A bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings is the most comforting way to warm up on a cold night. Not only is it an incredibly flavorful and filling meal, but it's also surprisingly easy to do at home! The juicy chicken and fluffy dumplings pair together perfectly, creating a creamy and savory dish that'll forever be a family favorite.
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Creamy chicken and dumplings are just one of those meals that everyone loves. The delicate biscuit dumplings, tender vegetables, and succulent chicken pieces make for a yummy and wholesome dish. I use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this easy chicken and dumplings recipe; as a result, the meat is always juicy and cooked to perfection!
But the star of the show is, of course, the dumplings! Homemade dumplings are so much more delicious than store-bought ones; you can definitely taste the difference. When preparing the chicken and dumpling soup, I always make up with biscuit batter while the soup simmers. Leaving the dough for a few minutes before cooking seems to make them even fluffier - so be sure to give this tip a try!
Why You'll Love Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
- One pot meal. This easy chicken and dumplings recipe is a one-pot meal, which means fewer dishes to wash up after! Seriously, who doesn't love that?!
- Minimal hands-on time. Don't let the total cook time fool you - creamy chicken and dumplings require very little hands-on time from you. The longest part is waiting for the soup to simmer and the dumplings to cook!
- Loaded with flavor. Another great thing about homemade chicken and dumplings is that it packs a lot of flavor with minimal effort. The broth is made from chicken stock and vegetables, with garlic, thyme, and sage for a touch of herby goodness!
Ingredients For Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
For the Chicken and Dumpling soup
- Chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Thyme
- Sage
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Flour
- White wine (if using)
- Chicken broth
- Milk
- Cream
- Frozen peas
- Parsley
For the Dumplings
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Butter
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
Instructions For Chicken and Dumpling Soup
For the Stew
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed large pot on high until smoking.
- Sear the chicken thighs until golden brown on both sides; remove from the pan and set aside. If there is a lot of excess grease at this point, remove it from the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter to the pot.
- Once the butter is melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until slightly softened.
- Add thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour and stir until all the vegetables are coated. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add white wine, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add chicken broth, milk, and cream. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pot, nestling it down in the vegetables.
- Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Remove chicken, shred, and add back to the pot.
- Stir in the frozen peas and return the stew to a simmer.
For the Dumplings
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Stir in milk and butter until a soft dough forms.
- After the stew has been brought back up to a simmer, once you have added the peas, drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough into the stew. They should be about the size of a golf ball; the dough should make about 9 dumplings.
- Space them evenly in the stew.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Once cooled, you can transfer this creamy chicken and dumplings recipe into an airtight container. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, homemade chicken and dumplings can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Dumplings are always best fresh, but if you have leftovers from this easy chicken and dumplings recipe, reheating is simple. Place the soup in a pot over medium heat on the stove until hot. You could also use the microwave, heating in 30-60 seconds intervals. After each interval, stir the soup to check it is heated through. Always reheat until piping hot!
Can you use chicken breast when making creamy chicken and dumplings?
While chicken thigh does wield the best results, you can use chicken breast in this creamy chicken and dumplings recipe too. But please note that even when cooked in a liquid, chicken breast can dry out quite easily. If you prefer chicken breast over chicken thighs, be sure to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Alternatively, you can also use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs - just be sure to remove the skin and bones before adding them to the broth. You can save these bones to make chicken stock for other recipes, such as my easy chicken gravy or creamy Tuscan chicken.
What can you serve with this easy chicken and dumplings recipe?
Creamy chicken and dumplings can be served as is, or with any number of sides. Some of my favorites have to be steakhouse mashed potatoes, simple white rice, or no-knead dinner rolls! Extra veggies would be great too, and there are so many quick and easy vegetable sides you can make depending on what you have to hand.
How do you thicken chicken and dumpling soup?
If you follow my easy chicken and dumpling recipe, you will get the most wonderful creamy broth; however, if you accidentally add too much liquid or find that you'd like it thicker, you can do a few things. First, don't forget that when you add your dumplings to the pot, they will absorb some of the liquid as they cook.
If you want to reduce the soup before adding the dumplings, simmering uncovered until reduced and thickened is a good idea. Alternatively, you can add some cornstarch to thicken the soup before adding your dumpling batter. Start with just one teaspoon in a separate bowl, whisk in some of the hot broth to form a paste, then slowly add it back into the pot and stir.
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Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless (about 4-6 thighs))
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 carrots (sliced)
- 1 celery stalk (¼ inch dice)
- ½ cup onion (¼ inch dice )
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup cream
- ½ cup frozen peas
- fresh parsley (chopped)
For the Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
For the Stew
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed large pot on high until smoking.
- Sear the chicken thighs until golden brown on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. If there is a lot of excess grease at this point, remove it from the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add butter to the pot.
- Once the butter is melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until slightly softened.
- Add thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour and stir until all the vegetables are coated. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add white wine, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add chicken broth, milk, and cream. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pot, nestling it down in the vegetables.
- Cover and simmer about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Remove chicken, shred, and add back to the pot.
- Stir in the frozen peas and return stew to a simmer.
For the Dumplings
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Stir in milk and butter until a soft dough forms.
- After the stew has been brought back up to a simmer once you have added the peas, drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough into the stew. They should be about the size of a golf-ball, the dough should make about 9 dumplings.
- Space them evenly in the stew.
- Cover the pot and simmer 15-18 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Sammi Windley
I've never made dumplings before, but this recipe makes me think that I should try them out sometime!
Valerie
I have prepared some fairly elaborate meals but have not made many back to the basics comfort foods. I made this on Saturday when visiting my parents. Everyone loved it so much I made it again on Sunday for my husband. It's a hit! Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Alli
I'm so glad you and your family loved it Valerie! Thank you so much for letting me know. It is a great comfort food!
Commodore Allen
Looks Yummy!
Alli
Thank you Commodore!!