This old-fashioned Chicken and Dumplings recipe is an all-time favorite. It’s Southern comfort food at its best. This dish is made by preparing a simple chicken soup and adding homemade flat or drop dumplings.
If you love comfort food dishes like this one, try our delicious Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy or Chicken and Noodles.
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS DISH
This dish is made with simple ingredients and is very easy to put together. Chicken and dumplings are very popular in the South and are often served for a Sunday dinner. It’s incredible comfort food. Many people are intimidated by homemade dumplings, but they are actually very easy to prepare.
❓WHAT ARE DUMPLINGS?
A dumpling is basically cooked dough. Two basic homemade dumplings are used in chicken and dumplings:
🍴KEY INGREDIENTS
For the Broth:
Chicken: you can boil a chicken or chicken breasts/thighs for this recipe. You can also use leftover chicken, roasted chicken, or even turkey.
Cream of chicken broth: this is where you’ll get your flavor.
Chicken Broth: liquid needed for the broth
For the Dumplings:
Self Rising Flour–it is important to use self-rising flour as it already has the baking powder and salt included.
Shortening–I use Crisco and this adds a wonderful texture and flavor to your dumplings.
🍽️HOW TO MAKE
First, you will want to decide which type of dumplings you plan to make, flat or drop. We will include both ways below.
PREPARATIONS
If you are boiling a chicken or chicken breast/thighs, go ahead and cook your chicken. Once cooled, dice or chop your chicken for the broth.
🥄HOW TO MAKE BROTH
Place the chicken and all the broth ingredients in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Your chicken is already cooked, so you want to boil it long enough to soften your celery. It shouldn’t take long. Then cover the pot with a lid.
🥣HOW TO MAKE FLAT DUMPLINGS
Pour 2 cups of self-rising flour into a large bowl. Cut in 1/4 cup shortening with a pastry blender or fork. Once your dough resembles coarse crumbs, add 3/4 cup boiling water a little at a time until you can shape the mixture into a ball. Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch of thickness on a floured board or surface. Cut into long strips, and then cut the strips into squares.
Remove the lid on the pot and add several squares at a time to the boiling broth replacing the lid each time for about 30 seconds until you have added all the dumplings. Once all the dumplings are added, lower the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes, and add salt and pepper to taste.
💕HOW TO MAKE DROP DUMPLINGS
If you want drop dumplings, don’t roll the dough out but pinch off pieces and drop them into the broth just like you dropped the flat dumplings. Try to make each pinch uniform so your dumplings will cook through simultaneously.
⭐TIP
Make sure you have the lid on the pot. I know many people have issues with their dumplings not being cooked through. The lid will contain the heat and ensure that the dumplings cook evenly. To check if your dumplings are cooked, take one out and cut it open. Also, stirring your dumplings will cause them to fall apart. Use a wooden spoon to push them under the broth gently; do not stir.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH
I would highly recommend adding our fried hoecakes and green beans and potatoes.
RECIPE VARIATIONS
❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can easily make your own.
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature. I use Crisco in this recipe which is a specific brand of shortening. You can use lard, too. Shortening adds a soft, tender texture to dumplings.
You’re overworking your dough. You don’t want to work your dough too much; it will cause your dumplings to be tough.
😍MORE OLD-FASHIONED RECIPES TO TRY
Blackberries and Dumplings
This dish is a family favorite and one your family will love.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
Chicken and dumplings are best served immediately. However, this recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. You can reheat this dish on the stove. Gently stir over medium heat to break up the soup. You may need to add a bit of chicken broth to it. If you want to use your microwave, warm it up in 20-30 second bursts until warmed through. Of course, the dumplings will change a bit when rewarmed because they will have soaked up the soup. Their texture will be different, but their flavor will be the same!
FREEZING LEFTOVERS
You can freeze them, but again the texture of this dish will change. The flavor will remain the same. They should keep frozen for up to 3 months.
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Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Your family will love these Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken/Broth
- 4 cups chopped chicken or turkey cooked
- 1 cup chopped celery
- one 10.5 ounce can of cream of chicken soup I use Campbell’s soup and broth
- two 10.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
- 3 of the 10.5 ounce cans filled with water
Dumpling Ingredients
- 2 cups Self-rising flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
Dumpling Instructions
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Pour 2 cups self-rising flour into a large bowl, cut in 1/4 cup shortening with a pastry blender or fork, add 3/4 cup boiling water a little at a time until you can shape the mixture into a ball. Roll out to about 1/8 inch of thickness on a floured board. Cut into strips, then squares
-
Remove lid on pot and add several squares at a time to the boiling broth replacing lid each time for about 30 seconds until you have added all the dumplings. Once all the dumplings are added lower heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For Drop Dumplings
-
If you want drop dumplings, just don’t roll the dough out but pinch off pieces and drop them into the broth just like you dropped the flat dumplings. Try to make each pinch uniform so your dumplings will cook through simultaneously.
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