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    February 20, 2024

    Chicken and Dumplings

    We take hearty chicken soup and top it with biscuit-like buttermilk dumplings. Get a spoon, you’re going to want a big scoop of this!

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    a bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings made with chicken, veggies, dill, spices, buttermilk and whole milk
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Chicken and Dumplings Are Our Favorite Love Language

    When the craving calls for old-fashioned chicken and dumplings we offer this recipe for a thick and delicious chicken soup topped with made-from-scratch dumplings. There’s a long history–reaching back hundreds of years to European cooking–of hearty stewed meat dishes with the extra treat of tender dumplings contained within. This style of dish eventually made its way into the American culinary tradition, evidence of its delicious staying power. Homemade chicken and dumplings are a great one-pot meal, made with budget-friendly pantry staples, and our recipe serves six people with a real belly-warming meal.

    ingredients in bowls to make chicken and dumplings including chicken, chopped veggies, stock, flour, butter and spices
    chopped onion, carrots, and celery being cooked in olive oil in a stock pot
    butter being added into a stock pot with chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic that have been cooked in olive oil
    flour being added into a stock pot with chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil and butter

    How To Make Chicken and Dumplings

    This easy chicken and dumplings comes together in two parts–the chicken soup base and the dumplings. Let’s get going!

    1. Mirepoix is our favorite part of soup making. It’s a simple aromatic base that adds a lot of flavor. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in oil until softened, then add the garlic.

    2. Once the mirepoix is ready, we’ll make the soup. What thickens chicken and dumplings? We use ¼ cup all-purpose flour and chicken stock to build a satisfyingly spoon-worthy soup.

    3. Add milk, shredded chicken and seasonings and let simmer.

    4. Now for the fun part–dumpling time! Make the dumpling dough, and drop by spoonful to cover the surface of the chicken soup. The dumplings will quadruple in size as they cook, about fifteen minutes.

    5. When you’re ready to serve this pot of goodness, scoop into bowls and top with chopped green onions and a good sprinkle of salt. Fresh cracked pepper is a cornerstone of this dish, so be sure to give it a few turns of the pepper mill.

    stock being added to a pot with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, butter and flour to make chicken and dumplings
    a stock pot full of onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, butter flour, stock, milk, salt, pepper, dill and chicken
    a pot of chicken soup made with spices, veggies, stock, chicken and dill ready for dumplings to be added
    dumpling dough being stirred in a bowl made with flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, buttermilk and whole milk

    An Extra Note On How to Make Dumplings For Chicken and Dumplings

    The secret to good dumplings is that they are simply drop biscuits! That’s right, no rolling or cutting needed for these scoopable dumplings. Made with a handful of ingredients, you’ll whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk and whole milk. Using a wooden spoon carefully mix dumpling dough, stirring just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Be careful not to overmix, because the dumplings will be tough once cooked. And that’s it! You’re ready to make our kid-favorite (and entire family!) best chicken and dumplings recipe.

    homemade chicken and dumplings cooking in a stock pot
    homemade chicken and dumplings in a stock pot made with chicken, veggies, broth, spices, dill, buttermilk and whole milk

    What Is Chicken and Dumplings Served With?

    You can serve this easy chicken and dumplings recipe with a fresh side salad like this Fennel Salad or our favorites, The Kale Salad and Simple Butter Lettuce Salad. If you’re looking to get more vegetables on the table, you can also prepare Perfectly Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Beets, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Green Beans Almondine for a little extra crunch. If you want to go all in on the comfort level, we recommend baking up our Homemade Cornbread. For another cozy soup recipe, check out our Caldo Verde recipe.

    a bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings made with chicken, veggies, dill, spices, buttermilk and whole milk

    Tools You’ll Need

    One-Pot, Don’t Stop

    If you loved this chicken and dumplings recipe we’ve got plenty of tasty one-pot meals that center chicken for you to try next. Like:

    homemade chicken and dumplings in a stock pot made with chicken, veggies, broth, spices, dill, buttermilk and whole milk
    a bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings made with chicken, veggies, dill, spices, buttermilk and whole milk

    Don’t Worry Dumpling

    Did you make this recipe for chicken and dumplings? We’d love to see those full bowls of creamy chicken and dumplings and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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    Chicken and Dumplings

    Updated on February 20, 2024

    • Serves: 6
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  35 min
    • Calories: 396
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    Ingredients

    For the chicken

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
    • 1 medium carrot, diced (about ¾ cup)
    • 2 celery ribs, diced (about ¾ cup)
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 4 cups chicken stock or broth
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
    • 3 cups shredded chicken, from a rotisserie chicken
    • ¼ cup finely chopped green onions, for serving

    For the dumplings

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • ½ cup whole milk

    Method

    1. Make the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the veggies are beginning to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

    2. Add the butter and whisk until melted. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the chicken stock, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low to and simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, and the soup has thickened about 5-6 minutes.

    3. Stir in the milk, salt, pepper, dill, and chicken and let simmer.

    4. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk and whole milk. Using a wooden spoon carefully mix dumpling dough, stirring just until moistened (do not overmix).

    5. Drop tablespoon-size dough balls into the soup. Cover and cook until dumplings have quadrupled in size and have a biscuit-like texture, about another 15 minutes.

    6. Stir, to incorporate the dumplings. Divide between bowls and top with green onions, sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories396
    • Protein13 g
    • Carbohydrates45 g
    • Total Fat18 g
    • Dietary Fiber2 g
    • Cholesterol40 mg
    • sodium650 mg
    • Total Sugars6 g

    Chicken and Dumplings

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Fiona

      Made this last night--SUPER tasty! How should I store the leftovers? Biscuits in soup or biscuits out of soup?

      Biscuits in soup is just fine. Glad you loved it Fiona!

    • Nicole

      Can we make this recipe in a crockpot? If so, how would the recipe change? Thank you!

      Sorry Nicole, we have not tested this recipe in a crock pot.

    • Kayla

      can you recommend any substitutes for the buttermilk for the dumplings?

      Using all whole milk should work fine.

    • Sarah

      Would I be able to use a gf flour blend (all purpose - usually with xanthan gum) in the dumplings? Thanks!

      I believe so! I haven't tried it yet, but I always use a 1:1 GF blend and it normally is perfectly fine to swap!

    • Valerie

      Can you use almond milk is this recipe and gluten free flour for the dumplings?

      We haven't tested it this way to say for sure how it would turn out. We'd love to hear if you give it a try!

    • Courtney

      Been waiting for it to get cooler here in Australia so I could cook this and it was sooo yummy my boyfriend and I loved it! 🥰

      Thanks Courtney, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Hannah

      So happy I found this recipe! It’s been my go-to for chicken soups since fall 2022; I’ll use this recipe and replace the dumplings with egg noodles or gnocchi, depending on my mood. It never disappoints!

      WOW this is amazing to hear. Thanks Hannah, we are so glad you love it!

    • SONJA

      Absolutely delicious! One of my favorite recipes in the last few years, will become a staple! I roasted the chicken in a little white wine first and added the 'drippings' to the broth while omitting the milk. I also added a little fresh marjoram.

      Thanks Sonja, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Jacob

      Oh my damn... so GOOD. Obsessed.

      Thanks Jacob, glad you loved it!

    • Kay

      Easy and quick, good flavor. Cooked a whole chicken the previous day, so half of that plus the drippings went in, with extra flavor from the giblets. No buttermilk so used heavy cream. I always add a bit of fresh parsley to my dumpling mix and some paprika to the sauce.

      Thanks Kay, we are so happy you love it!