Homemade chicken and dumplings soup is the south's ultimate comfort food. This recipe calls for tender chicken thighs, vegetables, and herbs in a creamy broth with light and fluffy dumplings. It's the perfect recipe to warm you up, like a big hug on those extra cold nights!
Love soup season? Try my classic Chicken Noodle Soup, my Campbell's Tomato Soup Copycat, Better-Than-Olive-Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, or Greek Avgolemono Soup.
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings are the Ultimate Comfort Food
I've been obsessed with chicken and dumplings since I was a little girl. At my school on really cold days, the lunch lady would pass us bowls of rich chicken stew with dumplings and it was my absolute favorite thing (well, besides when we'd get hot chocolate in the mornings).
I've made the best chicken and dumplings recipe that takes me back to that feeling: the perfect comfort food that's warm and cozy, the chicken soup is loaded with lots of flavor from fresh herbs with just the right amount of creaminess, and the fluffiest dumplings are cooked in all that deliciousness.
The best part, in my opinion, is the fact that it takes less than an hour to make this creamy chicken soup, and most of that time is watching it simmer away!
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Jump to:
- Homemade Chicken and Dumplings are the Ultimate Comfort Food
- Why You'll Love this Recipe for Chicken and Dumplings
- History of Chicken and Dumplings
- Equipment
- Why use a dutch oven?
- Ingredients You Need
- How to make my Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- Fluffy Dumplings vs Flat Dumplings - Types of Dumplings
- Variations and Substitutions
- Pro Tips
- Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Leftover Chicken and Dumplings
- FAQs
- More Classic Comfort Food Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love this Recipe for Chicken and Dumplings
- A Tried and True Comforting Classic - southern chicken and dumplings have been around for centuries, there's nothing like an easy-to-make, cozy bowl of creamy chicken soup on a cold day!
- A Family Favorite Recipe - the whole family will devour the entire pot, it happens every time in my home!
- A One Pot Wonder - we're not trying to mess with a million pots and pans for dinner, right? One big ole pot for searing, sautéing, and stewing is all we need.
History of Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings, a dish often associated with hardship, has a rich history that defies common beliefs. Dumplings, invented during the Eastern Han Dynasty, were filled with ingredients like mutton and chilis by a Chinese doctor.
The combination with chicken stew emerged in the 1830s, thanks to Mary Rudolph, a plantation owner's wife. Experts believe the recipes came from her enslaved chefs, as it was highly uncommon for wealthy white women to cook or involve themselves in drudgery at that time.
Contrary to popular belief, chicken was a luxury before industrialized agriculture. The idea of chicken dinners symbolized prosperity, evident in President Herbert Hoover's campaign promising 'a chicken in every pot'. This phrase underscored the desire for widespread affluence, challenging the perception of chicken as a frugal meal during difficult times.
Chicken dishes were rare and reserved for special occasions due to the age and toughness of the yardbirds who were more useful on the farm and for fresh eggs than on the dinner table in their prime. Slow braising or stewing was necessary because these chickens were much older than the ones consumed today.
This tradition gave rise to chicken and dumplings stew, a symbol of prosperity and hospitality. In fact, this dish even found its way into popular culture, mentioned in the song "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain," where the singer plans to serve chicken and dumplings to the guest arriving 'round the mountain.
Equipment
Why use a dutch oven?
Dutch ovens are a kitchen must-have for any home cook! They are large pots that can carry out the duties of about 3 other pots and pans: frying, sautéing, stewing, braising, searing, it can all be done in a sturdy dutch oven.
Dutch ovens are heavy-bottomed and they hold heat well and evenly, so they are an ideal pot for deep frying and slow cooking for long periods of time.
They're also much larger than your typical pot, with the average running around 5 quarts, so soups, stews, and roasts are all welcome in this big kitchen heavy hitter.
Ingredients You Need
- Raw Chicken Thighs - you can use pre-cooked chicken and skip having to cook them!
- Chopped Onions, Garlic, Carrots and Celery - Wash, peel, and dice them up nicely. This is our mirepoix, this basis of many soups You can add other vegetables like green beans or frozen peas as well.
- Fresh Herbs - I used what I grow in my garden: fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage. You can use whatever herbs you like best. Oh, and don't forget the bay leaf!
