Our chicken & dumplings recipe perfects the classic comfort food

Chicken and dumplings are a classic dinner that has given comfort to innumerable families. Every family has their own recipe, so I went straight to the source. For tips on perfecting classic chicken and dumplings, I called my mom, who ended up giving me my grandma's recipe. It’s as hand-me-down as it comes: One spoonful instantly made me think of my childhood. This easy comfort food recipe is perfect on a cold night, and simple enough to whip up when you don't feel like making anything. If you’re looking to perfect this Southern staple, keep reading below for all of my top tips on how to make it the best it can be:

What People Are Saying:

"This came out so good!! loved this recipe. I made it for my kids during a snow storm and it was incredible... It worked perfectly!" - Rochesterocks

How To Make Chicken & Dumplings

INGREDIENTS

Soup

• Onion, Carrots & Celery: For a classic chicken-soup flavor, I start the soup off with the traditional trio of mirepoix veggies, cooked until soft and sweet and just beginning to brown.
• Chicken: A mix of boneless, skinless breasts and thighs gives you the best of both worlds: The breasts provide plenty of juicy, tender white meat, while thighs offer rich, robust flavor and lend depth to the soup.
• Broth: I use low-sodium broth to ensure I'm the one holding the reins on the salt. Look for brands that keep their ingredient lists nice and brief. Kettle and Fire, Swanson, and College Inn are a few worth seeking out.
• Heavy Cream: To add some body, I decided to include some heavy cream—it makes a big difference in creating a thick, savory stew.
• Thyme: Brings a wonderful herbaceous quality to the broth. If you don't feel like shelling out for fresh thyme, then 1 teaspoon of dried thyme will make a fine substitute.

Dumplings

• Flour: Serves as the backbone of our dumplings. The standard all-purpose variety is all you need here.
• Baking Powder: Lightens the dumplings and puts some spring in their step.
• Egg: Serves as a binder for the dumplings and adds some richness of its own.
• Buttermilk: Provides the acid that activates the baking powder, resulting in light and pillowy soft dumplings.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First up: the soup. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot—a Dutch oven is ideal—over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery just until the onion is nice and translucent and the aromatics are beginning to turn golden around the edges; you're looking at about 10 minutes for this. Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Now stir in the garlic—save the garlic for last so you don't burn it—and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, maybe a minute.

Chicken and Dumplings

With our flavor base in place, let's turn this into a soup. Pour in the broth, the chicken, and the thyme—I love the textural variety and oomph of flavor that comes from mixing white and dark meat, but this soup will still be delicious if made with breasts or thighs only. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of one of the breasts should register 165°). Expect this to take about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred with two forks (or cut into cubes if you prefer). Keep the soup at a gentle simmer while you make the dumplings.

Chicken and Dumplings

Dumpling time! Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using your hands, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Crack the egg into the well and add the buttermilk and melted butter. Now whisk just until combined, and the batter comes together; don't overmix or you'll push the dumplings toward dense and tough rather than light and fluffy.

Chicken and Dumplings

Add the shredded chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir in the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer.

Chicken and Dumplings

Using a small cookie scoop (keep in mind the dumplings will puff up and expand as they cook) or 2 spoons, drop balls of dumpling batter into the pot.

Chicken and Dumplings

Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Divide the soup among bowls, season with salt and pepper, and top with parsley and divide among bowls.

Chicken and Dumplings

The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How to make the best soup for chicken and dumplings: While some chicken and dumplings recipes only use a simple chicken soup in their recipe, I decided to give mine the treatment it deserves. I use chicken breasts and chicken thighs in this recipe, which I think is worthwhile, but feel free to use one or the other if you prefer. I also add some body to the soup by incorporating some heavy cream, which takes the soup's comfort factor up several notches.
• How to make the best dumplings: It’s no secret: Dumplings are the star of this classic comfort food. To achieve the ideal soft, pillowy texture, I went with the standard mixture of flour, baking powder, salt, egg, buttermilk, and melted butter, but increased the baking powder significantly to give them more volume.

Storage

If you have any leftover soup, let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dumplings are best enjoyed fresh, but if you have any leftovers, store them separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Chicken & Dumplings

Made This?

Let us know how it went in the comments below!

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

For The Soup

• 2 tbsp.

  extra-virgin olive oil

• 1

  large yellow onion, finely chopped

• 2

  medium carrots, peeled, diced

• 1

  stalk celery, finely chopped

• 1 tsp.

  dried oregano

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 3

  cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 6 c.

  low-sodium chicken broth

• 4

  boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 2

  boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 3

  sprigs thyme

• 1 c.

  heavy cream

• Freshly chopped parsley, for serving

For The Dumplings

• 1 1/2 c.

  all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp.

  baking powder

• 1 1/2 tsp.

  kosher salt

• 1

  large egg

• 2/3 c.

  buttermilk

• 2 tbsp.

  unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Make soup: In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
2. Add broth, chicken, and thyme to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes. Remove chicken and shred with two forks.
3. While soup is simmering, make dumplings: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the flour and add egg, buttermilk, and melted butter and whisk with a fork until combined.
4. Add shredded chicken and heavy cream to pot, then return to a simmer. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling mix into pot, cover and cook on low until dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. Garnish with parsley before serving.