The best chicken and dumplings recipe made completely from scratch with a rich stew and fluffy dumplings. Make it a quick meal by using rotisserie chicken!
PREPARATION TIME
Ingredients
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, cut into ½-inch dice
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
5 cups (1200 ml) chicken broth
⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups cooked chicken, diced small
3 tablespoons minced parsley
For the Dumplings:
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (240 ml) milk
Instructions
Notes
Equipment: A medium (5.5-quart) or large (7.25-quart) Dutch oven are both perfect for making this recipe.
Onions: You can use yellow, white, or sweet, just not red.
Chicken Broth: Either homemade or store-bought will work just fine.
Heavy Cream: This imparts a wonderful richness to the soup; for a lighter meal, you can substitute half-and-half or whole milk.
Thyme: This recipe calls for dried thyme; if you’d like to substitute fresh thyme, use 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh.
Cooked Chicken – You can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. The chicken can be cooked fresh, or you can utilize a rotisserie chicken or a quick weeknight meal. If you are cooking it fresh for this meal, prepare any way you’d like – saute in a pan, poach, or roast in the oven, then chop. I typically use about 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe.
Milk – This is used in the dumpling batter; whole milk is preferred, but 2% will work, as well.
For uniform dumplings, I like to use a medium cookie scoop, which holds about 1½ tablespoons, for dropping the dough into the pot.
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings: See the instructions above for adapting this recipe to a slow cooker.
InstantPot Chicken and Dumplings: See the instructions above for adapting this recipe to a pressure cooker.
Storage: The chicken and dumplings can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, you may want to add a splash of chicken stock to loosen it up a bit.
Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat over low heat on the stove (or in the microwave), adding extra liquid as needed.