- Chicken Stock - If you don't have some homemade chicken stock or broth, my favorite thing to use is Better than Bouillon chicken base, which is a super condensed and concentrated chicken broth.
- Olive Oil and Butter - loads of flavor in these two fats, you can swap them for healthier options if you want.
- Flour
- Heavy Cream - this is what gives us that rich, decadent creamy stew vibe. You can also use half and half or milk.
Ingredients For the Homemade Dumplings
- All-Purpose Flour.
- More Herbs - use whatever herbs you like-- again, this is all about personal preference. I love thyme and sage in my dumplings every time.
- Buttermilk - the acidity is what gives us more lift by reacting with the baking powder.
- Baking Powder - creates bubbles which lift our dumplings from the inside and makes them super tender and fluffy.
How to make my Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Make the Creamy Chicken Stew
Step 1 | Heat olive oil in your dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, then season the chicken with salt and pepper before placing them in the hot olive oil in your dutch oven.
We want a nice golden sear, we're not cooking them through in this, only for about 2-3 minutes until browned on both sides.
Step 2 | Take out the chicken thighs, add in your mirepoix, and turn the heat to medium heat.
Cook until they're golden and the onions are turning translucent, then add the chopped herbs and garlic. We want the garlic to get really fragrant, so sauté it for about 2 minutes.
Step 3 | Melt butter into the vegetables, then add the flour to the melted butter. This is going to be the base to thicken the soup.
Step 4 | Add the chicken stick until the soup is smooth, making sure to scrape up the fond at the bottom of the pot, put in your bay leaves and add the chicken back into the pot to cook.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked though) and then make and drop the dumplings into the soup while the soup is simmering. Before adding the balls of dough, remove the chicken to shred.
Make the Dumplings
Step 1 | Whisk together all the dry ingredients and herbs in a mixing bowl.
Step 2 | Stir the buttermilk in to make a thick, lumpy biscuit dough.
Step 3 | Now use a spoon or small cookie scoop to drop the dumpling dough into the simmering soup. Place the lid on and cook the dumplings for about 5-10 minutes. They'll double in size and be light and tender when ready.
Step 4 | Let the dumplings cook, then add the shredded chicken back into the pot and serve sprinkled with a little chopped fresh parsley.
Fluffy Dumplings vs Flat Dumplings - Types of Dumplings
Many will argue what type of dumpling truly goes into southern style chicken and dumplings. But there are three types that are classic in this stew.
- The 'slick' dumpling - These are in the origins of the southern chicken and dumplings (called 'chicken and slick') in the 1879 Southern cookbook, Housekeeping in Old Virginia. These are homemade dumplings that are 'made like biscuits, but rolled flat'. My mama makes her chicken and dumplings with these flat, square slick dumplings and so do many people in the south.
- The fluffy dumplings - These are the ones I love, and it's such a simple recipe. Consider these to be a type of enriched drop-biscuit. They're soft, fluffy, and sort of melt in your mouth, but my favorite thing about them is that they help thicken the chicken stew to a rich gravy as they cook through.
- The biscuit dumpling - These are definitely a popular version, baking biscuits or taking raw biscuit dough and adding them to the stew like in dutch oven chicken pot pie. A great shortcut is using pop-can biscuits and then dropping them into the chicken stock to cook with the soup.
Variations and Substitutions
- Chicken breasts can be used but don't overcook them.
- I've added frozen peas to the stew plenty of times, do it at the end of cooking time when you add the cooked chicken back into the pot. Let it cook for a few minutes and serve.
- If you really want to go the old-fashioned route, make your own chicken broth with a whole chicken and the mirepoix. You're going to need to double the mirepoix, so after you strain the chicken and veggies, you have more of them for the soup itself.
Pro Tips
- Short on time? Use canned biscuits for the dumplings and shredded rotisserie chicken. Easy peasy!
- Make sure your baking powder is less than 6 months old. Baking powder has a short lifespan and loses its lifting powers as it ages. After 6 months, it gets a little iffy so use fresh baking powder.
- If you don't have buttermilk, a great sub is whole milk/heavy cream/half and half with about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to help sour the milk up and give it more acidity.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Leftover Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings is simple to store, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You can easily rewarm it in a microwave-safe dish until hot or over medium-low in a small saucepan until warmed through.
