This easy Chicken and Dumplings recipe is SO FAST AND EASY to make from scratch in only 30 minutes if you use rotisserie chicken and store-bought (or other pre-made) broth! It’s a fast, easy comfort food to make on busy nights. The fresh thyme in the perfectly fluffy dumplings sets it over the edge! The chicken and dumplings broth can be made thick and luscious like a gravy, or more thin like a soup depending on preference.

This, my friends, is comfort food at its finest. It has all the taste of chicken pot pie without the effort (because who has time to deal with a pie crust on a busy weeknight?).
Between the fluffy dumplings with a biscuit-like texture, the juicy, tender shredded chicken, and the creamy, thick broth, this easy chicken and dumplings recipe will have you and your whole family literally RUNNING to the dinner table!
In this post I’ll explain how to make this easy chicken and dumplings from scratch in only 30 minutes with a few simple shortcuts, and give my best tips and tricks for getting the fluffiest dumplings that still hold their shape!
Why this chicken and dumplings recipe is SO FAST!
Traditionally, chicken and dumplings is a labor-intensive process, involving boiling an entire chicken to make stock, waiting for it to cool, and de-boning it, not to mention making dumpling dough by rolling and flattening out biscuit dough. It makes a mess and takes hours.
But almost every “quick and easy” recipe for chicken and dumplings I’ve come across uses processed ingredients like condensed canned creamed soup and pre-made biscuit dough.
I wanted to make a version of chicken and dumplings that was fast and easy to make but used as few pre-made, processed ingredients as possible.
You can make this chicken and dumplings recipe in only 30 minutes if you use shredded rotisserie chicken (or leftover roast chicken, poached chicken, or meat from a slow cooker whole chicken) and store-bought chicken broth helps save loads of time without sacrificing any of that down-home, from scratch taste! Easy peasy.
How to make Easy Chicken and Dumplings
I’m telling you, this recipe for chicken and dumplings could not be easier. It cooks up super fast in only one pot!
- First, sauté some diced carrots, onions, and celery in some butter. Tip: use the rib AND the leaves from the celery, if you have them. The leaves are packed with flavor!
- Then, sprinkle some flour on the veggies and stir around to coat, and add some chicken stock and bring to a boil. The flour will help thicken the gravy-like broth to a perfect consistency.
- While the soup is coming to a boil, mix the dumpling dough: flour, salt, baking powder, fresh thyme, melted butter, and milk.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, add some milk and the cooked chicken to the pot. Add scoops of the dumpling dough to the broth, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. Done! Told you that was easy.
One thing to keep in mind: if the soup doesn’t seem that thick at first, don’t worry. Some of the flour from the dumpling dough will also seep into the broth, thickening it a bit more, and it will also thicken as it cools some.
Tips and Tricks for making the BEST fluffy Dumplings
There are two kinds of dumplings used for chicken and dumplings. The first is a flat dumpling- the dough is rolled out and cut, then dropped in the soup. The result is a thick noodle-like consistency (like Cracker Barrel’s chicken and dumplings).
The other kind of dumpling is more biscuit-like: fluffy, round balls of dough that expand and cook after being dropped in the soup. This chicken and dumplings has the fluffy kind of dumplings.
Here are the best tips to getting the fluffiest dumplings that won’t fall apart with the PERFECT texture:
- Use white flour, not whole wheat. Whole wheat tends to be a bit dense and has less gluten, so the result won’t be as fluffy. If whole grains are super important to you, try a combination of half white and half whole wheat flour.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Stir it until it’s just combined and you can’t see any powdery flour anymore.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into the soup. This will ensure that all the dumplings are evenly sized and fairly round.
- No peeking! Keep the lid on for 15 minutes while the dumplings cook. This will trap the steam and also ensure you don’t stir it, which may smush the dumplings and affect their texture.
How to make the broth thick and gravy-like
Craving a more substantial broth? Some readers have commented that the base of this chicken and dumplings is a bit thin for their taste.
If you want a more gravy-like base to this chicken and dumplings recipe, just increase the amount of flour added to the veggies. Add about 2 tablespoons more flour, more or less depending on preference.
Other easy comfort food recipes?
- Chicken Pot Pie with a Whole Wheat Biscuit Crust
- Healthy 20-Minute Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Classic Shrimp and Grits
- Easy Shepherd’s Pie
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Easy Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 carrots diced small
- 2 stalks celery plus their leaves diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour divided
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 1 cup whole milk divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
- extra salt and pepper
Instructions
- Sauté the carrots, celery, and onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium high heat until softened a bit and beginning to brown (about 3 minutes).
- Add 1/4 cup flour, stir to coat.
- Add chicken broth (4 cups) and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to simmer and add 1/2 cup milk and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, mix together the remaining 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, melted, until flour mixture is crumbly looking. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and stir until JUST combined. Do NOT over mix, or your dumplings may be dense.
