This scratch-made, yet, easy chicken and dumplings recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Tender, flavorful, and pillowy soft dumplings meet a hearty and delicious chicken filled stew with veggies and aromatics!

chicken and dumplings in large white pot

What is it about a warm and delicious bowl of chicken and dumplings that just gets you all in your feels? It is one of the most comforting and hearty stews I’ve ever had, y’all. Rainy day.?..chicken and dumplings. Not feeling well?…chicken and dumplings. Long, exhausting day?…chicken and dumplings. You get it, the list goes on and on. This cozy Southern meal is so easy to make anytime and for any reason!

Also, the best part is that you don’t need a million ingredients to whip up a nice pot of this dish either. Some say that chicken and dumplings originated in the South during tough economic times and others argue against that notion. Thus, saying that this famous stew was not of the depression-era or that it is to be considered a cheap meal. Regardless, we all know it to be a classic and homey favorite.

chicken and dumplings in small white pot with handles

Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card, directly below.)

  • Chicken: From a store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded. You can save the chicken carcass to make homemade chicken stock for a later use!
  • Mirepoix: A classic aromatic mixture of onions, carrots, and celery.
  • Butter: You already know…butter be ready! Ha!
  • Chicken Broth: Adds flavor and creates the soup-y base. You can also use chicken stock too!
  • Heavy Cream: Makes this chicken and dumplings nice and creamy…you can use half and half as a substitute if you prefer but I like heavy cream because is gives a more creamier consistency.
  • Garlic: 3 garlic cloves…finely minced up.
  • Flour: A touch of flour to help thicken things up in the stew and to make the dumplings.
  • Cornmeal: A little bit of cornmeal goes in the dumplings and it adds such an amazing taste and overall texture. I just love me some of this pantry staple!
  • Buttermilk: Used in the dumpling mixture to help them have a soft and flavorful bite.
  • Salt/Pepper: Simple spices to give this stew some flava!
chicken and dumplings in large white pot on marble surface

How To Make Chicken And Dumplings (Video)

  1. To begin, melt butter over medium-low heat. Then sauté onions, carrots, and celery until tender. Add in garlic and continue cooking. Season mixture with salt/pepper.
  2. Then add flour and stir together. Next, pour in cream and broth and stir to combine, allow the mixture to come up to a slight boil.
  3. Add in fresh thyme sprigs and shredded chicken. Continue cooking soup to thicken.
  4. Prepare dumplings and add them directly on top of soup. Coat tops of dumplings with broth mixture, lower heat, and cover pot with lid.

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How To Make Homemade Dumplings

Y’all, these big and fluffy dumplings are ridiculously easy to make! I’m even willing to bet that you will have most of these ingredients in your pantry and fridge already:

  1. Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt/pepper.
  2. Then add in melted butter and buttermilk. Mix until dough begins to come together. I love using an ice cream/cookie scoop (as pictured in video) to form the dumplings. This also helps to ensure that they are uniform in size.
  3. Lastly, just plop the dumplings on top of the stew, cover pot with lid, and wait for them to cook up. In minutes you’ll have nice, tender, and delectable fluffy bites of heaven!

The cornmeal adds such great flavor and the buttermilk gives these dumplings a rich taste. Homemade dumplings from scratch simply can’t be beat! They remind me of when my grandma would make ’em  ☺️

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A ⭐️STAR RATING⭐️AND TAG ME ON THE ‘GRAM IF YOU MAKE ANY OF MY RECIPES! I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE IT WHEN YOU DO!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…LOVE AND BUTTER,

Q.

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chicken and dumplings in small white pot with handles

Easy Chicken And Dumplings Recipe (+Video!)

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 15m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 45m
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Soup, Entree
  • Method: Stew
  • Cuisine: Southern
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Description

This easy chicken and dumplings recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Tender, flavorful, and pillowy soft dumplings meet a hearty and delicious chicken filled stew with veggies and aromatics!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large carrots, chopped
  • 4 celery hearts, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • salt/pepper
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 32 ounces chicken broth or stock
  • 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded

Dumplings

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fine cornmeal 
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • salt/pepper
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup whole buttermilk

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy bottomed pot/dutch oven; melt butter over medium heat. Add in onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5-6 minutes. Then add in garlic and let cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Season mixture with salt/pepper.
  2. Add in flour and stir until flour dissolves and achieves a golden brown color, about 6-7 minutes. Pour in cream and broth and stir to combine. Allow mixture to come up to a boil and add in thyme sprigs and shredded chicken. Leave soup to continue cooking and prepare dumplings.
  3. To make dumplings; in a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and a pinch of salt/pepper and whisk together. Add in melted butter and buttermilk and stir together with a spatula until dough begins to form. If you find that your dough is dry, add a bit more buttermilk only if needed until you see dough coming together.
  4. Using a spoon or preferably a scooper; drop dough directly on top of hot soup, all over until top of soup is covered. Take a spoon and gently pour some of the broth over tops of each dumpling. 
  5. Cover your pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low so bottom of soup does not burn and let dumplings cook up for about 15-20 minutes. You can test dumplings for doneness by cutting through one and checking. If not yet done, continue cooking for a few more minutes, checking periodically.
  6. Serve hot soup by ladling carefully into bowls and enjoy!

Keywords: soup, stew, southern, dumplings