To freeze, portion out your soup into single servings and put each serving into a freezer safe container or zip-top bag. Freeze (freeze the bags flat for easy thawing) for up to six months; to thaw, leave in fridge overnight before reheating using the same methods as above.
FAQs
Two reasons: either your baking powder is dead (no longer lifting) or you overcooked the dumplings and you did so without the lid on the pot.
If your chicken and dumplings soup isn't as thick as you want, make a cornstarch slurry of 1:1 ratio cornstarch and cold water (I use about 1 tablespoon of each) in a small bowl and whisk it into the simmering stew. It'll thicken up as the stew simmers.
More Classic Comfort Food Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
Homemade chicken and dumplings soup is the south's ultimate comfort food. This easy recipe is completely from-scratch, including the herbaceous drop dumplings and creamy soup, and it's made in under an hour.
Ingredients
Chicken and Dumplings Soup
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 carrots, well washed and cut into ½ inch-thick coins
- 2 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, medium dice
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon each: fresh rosemary leaves, sage, and parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 5 tablespoon flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Dumplings
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, sage, and parsley
- ¾ cup buttermilk, OR whole milk with juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Chicken and Dumplings Soup
- In a large dutch oven pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Pat dry and season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Place 3 chicken thighs into the hot oil to sear, about three minutes on both sides. Make sure the thighs aren't over crowding the pot. Remove the seared thighs and place on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken thighs.
- Lower the heat to medium and add in the diced onion, carrot, and celery along with the herbs and a teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir occasionally and cook for 4 minutes to soften the mirepoix and gain some color. Add the minced garlic and stir together until garlic is fragrant, about a minute or two.
- Add the three tablespoons of butter into the pot and let it melt, then shake in the flour and stir to coat the vegetables and herbs.
- Pour in chicken broth ½ cup at a time, stirring well between each addition so the flour doesn't clump. After 1 ½ cups, stir in the rest of the broth.
- Add the bay leaves and the chicken thighs back into the pot. Bring the heat to medium and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- At 20 minutes, add in the heavy cream, remove the chicken to shred or chop, and drop in the dumpling dough.
- After adding the dumplings, place the shredded chicken back into the pot.
Dumplings
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and herbs. Add in the buttermilk and stir just until the ingredients have come together without dry bits, don't work it too much.
- Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to drop the dumplings into the pot. You can move them around and mess with them while in the pot, this results in a thicker stew and smaller sized dumplings, because they do fluff up to become pretty big if you don't.
- Cook the dumplings in the soup pot covered for 5 minutes then flip the dumplings over using a large spoon and cook for 10 minutes, covered again.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper before serving. Serve hot with crusty bread!
Notes
Substitutions and Tips
- Short on time? Use canned biscuits for the dumplings and shredded rotisserie chicken. Easy peasy!
- Make sure your baking powder is less than 6 months old. Baking powder has a short lifespan and loses its lifting powers as it ages. After 6 months, it gets a little iffy so use fresh baking powder.
- If you don't have buttermilk, a great sub is whole milk/heavy cream/half and half with about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to help sour the milk up and give it more acidity.
- Don't have fresh herbs? Use poultry seasoning instead!
- Chicken breasts can be used but don't overcook them or they'll become dry and mealy.
- I've added frozen peas to the stew plenty of times, do it at the end of cooking time when you add the cooked chicken back into the pot. Let it cook for a few minutes and serve.
Storing and Freezing
Chicken and dumplings is simple to store, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You can easily rewarm it in a microwave-safe dish until hot or over medium-low in a small saucepan until warmed through.
To freeze, portion out your soup into single servings and put each serving into a freezer safe container or zip-top bag. Freeze (freeze the bags flat for easy thawing) for up to six months; to thaw, leave in fridge overnight before reheating using the same methods as above.
FAQs
Dumplings not Fluffy?
Two reasons: either your baking powder is dead (no longer lifting) or you overcooked the dumplings and you did so without the lid on the pot.
How to thicken chicken and dumplings
If your chicken and dumplings soup isn't as thick as you want, make a cornstarch slurry of 1:1 ratio cornstarch and cold water (I use about 1 tablespoon of each) in a small bowl and whisk it into the simmering stew. It'll thicken up as the stew simmers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 777Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 344mgSodium: 1212mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 64g
All nutrition facts are estimations. Please see a physician for any health-related inquiries.
Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.
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