This Homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe adds hearty, biscuit-style dumplings to a rich, thickened chicken stew filled with vegetables, aromatics and so much flavor! This is pure comfort food. It is also the WINNER of The Kitchn Chicken and Dumplings Showdown!!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Don’t ask me when and don’t ask me how, but at some point in my life, Chicken and Dumplings became my go-to comfort meal. Through rough break-ups, week-long bouts of the flu and not-so-great work days, I’ve relied on the satisfaction that comes with a big ol’ bowl of this stuff.
Each bite is hearty and warms the belly until you’re lulled into a coma that can only be enjoyed by lounging on the couch.
The Heart and Soul of the Best Southern Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop Simmering
Dietary Info: Meat Lover’s Delight
Key Flavor: Rich, Hearty, and Herbaceous
Skill Level: Intermediate but made easier with rotisserie chicken
Sweet Highlights:
- Award-Winning Goodness: This isn’t just any chicken and dumplings recipe; it’s taken the crown in The Kitchn’s Smackdown, proving it’s a top-notch choice for this classic comfort dish.
- Biscuit Dumplings: Forget the dense, doughy dumplings you might know. These biscuit dumplings are light as air, fluffy, and just the right touch for our savory stew.
- Flavorful Stock: The base of our dish is a rich, well-seasoned chicken stock, ensuring every bite is packed with soul-soothing goodness.
- Hearty and Comforting: Each spoonful brings a warm embrace, making it the perfect pick-me-up or centerpiece for family gatherings.
- Culinary Adventure: While the recipe does require some attention and love, it’s a delightful cooking journey, with a rewarding, scrumptious end.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- Salted Butter: This is the golden start to our dish, ensuring everything gets cooked up in rich, buttery goodness.
- Onion, Celery, & Carrots: The holy trinity of veggies, finely diced and ready to bring freshness and depth to the pot.
- Seasoning Wizards: A dash of salt and pepper? Yes, please! They’re here to awaken the flavors and make them pop.
- Flour Power: This is our thickening agent, ensuring our stew is just the right consistency.
- Chicken Stock: The base of our magic potion. Go for a flavorful one or amp it up with a bouillon cube if you’re feeling extra.
- Rotisserie Chicken: Shredded and fabulous, it’s ready to dive in and bring the protein party to our bowl.
For the Dumplings:
- Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, & Pepper: These are the building blocks of our fluffy dumpling dreams.
- Buttermilk: It’s tangy, it’s creamy, and it’s going to make our dumplings irresistible.
- Egg: The glue that holds our dumpling world together.
- Butter: Because butter makes everything better, right?
- Parsley: Finely chopped and ready to garnish, it’s the final sprinkle of fun for our delightful dish.
Time Saving Tips: I add store bought rotisserie chicken to my chicken and dumplings to save a ton of time and effort. If you have time, make one.
How to Make Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Magic:
- Melt 1/4 cup butter; sauté onion, celery, and carrots with salt and pepper for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove veggies; melt remaining butter, whisk in flour until golden (8-12 mins).
- Whisk in chicken stock, add shredded chicken and veggies back. Let it thicken.
Dumpling Drops:
- Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough into pot, cover, and simmer on low for 20 mins or until cooked.
- Serve in bowls, garnished with parsley.
How Do You Tell if Your Dumplings are Done?
A super easy test for your dumplings is after the 20-minute cook time, cut into a dumpling and make sure the inside isn’t raw. After that, you are ready to enjoy! Slip into your comfy clothes, scoop up every bit of goodness and don’t forget to go back for seconds.
Storage and Reheating
Storing and reheating this dish is super simple! Simply transfer any leftovers into an airtight container and pop it in the fridge, where it’ll stay good for up to 3-4 days.
When you’re ready to dive back in, gently reheat your portions in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until everything is warmed through and the dumplings are soft again. Voila, it’s like you’ve just made it fresh!
Best Chicken Soup and Stew Recipes
Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1/2 cup salted butter divided
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 3 celery stalks finely diced
- 5 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock make sure you use a flavorful one or add chicken bouillon cube to yours for additional flavor
- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
For the Dumplings
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 tbsp salted butter melted
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Add ¼ cup of the butter to large pot over medium heat until melted.
- Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until veggies get somewhat tender and soft, about 5-6 minutes then remove and set aside until later.
- Melt remaining ¼ cup of butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk, allowing it to brown somewhat until it becomes golden brown, about 8-12 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken stock (make sure you are getting the bits of roux stuck to the bottom of the pan too), turn heat back up to medium and allow it to get smooth then bring to a boil.
- Add the shredded chicken and cooked vegetables to the pot and allow sauce to somewhat thicken. Taste for seasoning and add final salt and pepper to taste.
For the Dumplings
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, and pepper and whisk together.
- Next add in buttermilk, egg and melted butter until just combined. The mixture should be thick.
- Using a spoon, drop dollops of dough into the pot spacing out somewhat. They will stay on top and won’t sink. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low.
- Allow dumplings to cook and puff up without lifting the cover for about 20 minutes, then test dumpling by cutting in half. The dough shouldn’t be raw. If it needs more time, cover with lid and allow to cook a bit longer.
- Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with parsley to serve.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
Love,love this recipe. Fast and easy. Love both of your cookbooks!
Thanks so much, doll!
Southern doumplins are rollEd and cut not yankee dough balls.
Thanks for that opinion but Southern dumplings are not monolithic.
This is OUTSTANDING! I’ve made it twice now as written and everything about it is perfect.
Super easy, super tasty. Thanks for sharing- this will definitely be a go-to moving forward!
Thanks so much, doll!
This was everything I wanted in chicken and dumplings. Perfect.
Wow, thanks so much!!!
Will try out your recipe. It looks very yummy and the photo shows what it should look like for many trying it out.
Hope you enjoy!
These are amazing! It was delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
I made this tonight and my whole family loved it. The dumplings were really fluffy. Thank you
I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It is one of my faves!
This recipe is awesome. My family loved it. This was my first time making chicken and dumplings. It was so delicious.
Fantastic!! Glad everyone loved it!
My husband loved it. I am glad to have found this recipe. I couldn’t remember my mother’s and this did not disappoint.
Wow thank you so so much!