- Add spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture to the simmering pot- I recommend using a small cookie scoop for this (a tablespoon can also be used).
- Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until dumplings are fluffy, cooked, and float to the top. No peeking!
- Serve garnished with extra fresh thyme and fresh ground pepper, if desired.
Notes
- If you are sensitive to salt, cut the salt in the dumplings in half, as they are quite salty. I like them that way, but some readers have recommended taking the amount of salt down. Also, if you are using fine grain salt instead of kosher, use 3/4 teaspoon, as 1 teaspoon will be too much.
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Baking powder often isn’t good after a year of opening it. If you find your dumplings are dense and not fluffy, this may likely be the culprit.
- Readers have commented that this recipe doesn’t make as much as they would like. Please double it if you and your family have a big appetite!
- You can freeze the leftovers, or double the batch and freeze one for later in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- If you prefer a really thick base, you can add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour to the veggies before adding the broth and milk.
- If you don’t like thyme, you can use other herbs– parsley, oregano, or even dill- or leave them out entirely.
- Feel free to add more veggies toward the end of cooking, such as frozen peas or corn, or a few handfuls of baby spinach.
- I love making this in a Dutch Oven, because it stays hot for a while if dinner is ready early. The one in the photos is a Cuisinart 5.5 qt. Oval Dutch Oven but lately I’ve been recommending the Lodge Dutch Oven.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This chicken and dumplings recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious in September, 2016. It has been edited to include a video, process shots, and more detailed instructions, tips, and tricks.
Tim
Delicious. Made it twice now.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Mandy
Love it! My family’s only request was more dumplings next time.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Extra dumplings are always a great idea!
Karen Chaplin
I did like it but I would use less chicken broth. Maybe cut down about 1 cup.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Feel free to use less chicken broth if you want! Alternatively, if you want a thicker result, you can add more flour to help thicken the broth.
Dawn
Made for the first time tonight. Used 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme as we don’t like a strong spice taste. I
used cream instead of milk and the dumplings were the best I’ve ever made. The whole thing was absolutely
delicious! Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
sydney
I may be overthinking but what happens if i use 1% milk? its all i have on hand.
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can use it, it just won’t come out as creamy/rich! I think better to use half and half or even half the amount of heavy cream, but 1% will do in a pinch. Hope that helps!
Libby
Super simple but absolutely delicious! The recipe is very easy to follow as well!
This has been my go to recipe to follow for years.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Linda
I am wondering can you use self-rising flour in this recipe in the dumplings?
Would be easier!
Linda
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never tried it myself, but I don’t see why not!
Whitney Jarrett
Second time making this. SO easy, hearty, and delicious. Both times I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how quickly this recipe comes together. The only thing I may do next time is double the dumplings. They are so good! Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amy W
This is soo good! I haven’t had chicken and dumplings since I was a kid. Not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be! I tried to follow it pretty closely, but didn’t have thyme and I know that would really add to it. I just did fresh parsley since I had some. Still was delicious! This will definitely be a go to for me!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Mia Andrea Ponte-Vinnard
My most favorite cold day meal, and super easy. Love, love, love it
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jessica
This was so good! I doubled the recipe and it came out amazing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jessica
This was delicious. I’ve never made this meal from scratch before and WOW. So good. I added a bunch of seasonings we like and mixed up veggies, will be making this for years to come!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Judy
This is my first time making this recipe. It was truly delicious! I was initially worried about my dumplings rising to the top as they seemed so heavy when adding them to the soup. I was happy to see that wasn’t a worry when I lifted the pot lid off after 15 minutes (I didn’t peak!)
One ingredient that I did add was a tablespoon of miso as opposed to adding the salt. I find that miso adds a little extra flavor to chicken soup recipes.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! LOVE the idea of using miso in chicken soup – will have to try!
BRAD BLANKENSHIP
this recipe is easy and flavorful but I used a little extra tyme and and a pinch of red chili pepper this time, the zip of the red pepper gave it a depth of taste that was fun and delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding red pepper for some oomph.
Milda
This is my go-to chicken and dumpling recipe. I have to be dairy- free, so I make it with oat milk and plant-based butter. I make it whenever we get rotisserie chicken. Comes out perfect every time she is picky-toddler-approved!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Glad it turns out well for you with oat milk and a butter alternative!
Tee
Very good recipe!! It has become part of our meal rotation.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jean Richwein
Delicious and easy
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Mac
This was great. I made my dumplings really big, so had to simmer for about 30 min and flip halfway to get them to cook through. Between the extra time and the larger dumplings soaking up the stock, the liquid ended up reducing to be almost gravy-like which, while different than intended, was fantastic.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Dee
This recipe was so easy to put together and so delicious 😋
It is now my one and only Chicken and dumpling recipe for my family’s future. The grandkids went back for seconds and we had no leftovers.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Marlou Marie Cross
Perfection!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amy Messer
So good, country dumplins. Thank you 😊
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!