Are you looking for the ultimate comfort food? Look no further than our easy chicken and dumplings recipe ready in just 30 minutes. A creamy and comforting chicken and dumpling soup made with rotisserie chicken and fluffy drop dumplings!
Why You’ll Love These Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
What makes this homemade chicken and dumplings so good? Here are just a few of the reasons:
- Flavor: This chicken and dumpling soup features a creamy chicken soup packed with carrots, onion, peas and fresh herbs. Finished with a quick batch of drop dumplings that cook up to become perfectly soft and fluffy, each bite is tastier than the last!
- Simple Ingredients: We love being able to make a tasty dinner from ingredients already found in our pantry. Plus, this recipe is very beginner-friendly, and you won’t need any special equipment!
- Fast: Using a rotisserie chicken, this recipe is ready start to finish in just 30 minutes. That includes making the easy, homemade, fluffy drop dumplings!
- Classic Comfort Food: Chicken and dumplings are tasty comfort food that can warm your soul on a cold day. It’s a stick to your ribs kind of dinner that will leave everyone satisfied!
If you love this classic comforting dinner as much as we do, try our easy crockpot chicken and dumplings made with canned biscuits.
Here’s What You’ll Need
You only need a few ingredients for this easy recipe for chicken and dumplings! Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Butter
- Veggies: We used a sweet yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic and peas.
- Chicken Stock: Stock or broth will both work well here; we use bone broth for even more flavor.
- Milk: We used full-fat milk, but half-and-half or evaporated milk will also work out great.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh parsley and thyme add a ton of freshness, but feel free to use dried herbs instead.
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken makes this recipe super easy. Both white and dark meat taste amazing.
- Salt and Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper will give you the best flavor.
- Dumplings: We highly recommend these super easy homemade drop dumplings, but we included directions to use canned biscuits below.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
Our homemade chicken and dumplings are so quick and easy to prepare. Here’s a quick look at how to make it. Check the recipe card at the bottom for detailed directions.
- Veggies: Melt the butter and sauté the veggies (except the peas) together in a large dutch oven.
- Make the Broth: Sprinkle the flour over the softened veggies and stir to combine. Then, add the chicken stock, milk, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
- Add Chicken: Bring your broth to a light boil and add the chicken and peas. You can let the soup simmer while you make the homemade dumplings.
- Cook the Dumplings: Carefully add your dumpling dough (using either the homemade drop dumplings or biscuit dough) into the soup. Cover the pot and let everything cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Enjoy: Once the dumplings are cooked through, serve the soup hot and dig in!
Helpful Tips and Variations
Wondering how to make sure these easy chicken and dumplings turn out perfectly? Check out these tips from our kitchen.
- Use Chicken Breasts: If you would prefer to cook your own chicken, use boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. You can boil and shred breasts or thighs in the broth on the stove top before beginning the recipe. For a hands off method, try our easy instant pot shredded chicken or crockpot shredded chicken.
- Canned Biscuits: We recommend using canned southern buttermilk biscuits, not the layered style canned biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4ths and add them directly to the pot. You will need to break them apart as they cook, as biscuit dumplings tend to stick together.
- Don’t Lift the Lid Often: It can be tempting to check on your dumplings, but if you keep lifting the lid, all the steam will escape and slow down the cooking process.
How To Store Leftover Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Chicken and dumplings is best served fresh, before the fluffy dumplings can soak up the broth. However, while leftovers are a little different texturally, they are still tasty the next day.
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, we recommend storing the dumplings separately from the soup.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave, stirring as needed, until warmed through. Since the dumplings will soak up some of the broth, we recommend adding some chicken broth before heating. This will give you that lovely “soupiness” you enjoyed the first night!
- Freezer: We don’t recommend you freeze leftovers. The texture won’t be the same once thawed.
More Comforting Easy Chicken Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Yield: 8 servings
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
These easy chicken and dumplings are the ultimate comfort food. Rich and creamy broth, tender chicken, and fluffy dumplings will warm your heart and fill your belly. Perfect for beginners and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 32 oz chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 to 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken, or a rotisserie chicken
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 batch homemade drop dumplings, or 2 (16.3 oz) cans buttermilk biscuits and a little flour
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot, over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, then stir in the chicken stock, milk, parsley, and thyme.
- Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Bring to a soft boil, add the chicken, and continue to simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
- Homemade Drop Dumplings: Prepare the dumplings according to recipe directions. Use a medium sized cookie scoop, or a tablespoon to scoop out the dough and form a ball, and add the dumplings carefully into the pot. Make sure to spread the dumplings out through the broth and lightly stir as you go so the dumplings are covered with the broth. Cover the pot and let the dumplings cook for 15 to 17 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
- Canned Biscuits: Cut the biscuits into quarters (each biscuit will be sliced into 4 equal pieces) and lightly toss them in flour and add them to the pot. Make sure to spread the dumplings out through the broth and lightly stir as you go so the dumplings are covered with the broth. Cover the pot and let the dumplings cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
- To check if the dumplings are cooked cut one in half and check for doneness.
- Serve hot with a extra thyme on top, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, we recommend storing the dumplings separately from the soup.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave, stirring as needed, until warmed through. Since the dumplings will soak up some of the broth, we recommend adding some chicken broth before heating. This will give you that lovely “soupiness” you enjoyed the first night!
Use Chicken Breasts: If you would prefer to cook your own chicken, use boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. You can boil and shred breasts or thighs in the broth on the stove top before beginning the recipe. For a hands off method, try our easy instant pot shredded chicken or crockpot shredded chicken.
Don’t Lift the Lid Often: It can be tempting to check on your dumplings, but if you keep lifting the lid, all the steam will escape and slow down the cooking process.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 592kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 1260mg, Potassium: 659mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 3094IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 5mg
This was delicious! I made exactly as written. Well, ai completely forgot about making dumplings after I had a work call at the end of the cooking time. It was still wonderful. I’ll definitely make this again!