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Chicken and dumplings might be the purest comfort food on the planet — a rich, creamy chicken soup packed with tender chicken, cozy vegetables, and soft, fluffy dumplings cooked right in the pot. This is my Grandma’s exact scratch-made recipe, and it’s the one I reach for when I want that classic “made with love” dinner.
What makes this version work is the from-scratch broth base (built from a big roasting chicken for maximum flavor), plus dumplings that steam up pillowy and tender without turning heavy. And if you’re craving a different style, you’ll love my Southern Chicken and Dumplings (rolled, flat dumplings), Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (hands-off), Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings (copycat-style), and Chicken and Dumpling Casserole (baked comfort).
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Use a gentle simmer, not a boil. Dumplings need steady steam to puff and cook through. A rolling boil can make them dense or cause them to break apart.
✨ Don’t overmix the dumpling dough. Stir just until combined — a few small lumps are fine. Overworking the dough is the fastest way to tough, chewy dumplings.
✨ Keep the broth rich but balanced. This recipe relies on a deeply flavored chicken broth to carry the whole dish. Taste before adding dumplings and adjust seasoning so the soup doesn’t fall flat.
✨ Give the dumplings space. Drop them in gently and avoid crowding so they have room to expand and cook evenly.
✨ Resist lifting the lid. Once the dumplings go in, keep the pot covered. Trapped steam is what makes them light and tender.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients + Key Notes
Soup Base:
- Flour: All-purpose flour. I use the Gold Medal.
- Salt + Black Pepper: To season everything just right.
- Chicken: I like to use a big roaster chicken. I love when this dish is loaded with tender, juicy chicken. If you grab a smaller fryer chicken, the recipe will work just fine. The finished dish just won’t have as much chicken.
- Vegetable Oil: You can use any neutral flavored oil you have on hand.
- Onion, Carrots, Celery: Just like you’d expect. I try to dice roughly the same size, so they cook evenly.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, not the stuff that comes preserved in a jar.
- Chicken Stock: I like to start with low-sodium chicken stock so I can control the overall sodium in the dish.
- White Wine: This adds so much flavor. I understand some people don’t like to cook with alcohol but if you can, the wine is amazing in this recipe. If you can’t, just skip it.
- Sugar: This is the secret ingredient to everything delicious! Don’t worry, it doesn’t make the dish sweet.
- Thyme: Dried thyme.
- Bay Leaves: I use dry bay leaves.
Dumplings:
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for my dumplings.
- Baking Powder: Makes the dumplings fluffy.
- Salt + Pepper: Gives the dumplings just the right seasoning.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk.
- Egg: Large egg.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
Soup:
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This gives the soup a luxurious mouth feel.
- Parsley: I like the freshness the parsley adds.
Tips
- Mirepoix – Sauté the aromatic components: onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. These classic “mirepoix” ingredients will soften enough to release their natural oils and flavors.
- Browning The Chicken: This is a really important step. I know you’re tempted to skip it, but here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t. It seals the exterior of the chicken and keeps it nice and juicy when it’s all cooked. It leaves little brown bits, which the French call fond, in the bottom of the pan that adds crazy amounts of flavor to the stew. Some of the veggies are browned in the same pan after the chicken, then flour, wine, and some of the chicken broth are whisked in, to deglaze the pan. That’s when all the little brown bits are swooped up and added to the pot to create another layer of delicious flavor to the sauce.
- Dumplings: The tender dumplings are mixed from scratch. They’re yummy and quick to put together. If you prefer a shortcut dumpling option, there are easy variations that work too.
- The bottoms of the dumplings will obviously still be wet because they cook directly in the liquid of the stew. The centers of the dumplings, however, should no longer have any “rawness” to them.
- Full-fat dairy- Butter is the boss in the kitchen. It’s important to use full-fat butter. The fat is important to a tender dumpling.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? The old fashioned chicken and dumplings will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Just be sure to let it cool completely before putting it up and follow the FDA-recommended 2-hour serving rule.
- Can You Freeze This? You can freeze these chicken and dumplings. Just be aware that since there is heavy cream included, it might not hold its texture perfectly. Cream sometimes splits when it freezes. The overall dish might be very thick when you reheat it as well. Loosen it up with some extra chicken stock if you need to.
- Make-Ahead Tips: If you need to prep the day before you can go ahead and get all the chopping out of the way. Just be sure to store the stock veggies separately from the others.
- You can also make the dumplings a day ahead. Just put wax paper between the layers and slide them into the fridge. I always like to make my dumplings while the chicken is boiling so that’s an option too.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out these links about refrigeration and storage.
How to Make Chicken And Dumplings Soup
Here’s a quick look at how to assemble this easy chicken and dumplings.
Start by simmering the chicken until the broth is rich and the meat is fall-apart tender — that slow, gentle cook is where the cozy flavor comes from. Pull the chicken out to shred, then bring the pot back to a gentle simmer.
