This is one of our all-time favorite recipes, and for good reason: It’s a modern take on the comforting classic, chicken and dumplings. Browning the chicken first gives the dish its flavor and eliminates the need for chicken broth. Here’s how it works: You’ll season the chicken and brown it in batches, then transfer it to a plate. Then, you’ll add your veggies to the pot with the chicken drippings, which will give them all sorts of delicious flavor. And let’s not forget the dumplings. “How to make dumplings” is half of the reason you ended up here in the first place, so we definitely don't want to skip over it. Making the dumplings is easy, you just whisk together some dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt), add butter and buttermilk, and dollop the dough on top of your chicken stew mixture. It takes just six pantry ingredients (plus a pinch of salt and pepper) to create fluffy, delicious dumplings that make the soup simply irresistible. Read on for the full instructions for how to make chicken and dumplings so good, your family may think a professional chef whipped the dish up.
How to Make It
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve the pot.
Step 2
Add the celery, carrots, onions, thyme, and garlic to the chicken drippings in the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and return it to the pot (discarding the skin and bones).
Step 3
Whisk together ½ cup of the flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 4
Make the dumplings: Whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonfuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve the chicken and dumplings sprinkled with parsley.
Chef's Notes
If this classic chicken and dumplings dish has you excited to try even more, go for our grits dumplings recipe.
