A bowl of chicken and dumplings. A glass of sweet tea. It’s a meal any Kentuckian would be proud to fix and danged happy to sit down to. And it’s not hard to make. Come on, I’ll show you how.
First, here’s what you’ll need:
about 3 cups cooked chicken
6-8 cups chicken broth
2 cups flour
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste (I just shake some in)
about a cup of milk, maybe a bit less
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.
Heavily flour a work surface. You’ll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I like to use a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface.
Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 2″x2″. It’s okay for them not to be exact. Just eye ball it. Some will be bigger, some smaller, some shaped funny.
Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings. If they will be cooked soon, this method works well. If I’m going to cook them later in the day I layer them on a cookie sheet with wax paper between and lots of flour. You can also freeze them like this and then transfer them to a ziplock bag.
To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until they not doughy tasting. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and you’re done!
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I love how your dumplings are perfect little squares!
Sounds yummy, I have a lot of chicken in the freezer so I will have to give it a try!
This is the only way to eat chicken and dumplins. It makes me so mad when people say they made chicken and dumplins and they use canned biscuits!! The picture of the dough rolled out and cut into squares reminds me of “helping” my grandma make dumplins. She always gave me a square to make into my own creation! My mom says self-rising flour makes the fluffiest dumplins and she also puts a little bit of the chicken broth in the dough mix.
Amen to that! I also helped my Grandma makes these as a child–just made ‘em for a friend last weekend. Ah, took me back to my childhood!
Yummy Comfort Food at its best. I cant wait for the weather to cool down in Texas so I can make it. You dumplings turned out so good.
I was just thinking about making this and had no idea how to go about it!! Found your blog through blogher…and going to sign up for e-mails!! Thanks a lot!!
Looks like you really have a good site. Can’t wait to try some of your receipes. Keep up the good work and make all those young people good cooks, like your mom and you.
We had these alot when I was younger. My family always called them chicken pot pie. I mentioned this to someone near and dear to us all and she said I lived too far north! I’ll admit I live north of the Ohio River. Whatever you call it, your tummy will be happy.
I use the same recipe but use flour tortillas instead. I just cut them into strips and dip them in flour. My family loves this it!
Very tasty dish, although I doctored it a bit. I cooked chicken breast in 2 cups of water and then used that as part of my stock. I also added some seasoning to the meat and added carrots. My family really liked it.
Maureen, that sounds really good with the carrots. It would make my carrot loving son quite happy! Thanks for sharing how you changed it up.
They look so soft and creamy! Yum! I’ll give this recipe a try. I usually use Kluski noodles. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2729652046_7ff9885495.jpg?v=0 This is my favorite brand of kluski, they turn out thicker than egg noodles. I am really enjoying reading through your site! Great job!
This is almost the same recipe I use, but I use a good bit less chicken. My family LOVES this! It’s probably their overall favorite meal.
My mom was from IL and she used to make this for us growing up, except she cut the dough into long strips and for us it was (and is) called chicken and noodles. We like to eat it over a bowl of mashed potatoes. SO good! I love your site and tell everyone I know about it! I’m using your biscuit recipe again tonight, for biscuits and gravy.
I made these tonight – YUMMY!! You were the only one I found who had “real” dumplings, no biscuit or tortilla fakers for me! My husband grew up in Tennessee, so these had to be real and he loved them! I cooked my chicken with cream of chicken soup to add a little extra flavor.
I made these today! They are absolutely delicious! Thanks for the wonderful recipe. By the way, the pot’s empty! Thanks again, Beth
This was soooo easy and very yummy! Thanks for such a great and simple recipe!
I love chicken and dumplings and grew up eating them. I’ve never been able to master the art of the dumpling but I’m giving your recipe a try tonite. However, I doubt I’ll be able to make my dumplings as pretty as yours.
I made this recipe last night! Oh so good! It was a hit with the whole family which includes a very picky 6 year old. It was a fight for the last bowl of leftovers today!
I just made the “Homemade Chicken and Dumplings” It really was easy! My grandmother used to make this when I was a child and have great memories of it. As an Adult I always wanted to make it but was intimitaded by it….however this reciepe made it so easy! My family loved it! Even my mother who is critical was impressed by it…
I highly recommend trying it!
great recipe!!!! reminds me of my mommas chicken and dumplings. very quick n easy
I love homemade chicken and dumplings. I have searched and searched for an easier, more “dependable” way to make them. If you’ve made chicken and dumplings more than once you know that they can vary in texture no matter what you do! My solution: Flour Tortillas. I know, it sounds crazy…but if you cut them up into dumplings, shake them in a bag with flour and drop one by one into boiling broth. Drop them in one by one and make sure they are all the way in the broth before adding more, otherwise they stick together. Trust me YOU WON”T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. And they are perfect every time. Truthfully, I never make them the old way anymore. My father in law would not eat anyone’s dumplings because he said he never found any as good as his mothers. I made them while they were visiting once. He started out with the juice, then the chicken, then the dumplings, and now, HE ONLY EATS MINE! I just can’t get a more rave review than that. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Sorry, I did not like the dumplings AT ALL. They were like noodles not dumplings. Maybe I did something wrong, I don’t know but they were not dumplings. The Flavor and everything else was good though.
