Homemade Chicken and Dumplings (2024)

This recipe for homemade southern Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect cold-weather comfort food. Made completely from scratch and with flat, rolled dumplings this recipe tastes like home.

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I have to be honest here and admit that this recipe makes me so nervous to share.

Every time I share a recipe that is southern in nature, without fail, I get comments telling me how inaccurate the recipe is. Chicken and dumplings is one of those recipes that varies so much from family to family and people are passionate about them.

This recipe is how my family eats chicken and dumplings but it may not be the same for other southern families.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this chicken and dumplings are pretty traditional and generally easy to find.

• Whole Chicken
• Water
• Poultry Seasoning
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Celery Saltor table salt
• Celery Ribs
• Carrots
• Yellow Onion
• Chicken Better than Bouillonor chicken bouillon granules

These are the ingredients for the Dumplings:

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Poultry Seasoning
• Salt
• Butter
• Eggs

See the recipe card for specific quantities.

Instructions

Making chicken and dumplings from scratch can seem a little daunting, but it is easier than you might think!

First, to a large (at least 8 quart) pot with a lid, add the chicken, water, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, celery salt, chopped celery, half of the chopped carrots, yellow onion, and chicken bouillon.

Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour or until the chicken is beginning to fall off of the bone.

Now, turn off the heat and very carefully remove the chicken from the pot, placing it into a dish large enough to easily accommodate it. (I use a large mixing bowl). Then ladle out 2 cups of the liquid from the pot and immediately refrigerate it.

Now it's time to begin preparing the dumplings. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook attachment) combine the flour, baking powder, poultry seasoning, and salt.

Next, add the butter and combine using your hands or a pastry knife until the mixture is crumbly.

Add the beaten eggs and slowly add in the cooled stock from step 3 stirring after each addition. At this point, I find it most helpful to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or my hands.

Note: It's ok if the stock isn't fully cooled down. Adding it in slowly and then stirring after each addition will prevent it from making the dumpling dough too hot.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for a few minutes, adding additional flour, until it is smooth and no longer sticky.

Still working on a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Then, using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut the dough into verticle strips about 1 inch wide, then repeat cutting horizontally. (You may need to work in batches)

Note: if you are using a pizza cutter, this is a great job for small kids! The shape and size of the dumplings does not have to be perfectly uniform.

Return the chicken stock to a boil, add the remaining carrots. Then carefully drop the dumplings into the pot one at a time, working as fast as you can. stirring every few minutes.

Cook the dumplings for about 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and cover.

Carefully remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones, cartilage, and skin. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Add the chicken to the pot with the stock and dumplings, stirring gently to combine.

Hint: The chicken and dumplings will thicken up quite a bit from the dumplings, but if you prefer a thicker soup, make a flour slurry and add it before adding the dumplings.

Variations:

As I stated at the beginning of this recipe, no two families make chicken and dumplings the same. Here are some variations that you can try:

• Low Carb - I know I share a lot of low carb recipes, if you are here by accident (and you've somehow made it this far) Check out this recipe for keto friendly dumplings.
• Dropped Dumplings - If you are team dropped dumpling, then check out this recipe for easy dropped dumplings that can be swapped for the dumplings I used.

If you try any other variations or make substitutions, I would love to hear about it in the comments. Not only do I enjoy it, but it also helps other readers make this recipe work for them.

Equipment

Having the right equipment can make this recipe SO much easier. The only thing that you need to have is a large pot with a lid, measuring cups and spoons, a knife, a rolling pin, mixing bowls, and spoons. But there are a couple of items that are definitely nice to have on hand.

• An electric mixer with a dough hook attachment makes quick work of blending and kneading the dough for the dumplings. The god standard is of course the Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, (Affiliate link) but a more affordable hand mixer (affiliate link) also works well.
• A rolling pin with guides for even rolling. This is the one I have (affiliate link)

FAQ's

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge, covered for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the microwave, or on the stovetop. If the broth has gotten too thick, you can add a little additional chicken broth if desired.

You can also freeze leftovers, although the dumplings will change texture slightly when reheated from frozen.

Top tip

For tender, pillowy dumplings, be mindful not to over mix the dough and make sure that the chicken stock is at a full boil before dropping the cut dumplings into the pot.

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