Chicken and Dumplings | The Modern Proper (2024)

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tools You’ll Need

• Large stockpot

• Wooden spoon

• Kitchen knife

• Measuring cups and spoons

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:

• One-Pot Chicken with Creamed Kale for another great comforting meal.

• Our One-Pot Braised Chicken with Kale and White Beans offers a pop of green.

• The Chicken Enchilada Skillet is one that our family always asks us to make.

• This One Pot Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Pasta is a great way to give your next pasta night a little something extra.

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!