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
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and 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.
Chris
I just made this and the dumplings are disgusting. In my opinion the thyme give the dumplings a weird taste. I will continue to look for a good dumpling soup recipe because unfortunately this was not it😞
Elizabeth Lindemann
Luckily, it’s super easy to just omit the thyme, or substitute another herb/seasoning of your choice! I’ve used dried Italian seasoning before, and chopped fresh rosemary. I’ve also just left them plain if I don’t feel like adding more flavor.
Deborah Billings
awesome recipe dumplings are fantastic, always used canned biscuits before just was afraid i would mess up, but these are the bomb. thanks for the recipe
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!!
Patty
Awesome recipe! I added a good dash of poultry seasoning ( probably about 1/2 tsp). Made the difference!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Brian G
I’ve made this recipe about a dozen times and it’s delicious every time! Thanks! Brian
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much- I’m happy you like it!
Denysr
YUM!!! Easy and delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
KD
Made it! Love it! My husband wasn’t feeling too great so I made it for him and he loved it too! Thank you! My mom used to make this all the time and I couldn’t find her recipe! It tastes just like I remember!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw, so happy this brought back memories of good food for you! Glad that you both liked it, and hope your husband feels better soon!
Debby
I usually use a box mix for my dumpling but when visiting my daughter she didn’t have any on hand. I searched the internet for a recipe and found this one. I will NEVER use a boxed mix again! Everyone preferred these over any I have made before.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it! I agree- I’m all about convenience, but this is so simple that it’s easy to skip the boxed mix :-)
Hope
Can I use frozen biscuits ya think still be good? If so how to adjust cooking of?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, I’ve never tried it, but I imagine it would work! I’d keep the timing the same, and just double check them to see if they need a little more time at the end. Hope that helps and hop you like it!
Melanie
This was my first attempt at ever making chicken and dumplins, and it turned out perfect! Easy recipe too, thank you! I will definitely be making this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Kelly Silva
Very yummy, and perfect for family of three adults. I am cooking low sodium, and modified the recipe for low salt and flavor to make up for the lack of salt:
I added way more spices and herbs than it calls for. I boiled 1 lb of chicken tenders in boxed unsalted chicken broth and added garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs Dash to the broth, and then used that broth for the soup. I added garlic powder (about a 1/2 tsp) and pepper (about 1/4 tsp) to the dumpling mix. I used baby carrots sliced thin, about 1 cup. I finished it by baking with lid off at 350 for 5 minutes (convection oven). I also used more butter than it called for (1.5 more in the veggie mix before the flour, and 1/2 tbsp in the dumplings). I sautéed carrots first, by themselves, until they were tender, then added onion and celery. Used half the salt called for in the dumplings. Used a lot of pepper on top of dumplings after adding to the soup (maybe less next time). Finely chopped the thyme for the dumplings.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thank you for sharing your modifications!
Geri
Can this be put in the oven for the dumpling part of the recipe? I have a big family but not a big pot ?
Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm I’ve never tried that before! Sounds like this would be more like a chicken and dumpling casserole- like a chicken pot pie, but with dumplings instead of a proper crust. This recipe might help you figure out how long to bake it, and I think you could make my recipe as is but follow their directions for baking! https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-dumpling-casserole/
Erika
I’ve used so many different recipes and just could not find one my husband liked. His grandma was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas so her chicken and dumplings I heard we’re AMAZING. I finally found this recipe and my husband LOVES it, coming from the grandson of a southern grandma :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! So happy you and your husband liked it! This comment made my day :-)
Jennifer Anderson
Been making this for decades, always a crowd pleaser. The trick to perfect dumplings…the broth should be bubbling vigorously when you drop them in. Then let it keep a strong simmer going with the lid OFF for 10 min. This gets the bottom of the dumpling, thickens the broth, and let’s the top of the dumpling set in the warm air. THEN cover, and turn the heat down very low for an additional 10 min to finish baking the top of the dumpling. Perfect every time!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Wow thanks for the tips! Can’t wait to try them out next time I make this!
Elizabeth
This recipe is now a staple on cold days. We live in Florida, so cold days are hard to come by. My husband is torn between being more excited about cold weather or having this for dinner (and the leftovers! ). Hands down the best, easiest comfort food.
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO glad you liked it! We actually made it for dinner last night and I had the leftovers for… breakfast today at 9:42 am haha! Can’t get enough.
Jennie
I am amending my earlier star rating since after my husband and I tasted the ‘bowl of delicious’ it was indeed a keeper! Although I had difficulty with the consistency of the dumplings and ended up dropping the liquid in by the spoonful, it still turned into a dumpling in 15-20 minutes which is when I sent my first post and rating. Thank you for the ‘bowl of delish!’ As said in the prior post, ‘am not sure what I did wrong’ but will try again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh yay! So happy it tasted great, and the dumplings turned out to be a good texture!
Jennie
Do not know what I did wrong but the dumpling mixture was way too soupy/thin so I added extra flour and still too soupy so thought maybe it was supposed to be thin and dropped by spoonfuls into pot anyway and it was a complete flop and mess
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, that is certainly strange! I’ve never heard of that happening before, and if you watch the video you can see the texture isn’t runny at all. Here’s my guess: the instructions call for 1 cup of milk, divided. Only 1/2 cup of the milk goes in the dumpling batter, and the other half goes in the soup base. Is it possible you added all 1 cup to the dumpling mixture? Other than that, I’m stumped! Better luck next time, and sorry you had a frustrating experience.
Grace
Just like what my mom would make growing up, great recipe! Not sure if I over mixed or under cooked the dumplings – but otherwise perfect.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! So glad you liked it! Sometimes the dumplings need just a few more minutes- maybe try that next time :-)
Monique
SO GOOD. My grandmother used to make this by scratch, but I never got her recipe before she passed. While this isn’t hers exactly, I haven’t found a recipe I love since hers, and now I have! Thank you – super delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw, I’m so happy this helped you bring back memories of your grandmother! “Grandma recipes” are the best kind of recipes. Thanks for the comment :-)
Katy R.
The only tweaks I made to this recipe was I added about 2 more cups of chicken stock, 1/2tsp of turmeric, added parsley to the dumplings and cooked them about 25min. This was an amazing meal and my whole family (including a 1 and 4 year old ate it up!)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh I LOVE the idea of adding turmeric! Thanks, and glad you and your family liked it :-)
Kelly
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe, used a rotisserie chicken, store bought chicken broth, and used chopped fresh rosemary in the dumplings. One of the containers of a broth was low sodium and I used kosher salt like the recipe said. Creamy (thanks whole milk) and delicious! I’ll make this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Kimberly
I made this tonight for my bosses family & they absolutely loved it! Easy peasy~Thank you~
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy everyone liked it! :-)