dash of mustard powder and Worcestershire deepens the broth flavor
- Hot sauce adds a subtle kick—optional for heat lovers
- Make It Lighter:
- Swap half-and-half with whole milk
- Use leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie
- Avoid Overcooking Dumplings:
- Stick to 15 minutes of covered simmering—overcooked dumplings fall apart
FAQs
Can I use leftover chicken?
Absolutely! Use 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken and add it just before the dumplings go in.
What kind of flour is best for dumplings?
All-purpose works well, but cake flour gives lighter, fluffier results.
Can this be frozen?
Yes, freeze the soup without the dumplings for best texture. Make fresh dumplings when reheating.
Why don’t my dumplings rise?
Make sure your baking powder is fresh, and don’t overmix the dough.
Chicken and Dumplings
This comforting bowl of chicken and dumplings is rich, creamy, and filled with soft, fluffy dumplings. Perfect for chilly nights and cozy dinners.
Equipment
- – Large soup pot or Dutch oven
- Mixing bowl
- – Measuring spoons and cups
- Cookie scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- #### For the Soup:
- – 2 lbs bone-in skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- – 1 tbsp olive oil
- – Salt and pepper to taste
- – 5 tbsp butter
- – 1 small yellow onion diced
- – 1 cup carrots diced
- – 2 celery stalks diced
- – 3 cloves garlic minced
- – 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- – 1 tsp hot sauce Frank’s RedHot
- – ⅓ cup flour
- – 4½ cups chicken broth
- – 1 chicken bouillon cube optional
- – 1½ cups half and half
- – ¾ cup frozen peas
- #### Seasonings:
- – 1 tsp onion powder
- – ½ tsp dried basil
- – ½ tsp dried parsley
- – ½ tsp dried thyme
- – ½ tsp dried rosemary
- – ¼ tsp ground sage
- – ½ tsp mustard powder
- – ⅛ tsp black pepper
- #### For the Dumplings:
- – 2 cups all-purpose or cake flour
- – 2 tsp baking powder
- – ½ tsp baking soda
- – 1 tsp salt
- – ½ tsp garlic powder
- – 2 tsp sugar
- – ¾ cup cold sour cream
- – ¼ cup cold milk
- – 4 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Season and sear chicken for 3 mins per side. Rest 10 mins, dice, and set aside.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery in butter for 5 mins.
- Stir in garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and seasonings.
- Add flour and cook for 2 mins to form a roux.
- Gradually add broth and half and half, stirring.
- Add peas and simmer gently.
- Mix dumpling dough ingredients in a bowl.
- Return chicken to the pot and top soup with spoonfuls of dumpling dough.
- Cover and simmer (no peeking!) for 15 mins.
- Check doneness, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Notes
– Use leftover chicken to speed things up.
– Dumplings are best fresh but reheat well in the oven.
– Don’t overmix the dough to keep dumplings light.
– Dumplings are best fresh but reheat well in the oven.
– Don’t overmix the dough to keep dumplings light.
Conclusion
Chicken and dumplings is the kind of comfort food that satisfies on every level. From its velvety broth to those pillowy dumplings, each spoonful is warm, filling, and full of flavor. Whether you’re cooking for family or just want leftovers that actually get eaten, this recipe is one you’ll keep coming back to.