Ashely, I’m sorry you didn’t like them. Could you have rolled them out too thin? Or maybe you’re used to the thicker, drop dumpling type. There are several different ways to do dumplings and I think in different parts of the country they are different. I’m glad the flavor was good. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
I love how kind you are. It really made me smile tonight.
I’m wondering if the reason she didn’t like the dumplings is because she is from the northern part of the US. I also call these noodles, but when I met my ex, (who was from GA) we had a debate over this. Our dumplings in the north (MO) are biscuit dough dropped by teaspoon or tablespoon-fuls into the boiling broth, so they come out fat and fluffy. I think it’s a regional thing, just not what she was expecting. Just a thought….
I made this but first I cooked some carrots in the broth first. Then I added peas near the end. Very yummmmmy!!
I am happy to hear that I can freeze the dough! That means I can pull them out to thaw in the am and whip it together for lunch after church with guests. How many do you think this amount will serve? The recipe I was given doesn’t have measurements or use baking powder what do you think the difference is?
I saw this recipe tonight circulating through Pinterest and I made it because I had all of the ingredients and it looked easier than other chicken and dumpling recipes. It was so good! My husband and I love it. We’re newlywed and always looking for way to save money and for cooking inspiration and motivation. I’m so glad I was led to this site. I can’t wait to try other recipes! Thank you!
Tried this last night after seeing it on Tasty Kitchen and it was amazing! So glad to learn of your blog and can’t wait to look around your menus more! You have a new fan for sure!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I found this recipe off Pinterest and made it for the first time last night and it was very yummy! I have tried recipes before that use biscuits for dumplings instead of hand making them, and they just don’t taste as good. I’ll be doing handmade chicken and dunplings for now on! I used canned chicken and added it in at the end and it tasted wonderful. Thanks again!
I understand that the dumplings can be frozen, but can the whole meal be frozen?
Bernadette, I’ve never tried freezing the whole meal. They tend to thicken in the fridge, but you can just add water when you heat them. I’m not sure how they will hold up in the freezer. If you try it, let me know how it works.
This was exactly the recipe I was looking for! My grandmother has been very proud of her chicken and dumplings for years and she’s not been feeling well so I decided to make some to surprise her. Not only did she love them, but thought they tasted just like hers and was very proud. Thank you so much! I never could follow her recipe, but this was definitely a life saver.
How do you think they would taste with buttermilk instead of regular milk? I wanted a bit richer taste.
Cassie, I think buttermilk would be good. If you use chicken broth from a real chicken (as opposed to canned) to cook the dumplings in it will be very rich.
Thanks! I made them with real chicken broth the first time and it does make them very tasty. I used your whole chicken crock pot recipe and then added a small amount of canned broth so I’d have enough liquid. I just thought the buttermilk might be a bit better.
So…I am attempting this recipe tonight (really hoping I did it correctly!) I have a few silly questions though…..what heat level do you cook the dumplings at…it says to boil but then after that….what level? I just turned the heat down some because I didn’t want them to stick to the pan. Also, do you stir the dumplings the entire time or occasionally or not at all once they are all in?
Thank you so much for any help and I can’t wait to try this tonight!!!
Patricia, you’ll want them to boil gently as they cook, so you won’t need high heat once they get going, but keep them boiling gently. And stir them occasionally to keep them from sticking. Happy cooking!
I had never made chicken and dumplings before I made these. Now, I’ve already cooked them for multiple people and they all love it! This is an amazing and extremely easy recipe. Thanks for sharing
Could someone tell me how many this recipe serves? Thanks!
Sammi, the chicken and dumplings recipe serves about 8-10 people.
I am going to try this tonight. Just a quick question, how do you cook your chicken? Thank you so much!
Holly, I’ve done the chicken different ways. Sometimes, I use a whole chicken that I cook in the slow cooker or oven. Sometimes, I bake chicken breasts (boneless or with bones) in the slow cooker or oven. I often cook extra so I have chicken in the freezer, ready to add to this recipe or others that use cooked chicken. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I will bake the chicken breasts.
So we just ate dinner…they were fantastic! Thank you so much for the idea.
I’m glad you liked it
I am trying this tonight. We just got snow a few days ago and it is so grey and ucky today. I think this will be the perfect meal for filling the family’s belly and showing them all how much I love them. Thanks for sharing!
Kim
Omg, yummo! The dumplings were more like noodles, but soo good! My son and daughter loved it! Def a make again!