This Chicken and Dumplings recipe is SO EASY to make from scratch in only 30 minutes if you use rotisserie chicken and store-bought broth! It’s a fast, easy soul food to make on busy nights. The fresh thyme in the perfectly fluffy dumplings sets it over the edge!
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 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!
From-scratch taste in a fraction of the time
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, you can 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.
Looking for more easy comfort food recipes?
If you like this chicken and dumplings recipe, you’ll love these:
- Chicken Pot Pie with a Whole Wheat Biscuit Crust
- Healthy 20-Minute Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup.
- Easy Classic Shrimp and Grits
- Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Did you make this chicken and dumplings? Be sure to comment and rate it below!
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 chicken stock/broth
- 1 cup whole milk divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 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
- 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.
- 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
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.
Patti Woodall
Do you think it will be ok to make this one day ahead? i don’t have time to make it on the day I plan to serve it. Thank you!
Elizabeth
I think the leftovers reheat really well! But if you’re picky, I think the texture of the dumplings will be a bit better if you do this part the day of. In this case, I recommend making the base of the chicken and dumplings and reheating it when you are ready to serve. While it’s heating, mix up the batter for the dumplings, and proceed from there. Hope that helps, and hope you like it!
Kathy
I am in the middle of making this now. I used HWC instead of milk. (I don’t have milk in the house) I’m hoping it comes out good. I will let you know.
Elizabeth
Hope you liked it!
Kathy
It was amazing! By far the best chicken and dumplings I have ever made! My husband loved it. We ate it all!
Emily
I just tried this and was so happily surprised by how it turned out! I’m from Australia, so I never had this as a kid but I think it’s going to become a staple! Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it!
Jess
I made this recipe today. It was easy and tasted incredible. Thank you!
Elizabeth
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
Beth
Made this for my DIL and son last night as I am visiting to make things a bit easier after the arrival of the first baby/grandchild .
WOWSA! Easy, peasy, quick and oh so delicious! Rave reviews all round.
I did the dumplings a bit different.. I knew they were fond of Red Lobster’s
Cheddar Bay biscuits, so I snapped up a box and added the included spice packet right into the dough. It made up 20 smallish dumplings that swelled to about golf ball size or slightly larger. Amazingly tasty! The cheese and herbs were a perfect addition to an already excellent recipe.
I am going to try thickening it up a bit and making a chicken pot pie with puff pastry top crust.
I am obsessed with your recipes. Great site and photos, clear, easy directions and WUKCK.
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked it! What a perfect thing to bring over to a family with a new baby. Puff pastry will be delicious on top. I actually just made something similar for my friends who just had a baby, but instead of dumplings I used frozen Reames egg noodles (which kind of taste like pie crust- the part at the bottom of a traditional chicken pot pie that soaks up all the yummy stuff!). I called it “chicken pot pie soup” and I’m thinking of blogging about it soon. Thanks very much for the nice comment! :-)
Kim
Have you ever made the dumpling dough ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook? Bringing them to room temp first before cooking. Trying to prep as much ahead as possible. The base is done and is delicious.
Elizabeth
I’ve never made the dough in advance, but I don’t think it would work very well. I think the texture may be a bit off, and they also might not puff up quite as well when you add them. To save a bit of time, I recommend mixing together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Then, when you are ready to cook, you can add the thyme, butter, and milk. Hope that helps!
Mamaof7
This was fantastic! The only thing I did differently was make more because we have a large family :). My 11 year old som made the dumplings, perfect! Definitely making again soon.
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it!
Frank Wright
Absolutely delicious! You cook like a sista from the south! You might need to do one of those tests and see if you got some black folks in your family tree! Really good, couldn’t stop eating it!
Elizabeth
Thanks! :-) So glad you liked it!
Jann M
Haven’t made chicken and dumplings in MANY years. I was craving it and was so glad I tried your recipe. My husband and I enjoyed it so much!
Elizabeth
Yay! So glad you both liked it!
Linda Lee Stradley
This is great! My mom made chicken and dumplings frequently, and it was, indeed, a comfort food. I’ve made it about three times in the last 45 years, and it tasted okay, but was never quite like my mom’s. I never got her recipe, so I just tried to make it up as I went along. But your recipe sounds like you hit the nail on the head, and I can’t wait to make it again!
Speaking of the work involved in making chicken pot pies, I just made five 9″ ones from scratch four days ago, right down to the home made pie crust dough! LOL!!! We ate one, and I froze the other four!
Elizabeth
So happy you liked it! And WOW on making 5 chicken pot pies- really wish I had access to your freezer right about now! lol :-)
Mrs N.
I love this homemade dumpling recipe. It is the one I always use. As for the chicken pot pies, I always make a huge batch ahead of time. I spoon a hefty amount of the made filling into a glass deep dish pie dish. Then put it in a freezer bag (flatened for easy thawing). I then stack them in the freezer and when I want pot pie I thaw a bag in the morning and pick up a 2-pack of deep dish pie shells on my way home from work. Easy dinner solution. Also I brush the top of the pie with an milk/egg wash. Always use your glass deep dish pie pan after to take the pre-made shell out of the package. It settles in nicely and you don’t have that spill-over to clean up! :) Mrs N
Elizabeth
Thanks so much for the tips! Glad you liked it :-)