This recipe for homemade southern Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect cold-weather comfort food. Made completely from scratch and with flat, rolled dumplings this recipe tastes like home.
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I have to be honest here and admit that this recipe makes me so nervous to share.
Every time I share a recipe that is southern in nature, without fail, I get comments telling me how inaccurate the recipe is. Chicken and dumplings is one of those recipes that varies so much from family to family and people are passionate about them.
This recipe is how my family eats chicken and dumplings but it may not be the same for other southern families.
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Ingredients
The ingredients for this chicken and dumplings are pretty traditional and generally easy to find.
- Whole Chicken
- Water
- Poultry Seasoning
- Garlic Powder
- Black Pepper
- Celery Salt or table salt
- Celery Ribs
- Carrots
- Yellow Onion
- Chicken Better than Bouillon or chicken bouillon granules
These are the ingredients for the Dumplings:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Poultry Seasoning
- Salt
- Butter
- Eggs
See the recipe card for specific quantities.
Instructions
Making chicken and dumplings from scratch can seem a little daunting, but it is easier than you might think!
First, to a large (at least 8 quart) pot with a lid, add the chicken, water, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, celery salt, chopped celery, half of the chopped carrots, yellow onion, and chicken bouillon.
Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour or until the chicken is beginning to fall off of the bone.
Now, turn off the heat and very carefully remove the chicken from the pot, placing it into a dish large enough to easily accommodate it. (I use a large mixing bowl). Then ladle out 2 cups of the liquid from the pot and immediately refrigerate it.
Now it's time to begin preparing the dumplings. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook attachment) combine the flour, baking powder, poultry seasoning, and salt.
Next, add the butter and combine using your hands or a pastry knife until the mixture is crumbly.
Add the beaten eggs and slowly add in the cooled stock from step 3 stirring after each addition. At this point, I find it most helpful to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or my hands.
Note: It's ok if the stock isn't fully cooled down. Adding it in slowly and then stirring after each addition will prevent it from making the dumpling dough too hot.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for a few minutes, adding additional flour, until it is smooth and no longer sticky.
Still working on a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Then, using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut the dough into verticle strips about 1 inch wide, then repeat cutting horizontally. (You may need to work in batches)
Note: if you are using a pizza cutter, this is a great job for small kids! The shape and size of the dumplings does not have to be perfectly uniform.
Return the chicken stock to a boil, add the remaining carrots. Then carefully drop the dumplings into the pot one at a time, working as fast as you can. stirring every few minutes.
Cook the dumplings for about 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and cover.
Carefully remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones, cartilage, and skin. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Add the chicken to the pot with the stock and dumplings, stirring gently to combine.
Hint: The chicken and dumplings will thicken up quite a bit from the dumplings, but if you prefer a thicker soup, make a flour slurry and add it before adding the dumplings.
Variations:
As I stated at the beginning of this recipe, no two families make chicken and dumplings the same. Here are some variations that you can try:
- Low Carb - I know I share a lot of low carb recipes, if you are here by accident (and you've somehow made it this far) Check out this recipe for keto friendly dumplings.
- Dropped Dumplings - If you are team dropped dumpling, then check out this recipe for easy dropped dumplings that can be swapped for the dumplings I used.
If you try any other variations or make substitutions, I would love to hear about it in the comments. Not only do I enjoy it, but it also helps other readers make this recipe work for them.
Equipment
Having the right equipment can make this recipe SO much easier. The only thing that you need to have is a large pot with a lid, measuring cups and spoons, a knife, a rolling pin, mixing bowls, and spoons. But there are a couple of items that are definitely nice to have on hand.
- An electric mixer with a dough hook attachment makes quick work of blending and kneading the dough for the dumplings. The god standard is of course the Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, (Affiliate link) but a more affordable hand mixer (affiliate link) also works well.
- A rolling pin with guides for even rolling. This is the one I have (affiliate link)
FAQ's
These chicken and dumplings will thicken quite a bit as it cools. If you prefer it to be even thicker make a slurry by mixing a couple of tablespoons of flour with about ¼ cup of water until smooth, then whisk it into boiling broth before adding the dumplings.
Good chicken and dumplings are really a meal all on their own. If you want to add something else, I suggest Fried Okra, Biscuits, or some green beans. Of course, a tall glass of iced sweet tea is also a must!
Storage
Store leftovers in the fridge, covered for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the microwave, or on the stovetop. If the broth has gotten too thick, you can add a little additional chicken broth if desired.
You can also freeze leftovers, although the dumplings will change texture slightly when reheated from frozen.
Top tip
For tender, pillowy dumplings, be mindful not to over mix the dough and make sure that the chicken stock is at a full boil before dropping the cut dumplings into the pot.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
- 8 quart pot with a lid
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
- 4 lb Whole Chicken
- 16 cups Water
- 2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Celery Salt or table salt, to taste
- 3 Celery Ribs Chopped
- 6 Carrots Peeled and chopped, divided
- 1 Yellow Onion peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoon Chicken Better than Bouillon or chicken Bouillon granules
Ingredients for the Dumplings:
- 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Chicken Stock Reserved from step 3
Instructions
- Add the first 10 ingredients (reserve half of the chopped carrots for later) to a large pot (at least 8 quarts) or dutch oven with a lid.4 lb Whole Chicken, 16 cups Water, 2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning, 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Celery Salt
- Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low put the lid on the pot, and allow it to simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is super tender and beginning to fall away from the bone.
- Turn off the heat and carefully remove the chicken from the pot, placing it into a dish large enough to easily accommodate it. (I use a large mixing bowl)
- Carefully ladle out 2 cups of the liquid from the pot and immediately refrigerate it.
- Begin preparing the dumplings. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook attachment) combine the flour, baking powder, poultry seasoning, and salt.
- Next, add the butter and combine using your hands or a pastry knife until the mixture is crumbly.
- Next, add the beaten eggs and slowly add in the cooled stock from step 3 stirring after each addition. At this point, I find it most helpful to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or my hands.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for a few minutes, adding additional flour, until it is smooth and no longer sticky.
- Still working on a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Then, using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut the dough into verticle strips about 1 inch wide, then repeat cutting horizontally. (You may need to work in batches)
- Return the chicken stock to a boil, add the remaining carrots. Then carefully drop the dumplings into the pot one at a time, working as fast as you can. stirring every few minutes.
- Cook the dumplings for about 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and cover.
- Carefully remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones, cartilage, and skin. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the chicken to the pot with the stock and dumplings, stirring gently to combine.
- Serve while hot and enjoy!
Notes
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
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Josie says
Would it be ok to drop the dumplings into my slow cooker soup for a few hours or would they get mushy? Thanks!
Christie Cruickshank says
the dumplings were amazing!! so good 🙂
Sabra says
So glad that you enjoyed them, Christie! Thanks for the review 🙂
Grandma Len says
I've been searching for years for a dumpling recipe that uses broth instead of milk or water. I seem to remember my aunt using fat from the broth instead of butter. I always wondered how she knew how much she needed. But her dumplings were always great
Jane says
I made it with chicken before. Today I used a turkey breast. I threw them in the pot frozen and cooked until they fell from the bone. I added 2 heaping tablespoonful cornstarch in a bowl with some of the broth until it was smooth and creamy to thicken the broth up a bit at the end. I didn't have fresh carrots on hand so I added two cans of drained carrots at the end. Turned out so yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Susan says
The best recipe I have ever used for chicken and dumplings!! Believe me I have tried them all!! Don’t leave out any steps!!