Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Fluffy, chive dumplings simmered to perfection in a creamy broth with mounds of chicken is comfort food at its best! If you’re looking to make a flavor packed, nourishing meal from scratch with ease, this is the chicken and dumpling recipe for you. This easy, one-pot meal will impress everyone the moment the lid lifts to reveal pillowy soft dumplings nestled on top of creamy, simmering soup.

Why make chicken and dumplings?

It’s the perfect dish for left over chicken. The meat from a stew hen is my go-to. When making stew hen bone broth, around the 8 hour mark of slow cooking, I strip the carcass of all the meat. Then, I return the carcass back to the slow cooker for another 12 hours to make the richest, most golden bone broth in all the lands. The broth and the meat are used in this chicken and dumpling recipe.

It’s hearty and delicious. My husband is not a soup-for-dinner kind of person. However, unprompted, he said, “this may be your best soup yet. And I’m full! The dumplings make the difference.”

Simple ingredients. None of the ingredients are hard to come by. Most likely, you have them already in your pantry or refrigerator.

Ingredients for the base of chicken and dumpling soup.

Butter. Butter doesn’t need an explanation! A drizzle of oil is added with the butter to avoid the butter smoking.

Mirepoix. Sounds fancy, but this is simply the trinity of onions, carrots and celery. They soak up the rich butter flavor, creating a delicious base for the rest of the soup. Garlic and yellow potatoes are added shortly after. I prefer to add garlic later because it has a tendency to brown quickly and that could transform the taste from robust and aromatic to bitter.

Seasoning. Along with salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and red chili flakes get mixed into the veggies once they are softened. I find letting the vegetables warm up a bit helps with absorbing the flavors. I highly recommend smelling your Italian seasoning before using it. If it smells like nothing, it’s going to taste like nothing. Toss it! The smell should be herby with a hint of floral. Overall, deeply fragrant. You shouldn’t have to strain to smell it.

Flour and white wine. This mix is used as a thickener and to deglaze the pot for maximum flavor.

Stew hen bone broth. The quality of the broth used matters! This one ingredient carries so much rich flavor. I made bone broth from All Grass Farms pasture raised stew hens. The meat was also used in the dish. Stew hens are older than broilers, typically two years old egg layers. To unlock their incredible flavor, they must be slow cooked.

Corn. Corn is in season, so I opted for fresh. Can works too but you miss out on scraping the cob juices into the soup. I recommend cutting the corn off the cob into a tea towel lined bowl. This will help deter kernels from flying across the room.

Cheese. This is where it starts getting interesting. Cream cheese makes this chicken and dumpling soup super creamy. Simply tear the cream cheese and throw it into the simmering pot, stirring until melted. For additional salty flavor, I add a parmesan rind. If you aren’t already, save your parmesan rinds! They have so much flavor and will definitely kick soup, stew and pasta sauce up a notch. Don’t forget to remove the rind before serving!

Chicken. All the meat stripped from a 3-pound stew hen that had been slow cooked for 8 hours is added to the soup after the cream cheese melts. To avoid overcooking the chicken, don’t add it before then. The chicken is already cooked, so you are just warming it. A rotisserie chicken works as well.

Ingredients for the dumplings.

Cooking from scratch is usually synonymous with “takes all day,” but these dumplings are very simple and will taste better than any box of biscuits that pop out of a can! These are called “drop dumplings” because the loosely formed balls of dough are dropped into the simmering soup. The lid pops on and in 15 minutes or so, you have fluffy, beautiful dumplings.

For the dry ingredients:

All-purpose flour, baking powder and salt is mandatory. Some swear by pastry flour for a lighter dumpling. I’ve tried both and I found the pastry flour made the dumplings more prone to falling apart. Baking powder causes the dumplings to float and fluff up. If you forget the baking powder it’s not the end of the world, your dumplings will sink and have a denser texture but still taste good. For all my dishes, unless stated otherwise, I use Redmond’s Real Salt.

Seasoning. This is where it gets fun! To the dumplings I added finely chopped, fresh chives, Italian seasoning and pepper.

For the wet ingredients:

Whole milk. I love the richness of whole milk.

Butter. Melted! When adding the butter to the milk, add little by little and stir to avoid a clumpy mess.

Troubleshooting dumplings.

Why did my dumplings sink?

The baking powder was most likely left out or was expired. It happens. My husband says he still loves sinkers.

Why did my dumplings fall apart?

Too much butter or milk can make the dumplings lose their shape. I recommend using measuring cups even if your Mama raised you to measure ingredients with your heart.

How do I know if my dumplings are cooked through?

First of all, remember to cook with the lid on. Don’t lift the lift frequently. At the 15-minute mark of the dumplings simmering, insert a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. If clean, they are done.

Why are my dumplings hard?

Overmixing will result in a hockey puck of a dumpling. Only mix until the dough comes together. I do not find a kitchen tool is necessary. Often, a food processor is the exact reason the dough was overworked. The dough may look slightly dry, that’s fine. If it is so dry that they won’t hold together, add more milk a tablespoon at a time.

What should dumplings look like when done?

The dumplings will have expanded a great deal while cooking. They will look light and fluffy and most likely prompt you to yell to your family, “get in here and check out how good these dumplings look!” If you have a sense of humor like my husband, perhaps instead, you will yell, “Come look at my balls!” The exterior will have a glossiness from the soup. The interior will look airy and fluffy, similar to stuffing.

Craving comfort? Check out a few of my favorites!

Sloppy Joe Pasta. Easy Sloppy Joe pasta with all the tangy, savory flavor of the original sandwich. Noodles make everything better, not to mention, easier to eat.

Turkey Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew. Ground turkey Italian sausage chunks are mixed with hearty veggies, Italian inspired flavors, nourishing chicken broth, parmesan and heavy cream. Cozy up with a bowl and savor every bite.