This traditional chicken and dumplings recipe delivers a comforting, velvety broth filled with tender chicken and aromatic vegetables. Topped with pillowy, homemade steamed dumplings, this hearty meal is the perfect way to bring warmth and classic flavors to your dinner table. It is designed for those who appreciate the satisfaction of cooking a rustic, nourishing meal entirely from scratch.
List of ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs. bone-in skinless chicken breast or thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ cup cold sour cream
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
step-by-step instructions
- Sear the chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 3 minutes per side. Remove, let rest for 10 minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the Soup: Melt butter in the pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth and half and half, stirring constantly. Add peas and bouillon. Bring to a simmer.
- Make the Dumplings: Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar. Stir in milk, sour cream, and melted butter to form a dough.
- Combine: Add diced chicken to the simmering soup. Use a small cookie scoop to drop dumpling dough into the soup. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Check for doneness with a toothpick and serve.
Essential Cooking Methods
Why Searing Chicken Improves Depth
Searing the chicken before adding it to the liquid creates what chefs call fond, which is the flavorful brown crust left on the bottom of the pot. By deglazing the pot with butter and aromatics, you incorporate those concentrated chicken drippings directly into your soup base. This method transforms a simple broth into a rich, restaurant-quality liquid that carries savory undertones throughout every bite.
The Science of Steaming Dumplings
The success of fluffy dumplings relies entirely on trapped steam. When you cover the pot tightly, the heat creates an environment that allows the baking powder and baking soda to expand the dough uniformly. If you remove the lid prematurely, the sudden drop in temperature causes the dumplings to collapse, resulting in a dense, chewy texture rather than a light, cloud-like finish.
Achieving the Perfect Soup Consistency
Using a roux—which is the process of cooking flour and fat together—is the most reliable way to thicken your soup base. By cooking the flour for at least two minutes, you ensure the soup achieves a smooth, velvety mouthfeel without any grainy texture. Adding the broth in small splashes while whisking prevents large clumps from forming, ensuring the final consistency is uniform and professional.
Practical Ingredient Adjustments
Selecting the Right Flour for Dumplings
While all-purpose flour works perfectly well, using cake flour results in a softer, more delicate dumpling because it has a lower protein content. Lower protein leads to less gluten development during mixing, which is ideal when you want an airy final product. If you only have all-purpose flour, avoid overmixing the dough, as this is the primary cause of tough, rubbery dumplings.
Managing Salt Content in Broth
Since chicken broth and bouillon can vary significantly in their sodium levels, always taste your soup before adding extra salt. If you prefer a lower-sodium meal, opt for unsalted butter and low-sodium broth options. This allows you to control the salinity of the dish more precisely, as you can always add more salt at the table, but you cannot remove it once it has been incorporated into the broth.
Choosing Between Chicken Cuts
Bone-in chicken thighs provide the most moisture because they have a higher fat content compared to breast meat. However, if you are strictly using breasts, ensure you do not boil them too vigorously, as this can lead to stringy or dry meat. Regardless of the cut, dicing the chicken into consistent sizes helps it cook evenly once returned to the simmering liquid.
Refining Your Technique
Handling the Dough Carefully
The secret to light dumplings is minimal handling of the dough. Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry mix, use a gentle folding motion with a spatula or spoon. You should stop mixing the moment you no longer see pockets of dry flour, as over-mixing develops gluten strands that will make the finished dumplings feel tough and dense rather than light and pillowy.
Maintaining the Ideal Simmer
When the dumplings are added to the pot, the liquid should be at a very gentle simmer. If the heat is too high, the bottom of the soup may scorch before the steam has a chance to cook the dumplings through. If you are unsure about the heat level, use a flame tamer or place the pot on your smallest burner to ensure consistent, low heat throughout the 15-minute steaming period.
Addressing Common Concerns
How to Store and Preserve Leftovers
If you have leftover soup, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Note that the soup will naturally thicken as it sits, so you may need to add a splash of extra chicken broth when reheating. The dumplings themselves are best consumed fresh, but they can be refrigerated and reheated gently in a skillet or on a baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes.
Can I Use Pre-Cooked Chicken?
If you are short on time, you can certainly use rotisserie chicken or leftovers from a previous meal. Simply skip the searing step and stir the pre-cooked, shredded, or diced chicken into the soup just before you begin dropping in the dumpling dough. This saves significant time without sacrificing the essential creamy flavors of the soup base.
How Can I Tell When the Dumplings are Done?
The most accurate way to verify doneness is by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of the thickest dumpling. If it pulls out clean, it is cooked through, as the steam has successfully traveled through the entire mass. If you see sticky or wet batter on the toothpick, keep the lid on and allow the soup to steam for an additional 2 to 3 minutes before checking again.
Why Did My Dumplings Disintegrate?
Disintegration usually happens if the broth was boiling too hard when the dumplings were added or if they were cooked for too long. Ensure that your soup is at a gentle, rolling simmer rather than a rapid boil, and always set a timer for the 15-minute steaming window. Following these steps helps the dumplings maintain their structure and prevents them from melting into the broth.
Can I Add More Vegetables?
You can certainly incorporate additional vegetables like peas, corn, or even diced parsnips for extra heartiness. If adding sturdier vegetables like potatoes, ensure they are cut into small, uniform cubes so they cook at the same rate as the carrots and celery. Add any extra fresh herbs like thyme or parsley during the final few minutes of cooking to brighten the overall flavor profile of the dish.
Is a Dutch Oven Necessary?
A 4.5-quart Dutch oven is ideal because its heavy cast-iron or enameled surface distributes heat evenly and retains temperature well, which is essential for consistent steaming. However, any heavy-bottomed soup pot will work if it has a tight-fitting lid. The lid is the most important tool, as it ensures the steam stays trapped, which is the only way to cook the dumplings properly.
Print
Classic Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
- Total Time: PT60M
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: High Protein
Description
This Chicken and Dumplings recipe is easy to make with homemade dumplings right on the stove top. Your family will love this simple comfort food dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs. bone-in skinless chicken breast or thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ cup cold sour cream
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Sear the chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 3 minutes per side. Remove, let rest for 10 minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the Soup: Melt butter in the pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth and half and half, stirring constantly. Add peas and bouillon. Bring to a simmer.
- Make the Dumplings: Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar. Stir in milk, sour cream, and melted butter to form a dough.
- Combine: Add diced chicken to the simmering soup. Use a small cookie scoop to drop dumpling dough into the soup. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Check for doneness with a toothpick and serve.
Notes
Bone-in chicken provides the most flavor, but boneless can be used. Ensure the soup remains at a gentle simmer to steam the dumplings properly. Do not lift the lid during the 15-minute steaming process.
- Prep Time: PT20M
- Cook Time: PT40M
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 657 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1410 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 136 mg