Chicken and Dumplings recipe made with juicy chicken, fresh vegetables and homemade biscuit dumplings. Seriously THE BEST homemade dumplings you’ve ever tasted. Simple tips to make the EASIEST chicken dumplings dinner ever.
Chicken & Dumplings are one of those recipes that are just pure comfort food. The weather turns cooler and I love making this recipe for dinner for my family. A warm bowl of creamy, flavorful chicken stew cooked with homemade dumplings just hits the spot!
How to make EASY Chicken and Dumplings:
- Use 3 cups diced rotisserie chicken instead of uncooked chicken breasts.
- Chop the celery, carrot and onion beforehand. I like to buy a 2-lb bag of carrots, celery and 2-3 large sweet yellow onions and take 30 minutes one afternoon to do a lot of chopping. I combine the carrots and celery in a large ziplock bag and freeze. I put the diced onion in a separate ziplock bag to freeze. You can combine them all together, if you’d like! (This mix is called mirepoix and is such a time saver!)
- Use a can of Pillsbury Biscuits, cut into halves, instead of making the dumplings from scratch. The homemade ones are better, but if you’re in a rush, you can shave a little more time off this way.
How do you make dough for dumplings?
Making dumplings for homemade chicken & dumplings is really easy! Just combine 6 ingredients in a bowl and stir them together. I like to use a cookie scoop to measure out the dough and place them in the chicken stew to cook. They are soft dumplings with fantastic flavor and they add a lot of interest to the basic chicken stew.
Flat or rounded Homemade Dumplings?
There is some debate as to whether we should all make Chicken and Dumplings the same. Some people roll out the dumpling dough and then cut it into flat, thin strips. I personally learned to make dumplings almost like they are biscuits… which is kind of what they are! I use a cookie scoop to measure and shape my chicken dumplings because it’s quick and easy. If you’d rather roll and cut into strips, I recommend adding at least another 1/4 cup of flour to the dumpling recipe, so that it’s more manageable when rolling out.
Chicken & Dumplings ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for the Chicken Stew:
–2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
–2 tablespoons vegetable oil
–1/2 cup chopped onion
–2 cups sliced celery & carrots {about 2 stalks celery and 1 large carrot}
–1/2 tsp dried sage
–2 (10.75 ounce) cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup
–2 cups chicken broth
–1 cup milk
–1 cup frozen peas
–2 tsp cornstarch
–salt & pepper to taste
Here’s what you’ll need for the Dumplings:–1 cup all-purpose flour {I used half whole wheat flour}
–2 teaspoons baking powder
–1/2 teaspoon salt
–1/2 cup milk
–2 tablespoons butter, softened
–1/4 tsp onion powder
How do you make easy chicken and dumplings?
Saute chicken in 1 TBSP oil until almost cooked through. Set aside.
Heat remaining TBSP of oil in a large saute pan or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, celery and sage. Cook on medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, stirring often.
Add the cans of chicken soup, broth and milk to the vegetables. Whisk to combine. Ladle out 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix in the cornstarch. Return cornstarch liquid to pan. (If you just add the cornstarch to the larger mixture, it’s really hard to incorporate. So mix it into a small amount, then pour that into the stew.)
Add the chicken and the frozen peas. Heat until bubbly, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
While the stew is simmering, you can mix up the dumplings. Add the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter and milk and stir, using a fork or a rubber scraper until well combined.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and increase the temperature back to medium heat. Give the stew a quick stir, then add the dumplings to the stew in 1 TBSP sized balls. (You’ll have about 20 dumplings.) The dumplings will rise & expand while cooking so make sure you’re saute pan is large enough to accommodate.
Replace the lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook the mixture for another 20 minutes, with the lid on, without stirring or ever lifting the lid!
Gently stir and serve. Enjoy!
CHICKEN and DUMPLINGS
Ingredients
How to Make Chicken Stew
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups sliced celery & carrots {about 2 stalks celery and 1 large carrot}
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 2 10.75 ounce cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- salt & pepper to taste
How to Make Chicken Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour {I used half whole wheat flour}
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Saute chicken in 1 TBSP oil until almost cooked through. Set aside.
- Heat remaining TBSP of oil in a large saute pan or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, celery and sage. Cook on medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, stirring often.
- Add the cans of chicken soup, broth and milk to the vegetables. Whisk to combine. Ladle out 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix in the cornstarch. Return cornstarch liquid to pan. (If you just add the cornstarch to the larger mixture, it's really hard to incorporate. So mix it into a small amount, then pour that into the stew.)
- Add the chicken and the frozen peas. Heat until bubbly, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- While the stew is simmering, you can mix up the dumplings. Add the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter and milk and stir, using a fork or a rubber scraper until well combined.
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid and increase the temperature back to medium heat. Give the stew a quick stir, then add the dumplings to the stew in 1 TBSP sized balls. (You'll have about 20 dumplings.) The dumplings will rise & expand while cooking so make sure you're saute pan is large enough to accommodate.
- Replace the lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook the mixture for another 20 minutes, with the lid on, without stirring or ever lifting the lid!
- Gently stir and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Need more Easy Chicken recipes? Here you go!
- How to make Easy Chicken Fried Rice recipe
- Easy Chicken Curry recipe
- 5 Minute Chicken Salad recipe
- Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken recipe
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup recipe
- Easy Salsa Chicken recipe
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe
- Best Homemade Chicken Tenders recipe
- 20-minute Chicken Stew recipe
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Easy Indian Butter Chicken
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Easy Chicken Cacciatore Bake
Mary Ann says
Thank you for giving us the shortcuts to what looks like a lovely chicken and dumpling stew… there are some days when shortcuts are just necessary, you know! I appreciate it!
Melissa Newell says
YUMMO I need to make these this winter! Thanks for the post over at Lady behind the Curtain!
Danielle says
Can't wait to try this. I love chicken and dumplings but hate buying bisquik for the dumplings.
Lady of Perpetual Chaos says
This looks so yummy! Now that I'm getting closer to cooking again I'm definitely making this!
Mellisa Bielaczyc says
You made this look how super easy! I am not the best cook, but I am going to try this! Thank you!
Gina Baker says
Ha, ha. I had a similar event with my husband. The recipe looks delicious, I will take dumplings any day.
Cobilynn Dickinson says
Best step by step instructions on dumplings ever
Lady Behind The Curtain says
I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing them at Cast Party Wednesday! <br />~Sheryl @ Lady Behind The Curtain~
Samantha K. says
Close to my mother’s recipe.
Tips:
1. Cook your chicken whole ahead of time, then shred or cut into smaller pieces, when combining.
2. I do use heart healthy Bisquick, to make sticky biscuit mix. (Then don’t need extra flour or corn starch).
3. I use small ice cream scoop to drop dough into hot chicken liquid, (cooks faster, easier serving size)
4. Cook for 20 minutes covered, do not take lid off until done. (my mother said this was why they were tender)
5. Best to use heavy large pot, as they will burn on bottom easily, if crowded.
6. To keep dumplings from getting soggy when reheated, if there are left overs (rare), separate the dumplings from meat and gravy, and store in to different containers.
Jessica says
Great ideas, thank you!