Easy Herbed Chicken and Dumplings
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Chicken and Dumplings is a simple and easy recipe that’s utterly delicious and satisfies comfort food cravings. This homemade chicken stew is ready in about 40 minutes and is irresistible with it’s herby and tender made-from-scratch dumplings.
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Chicken and dumplings are comfort food immune to the changing seasons, at least in my humble opinion. And that’s part of its charm. It’s one of those dishes most of us have an opinion or two.
Chicken and Dumpling Origins
Many fans believe this classic dish hails from the south. But Chicken and Dumpling recipes have origins in almost every culture but certainly, vary from region to region.
Generally, however, chicken and dumplings have been claimed by the South.
Relish writes, “Chicken and dumplings are as ingrained in Southern culture as old-fashioned apple pies and folk renditions of ‘Coming ‘Round the Mountain’—the song does chant ‘We’ll be havin’ chicken and dumplings when she comes’ in the seventh verse. But what makes a dumpling dish authentically southern? The answer is in the dumplings.”
There are two forms of dumplings, they say: rolled and dropped.
“Though some disagree on which region claims what shape, rolled dumplings tend to be more common in the south and dropped in the north.”
Most of my family is from the north — as you will see.
A Shortcut Chicken and Dumpling
This one-pot delicacy is a classic favorite: heartier than chicken soup and reminiscent of Sunday suppers at grandma’s house.
Traditional recipes can take most of the day. Which, at times, is comfort all on its own.
But when you’re craving chicken and dumplings and don’t have all day, here’s a recipe you can make in 40 minutes or less.
The shortcuts are store-bought chicken stock (or frozen homemade if you’re lucky) and already-cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken is a home cook’s best friend and works well here. You can also meal prep and poach or roast three chicken breasts ahead of time, shred them, and have them ready to go.
The Dumplings
The dumplings, however, are made from scratch. While you can substitute a ready-made dumpling, like Bisquick Dumplings– rolled biscuits– (2 1/2 cups mix to 3/4 cup milk), there’s something extra homey and comforting about making your own (dropped) pillowy, light-as-air dumplings.
Fresh herbs in the recipe are optional, but oh my goodness, they are special in these dumplings!
More Chicken Recipes to Try
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
for the soup:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion diced
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked chicken rotisserie chicken or 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
for the dumplings:
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chives snipped
Instructions
- In a dutch oven over medium heat melt butter and heat olive oil. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Saute until they begin to soften; 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly for about a minute, until no white flour can be seen.
- Slowly whisk in chicken stock, stirring until the broth is smooth and there are no flour lumps. Bring to a boil and add shredded chicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the broth has begun to thicken and the vegetables are soft.
- Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of fresh chives if using. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture, followed by the melted butter. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, drop generous dollops of dumpling dough into the simmering pot, spacing them apart as much as possible.
- Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until the dumplings are puffed and completely cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes. You can test a dumpling by cutting it in half. There should be no raw bits of dough.
- Remove the lid and portion among bowls. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and chives if using.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I made this tonight. I had roasted a chicken a day before and made broth from the bones etc. I needed something quick and easy for tonight and saw this recipe. Since I already had homemade broth, and left over roasted chicken, it was quite easy to make. I thought it was delicious too. It would also be good using the store bought broth and roasted chicken.
My husband doesn’t like dumplings, but he loved these dumplings. Thank you for sharing a quick recipe. This was perfect for our New Year’s Eve meal.
Hi Lorie! Thank you so much for trying these recipe. I’m thrilled that your family loved it (especially the dumplings!).