Mix the dumpling dough just until combined (don’t overwork it), then drop spoonfuls right into the simmering broth. Cover the pot and let the dumplings steam until they’re fluffy and cooked through. Finish with a gentle stir, taste for salt and pepper, and serve it up hot.
***See the full instructions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
✦ Why are my dumplings dense or chewy?
Dense dumplings usually happen when the dough is overmixed or the soup is boiling too hard. Stir the dough just until combined and keep the pot at a gentle simmer so the dumplings can steam and puff properly.
✦ Do dumplings cook better covered or uncovered?
Covered. Keeping the lid on traps steam, which is what cooks the dumplings through and gives them their soft, fluffy texture. Lifting the lid too often can make them gummy or undercooked in the center.
✦ Can I use leftover cooked chicken instead of cooking it from scratch?
You can, but the broth won’t be as rich. If using leftover chicken, start with a good-quality chicken broth and adjust seasoning carefully so the soup doesn’t taste flat.
✦ Why did my dumplings fall apart?
This can happen if the broth is boiling too aggressively or if the dumplings are stirred too soon after being added. Drop them in gently, cover the pot, and let them set before stirring.
✦ Should dumplings float when they’re done?
Some will float and some may stay just below the surface — both are normal. The best test is texture: they should be tender all the way through with no raw dough in the center.
✦ Can I make the dumpling dough ahead of time?
Yes. Dumpling dough can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature briefly before adding it to the simmering broth so it cooks evenly.
Still have questions? Drop them in the comments — I love helping you bake + cook with confidence! 💗
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Chicken Stew
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Italian Chicken Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Chicken And Dumplings
Ingredients
Chicken + Broth:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 4-5 pound roasting chicken, cut up
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil divided
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 whole peppercorns
Dumplings:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Soup:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 1-gallon resealable bag, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken (4-5 pounds), a few pieces at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess.
- In a 6-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; transfer to a plate. Add more oil as needed.
- Add onion (1), carrots (2), and celery (2 ribs) to Dutch oven and cook, stirring often, being sure to scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven, until onion is tender about 6-8 minutes Add garlic (4 cloves); cook and stir 1 minute longer.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over vegetables. Stir to evenly coat the vegetables. Gradually add stock (6 cups), stirring constantly. Stir in wine (1/2 cup), sugar (2 teaspoons), thyme sprigs (4), bay leaves (2), and peppercorns (5).
- Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is falling off the bones tender, about 45 minutes 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until it's cool enough to handle. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the dumplings.
- Make Dumplings: Whisk together flour (1 1/2 cups), baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoon), salt (3/4 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon) in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (3/4 cup) and egg (1) and add to the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter (2 tablespoons). Using a wooden spoon stir just to combine. (Do not overmix or dumplings will be tough.); set aside.
- Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate. Discard thyme stems and bay leaves and skim fat from the soup. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Using 2 forks, coarsely shred meat into 1- to 1-1/2-in. pieces; return to soup. Stir in heavy cream (1/2 cup). Cook, covered, on high until the mixture reaches a simmer (Not a boil).
- Drop generous quarter-size dollops on top of simmering soup. Cover the pot, and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until the dumplings are puffed and totally cooked through, about 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the dumplings comes out clean. Sprinkle top with parsley (1 tablespoon) and thyme (2 teaspoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Mirepoix - Sauté the aromatic components: onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. These classic “mirepoix” ingredients will soften enough to release their natural oils and flavors.
- Browning The Chicken: This is a really important step. I know you’re tempted to skip it, but here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t. It seals the exterior of the chicken and keeps it nice and juicy when it’s all cooked. It leaves little brown bits, which the French call fond, in the bottom of the pan that adds crazy amounts of flavor to the stew. Some of the veggies are browned in the same pan after the chicken, then flour, wine, and some of the chicken broth are whisked in, to deglaze the pan. That’s when all the little brown bits are swooped up and added to the pot to create another layer of delicious flavor to the sauce.
- Dumplings: The tender dumplings are mixed from scratch. They’re yummy and quick to put together. If you’d rather use Bisquick dumplings or canned biscuits, they'll work just as well!
- The bottoms of the dumplings will obviously still be wet because they cook directly in the liquid of the stew. The centers of the dumplings, however, should no longer have any “rawness” to them.
- Full-fat dairy- Butter is the boss in the kitchen. It’s important to use full-fat butter. The fat is important to a tender dumpling.
Nutrition
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My son is not feeling well, so I searched something aside from chicken noodle soup. He liked this very much!
Hey, Sheila! I hope he’ll feel better the soonest! <3
Can I use gluten free flour in this recipe?
hey Teresa. I’m sorry I don’t generally work with gluten free flour but I can’t imagine it won’t work.
Do I have to use white wine, and if so, what type can I use? I wanted to use chicken thighs, is that ok for this recipe?
Hi, Pamela. You can skip the wine. Yes, you can use chicken thighs. Enjoy cooking and let us know how it turns out 🙂
Thank you . I will share the results.
Looking forward to it!