Classic Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

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This easy chicken and dumplings recipe might quickly become your next dinner staple.

overhead view of two bowls of chicken and dumpling soup on a teal background
Photo: Abi Gunasekaran
Hands On Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Yield:
6 serves

This recipe is one of our all-time favorites, and for good reason: It's a modern take on the comforting classic, chicken and dumplings. Read on for the full instructions on how to make chicken and dumplings so good that your family may think a professional chef whipped the dish up.

Summary

Here's how it works: You'll season the chicken, brown it in batches, then transfer it to a plate. Browning the chicken first gives the dish its flavor and eliminates the need for chicken broth. Next, you'll add your veggies to the pot with the chicken drippings, which will give them all sorts of delicious flavors. And let's not forget the dumplings.

Making the dumplings is easy; you 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.

bClassic Chicken and Dumplings Recipe-01

Abi Gunasekaran

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)

  • kosher salt and black pepper

  • 4 stalks celery, chopped

  • 4 carrots, chopped

  • 2 onions, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted

  • ¾ cup buttermilk

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving

Directions

  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.

    bClassic Chicken and Dumplings Recipe-02

    Abi Gunasekaran

  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).

    Classic Chicken and Dumplings Recipe-03

    Abi Gunasekaran

  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.

    Abi Gunasekaran

    Abi Gunasekaran

  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.

    bClassic Chicken and Dumplings Recipe-05

    Abi Gunasekaran

Chef's Notes

If this classic chicken and dumplings dish has you excited to try even more, go for our grits dumplings recipe.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

517 Calories
23g Fat
52g Carbs
25g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Calories 517
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 23g 29%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 844mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 25g
Calcium 147mg 11%
Iron 4mg 22%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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