Southern Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
This recipe for Homemade Chicken and Dumplings features fluffy, biscuit-style dumplings in a rich and creamy chicken stew loaded with vegetables and packed with flavor. It’s the ultimate comfort food and even won The Kitchn's Chicken and Dumplings Showdown! Whenever I crave something warm and satisfying, this is my go-to dish. A big bowl of this makes everything better.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Stew:
- 1/2 cup Butter divided (use salted butter if you like)
- 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 use a flavorful one or add a chicken bouillon cube for extra taste
- 1 Rotisserie chicken shredded
For the Dumplings:
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 3/4 cup Buttermilk
- 1 large Egg
- 2 1/2 tbsp Butter melted
- 1/3 cup chopped Parsley for garnish
Instructions
Making the Chicken Stew:
- Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the veggies are tender, about 5-6 minutes. Remove them from the pot and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in the same pot over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it until it turns golden brown, about 8-12 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until smooth.
- Add the shredded chicken and cooked vegetables back to the pot. Let the sauce thicken slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Making the Dumplings:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; the dough will be thick.
- Using a spoon, drop dollops of dough onto the simmering stew, spacing them out so they don’t touch. The dumplings will float on top.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the dumplings cook without lifting the lid for about 20 minutes. Check a dumpling by cutting it in half—it should be cooked through and not doughy. If needed, cover the pot and cook a little longer.
- Serve the chicken and dumplings in bowls, garnished with chopped parsley.
Notes
- If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken, you can use any cooked chicken you have on hand. Simply cook and shred chicken breasts or thighs before adding them to the stew. This is also a great way to use up leftover chicken from another meal.
- For extra fluffy dumplings, be careful not to overmix the dough. Stir until just combined; overmixing can make the dumplings dense. If you prefer lighter dumplings, you can also fold in a teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients.