Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Looking for the ultimate homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe? You've found it! This dish features a thick, creamy chicken soup packed with comforting flavors and topped with light, fluffy dumplings. Perfect for a cozy meal, it's sure to warm you up and satisfy your taste buds.
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Soup:
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 lbs Bone-in skinless chicken breasts or thighs (see notes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 tbsp Butter
- 1 small Yellow onion diced
- 1 cup Carrots diced
- 2 Celery sticks diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Hot sauce I use Frank's Hot Sauce
- 1/3 cup Flour
- 4 ½ cups Chicken broth
- 1 Chicken bouillon optional
- 1 ½ cups Half-and-half
- ¾ cup Frozen peas
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Each: dried basil dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, mustard powder
- ¼ tsp Ground sage
- ⅛ tsp Pepper
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups Cake flour or regular flour, see notes
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Sugar
- ¾ cup Cold sour cream
- ¼ cup Cold milk
- 4 tbsp Melted butter
Instructions
Sear the Chicken:
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a 4 ½-quart soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side, until slightly browned. The center will still be raw.
- Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones.
Make the Soup:
- Combine the seasonings and set aside.
- Melt butter in the same pot over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to scrape up any bits from the pot.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and the seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you pour. Then add the half-and-half in the same way. Add the chicken bouillon, if using.
- Add frozen peas. Bring to a gentle boil and let simmer uncovered while you prepare the dumplings.
Make the Dumplings:
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar in a medium bowl.
- Add milk, sour cream, and melted butter. Fold gently to make a dough; don’t overmix or the dumplings will be dense.
- Add the diced chicken back to the soup, along with any juices from the plate. Stir and reduce heat to low. (If using leftover chicken, add it now.)
Cook the Dumplings:
- Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough over the soup. Spoon a little soup over each dumpling.
- Cover tightly and bring the heat to a gentle simmer. Set a timer for 15 minutes; don’t lift the lid. The dumplings need to steam.
- Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a dumpling. If it comes out clean, they’re ready. If not, cover and simmer for a few more minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken: Bone-in chicken breasts or thighs add the most flavor to the broth. You can also use 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts or about 1.25 lbs. Alternatively, use 3 cups of cooked/leftover chicken added just before the dumplings.
- Flour: Cake flour makes for fluffier dumplings, but regular flour works just fine.