Chicken and Dumplings

Learn to make this easy Chicken and Dumplings recipe – a one-pot comfort food meal that’s ready in under 1 hour. The perfect classic, cozy chicken and dumpling soup!

 

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

When the weather’s cold outside and it’s dinner time, we love to reach for recipes like this one! This Chicken and Dumplings recipe is the ideal cold-weather comfort-food meal that’s perfect for serving for dinner any night of the week. It’s a great meal prep recipe, too! If you’re looking to tuck into a cozy bowl of chicken and dumplings, THIS is the recipe for you!

Chicken and Dumplings is a classic comfort food dish – a hearty stew featuring tender, shredded chicken and vegetables simmered in a rich, savoury broth that’s thick and creamy. The star of the dish, however, is the dumplings—fluffy, savoury, and made from simple ingredients. They’re easy to whip up in a couple of minutes. These dumplings cook right in the simmering broth, absorbing all the delicious flavours and creating a wonderfully satisfying, one-pot meal.

This dish has roots in traditional North American cooking and it’s especially popular during the chilly northern winters. It’s perfect for those evenings when you need a comforting, filling meal that doesn’t require a lot of fuss or effort. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect home-cooked meal everyone will love.

Here’s what makes our recipe a definite winner!

• It’s made with SIMPLE INGREDIENTS: It’s made with everyday items you probably already have in your pantry or fridge, making it both accessible and budget-friendly.
• It’s the ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD: The combination of tender chicken, hearty vegetables, and fluffy dumplings creates a satisfying meal that warms you from the inside out.
• It’s BEGINNER-FRIENDLY: Clear, step-by-step instructions ensure even beginners in the kitchen can achieve delicious results without feeling overwhelmed or confused.
• It’s CUSTOMIZABLE: Easily tweak the seasonings to suit your tastes, or add your favourite vegetables to make it truly your own.
• It’s MADE IN ONE POT: Minimal cleanup is required since everything cooks in one pot.
• It’s PERFECT FOR LEFTOVERS: The flavours develop even more when reheated, and the dumplings keep their shape and texture when reheated, too, making it a great option for meal prep or lunches to store in the refrigerator and reheat throughout the week.

Here at The Busy Baker we have shared so many of our favourite mealtime tips, tricks and secrets with you over the years. If you haven’t already signed up, we offer a FREE email course where we share our BEST weeknight meal tips, tricks and recipes to help you feed your hungry family without losing your sanity. Sign up for our FREE course below:

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Chicken and Dumplings is a meal in itself, but pairing it with a few complementary sides can make the meal something special. Here’s what we recommend serving with this recipe:

• A warm, crusty loaf of bread is a delicious addition to this meal. We recommend this Easy No Knead Bread recipe.
• A crisp and fresh salad with a light vinaigrette makes a delicious appetizer.
• The tang and crunch of a simple coleslaw is a perfect with this cozy and comforting stew.

Here’s how to make this Chicken and Dumplings recipe the best it can be!

White meat (chicken breast) cooks faster but dries up easily. Dark meat (thighs and drumsticks) is more flavourful and has more fat, which helps it not overcook so fast. Choose the meat you’re most comfortable with or the one you like more (or the one that’s already in your freezer!).

Start by searing the chicken. This will give extra flavour to the chicken pieces and will also start building a great layer of fond (the brown bits at the bottom of the pot) for you to deglaze later.

Sauté your onions, carrots, and celery before adding the broth to enhance the overall flavour of the dish. Choosing a high-quality chicken broth adds a ton of flavour.

Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot very well when adding the wine so that all of that delicious fond ends up flavouring your soup.

Mixing continuously and adding the stock a little at a time prevents the flour from lumping up and gives you a smooth soup.

When mixing the dumpling dough, stir just until combined. Overworking the dough can result in dense, heavy dumplings.

Using a cookie scoop or even a measuring spoon can help you be consistent with the size of your dumplings. This helps them all cook at the same time and all the way through.

Keeping the stew at a gentle simmer while adding and cooking the dumplings helps them stay together and not fall apart.

Timing is everything – add your dumplings during the last 10–12 minutes of cooking. This ensures they steam gently in the simmering broth without becoming tough or overcooked.

Cover the pot and resist the urge to keep lifting the lid up as the dumplings cook. The steam helps them become fluffy and soft, so keep the lid on and set a timer.

Check the dumplings for doneness like you would a cake. A toothpick inserted into a dumpling should come out clean. If not, give them a few more minutes.

Even the best recipes can run into a few hiccups. Here are some common issues and how to solve them:

Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined. Overworking the dough can develop gluten, making the dumplings tough.

If the soup doesn’t have the thickness you’re looking for, simmer the stew a bit longer to allow it to reduce naturally, or stir in a small slurry of flour and water towards the end of cooking.

Add a splash of chicken stock to loosen it up, until you reach the desired consistency.

Use bone-in pieces for more moisture and flavour, and remove the chicken as soon as it’s cooked through before shredding.

Ensure your dumpling dough is light and fluffy, and add them only when the chicken soup is at a gentle simmer. Also, avoid stirring vigorously once the dumplings are added.

Portion the dumplings into uniform sizes and space them evenly on the surface of the chicken stew to allow for consistent heat distribution.

Add an extra pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon for a more flavourful soup. Also, make sure you season in layers. Season the chicken and make sure you try your soup before adding the dumplings in. Adjust the seasoning at this point as different stocks have different salt content.

Here’s a list of everything you’ll need to have on hand in your kitchen to make this Chicken and Dumplings Soup recipe (paid links):

• large pot with lid or a dutch oven pot
• Cutting Board
• large knife
• measuring cups and spoons
• liquid measuring cups
• Garlic Press
• Whisk
• cookie scoop
• Soup Ladle

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious Chicken and Dumplings soup recipe (paid links):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4-4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups corn
• 1 cup green beans or peas

For the Dumplings:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

If you want to take this basic recipe to the next level, here are a few interesting variations on the basic recipe for you to try:

1. Creamy – Enhance the richness of the dumplings by adding some shredded cheese into the dumpling dough before dropping them into the soup.
2. Spicy – Add a spicy kick by incorporating diced jalapeños or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper into the broth. For an extra layer of heat, you could also mix in a dash of hot sauce—just enough to warm your taste buds without overpowering the comforting flavours.
3. Gluten-Free – Substitute regular flour with a gluten-free blend for the dumplings. This version is perfect for those with dietary restrictions.
4. Coconut Curry – Add a splash of coconut milk instead of the dairy in the soup, and add a pinch or two of curry powder.

We hope you love this easy chicken and dumpling soup recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite homemade comfort food? We’d love to know!

• Lemon Chicken
• Grilled Chicken
• Marry Me Chicken
• Cashew Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
• Pesto Chicken Bake
• Chicken Salad
• Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Baked Chicken Tenders
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this recipe. You can find many more deliciously simple recipe videos on our YouTube channel!