A bowl of homemade 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…
You probably have all the ingredients for these dumplings in your kitchen right now.
And you don’t have to be a great cook to make them.
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
First, here’s what you’ll need to make your old fashioned, homemade chicken and dumplings:
- 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 eyeball 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!
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings – It’s Easy. Really.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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!
Want to try other tasty chicken and dumplings recipes?
Here are three more homemade chicken and dumpling recipes:
Made in a Slow Cooker with Gnocchi
Have you ever made homemade chicken and dumplings?
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I love how your dumplings are perfect little squares!
The bst vay to make dumplings is use floured tortillas cut with a pizza cutter and drop one at a time , no mess to clean up.
I tried this once and my family complained & said they weren’t as good as the ones I usually make. (I usually make them from scratch). I was really hoping it would work because it’s so much easier, but it was a no-go with my crew.
The secret to using floured tortillas is to make them the day before you plan to serve them. Refrigerate overnight and heat slowly next day with extra broth. Yum!!!
My late brother-in-law made the best dumplings….he just mixed flour (plain or self-rising, either works) with hot chicken broth, rolled out and cut. They were awesome! My mother always made them with canned biscuits and I grew up loving them that way. I do not like the ones made with tortillas, they seem to have a sweet taste that just is not appealing. Clearly everyone has their own way of making Chicken N Dumplins, so I say find what works best for you and stick with it.
Just made these and I’m in love! Normally, biscuits, dumplings…anything like that comes out more like a weapon to throw at someone. These were fluffy and yummy. The only thing I did differently was to measure the flour, sifted. Thank you! ♥️
What kind of flour I’m assuming all purpose?!?
Maybe the easiest way, but certainly not the best way. I don’t mind the cleanup as part of my dining – or serving – experience. Convenience isn’t an ingredient for me.
To; suemm88.. Will you please share your homemade dumplings? Would love to have the old fashion recipe. My granny and mom made them from scratch. They also made corn meal dumplings with backbone.. Wish I had their recipes.
The recipe for dumplings made from scratch is at the top of this page!
I make homemade dumplings. My receipt is somewhat different than the one here. I first cook a whole chicken in a large pot of water that completely covers the chicken. Put on a lid and cook on low for about 1-1/2 hours. Take chicken out and cool. Meanwhile, I add about 4 or 5 bullion chicken cubes to the broth as there isn’t enough flavor in the broth by itself. While the chicken is cooling, I make my dumplings. I use 4 cups of flour and two tablespoons of baking powder to 1 cup of Crisco. I don’t use butter as it makes them too soft and they are inclined to fall about when cooking. Mix the flour and Crisco until you get lumps about the size of peas. Add one cup of broth (cooled) a little at a time and mix as you are adding it. I just do this with my hands. When you have mixed it thoroughly, flour a cutting surface and take 1/4 of the dough and roll out until about 1/8 of an inch. You can make them as thick or thin as you like. I prefer them on the thinner side, but that’s me. If you like them thicker, roll them out a little thicker. As I cut them out, I layer them on a paper plate and put a napkin between layers as this keeps the layers from sticking together an keeps them from drying out while I am rolling and cutting the rest. Make the squares about 2×2 in. and don’t worry if they aren’t all even. Next, I add about 3 or 4 drops of yellow food coloring to the broth as I don’t like the white look of the broth when they are done. You don’t need to add the food coloring if you don’t want to. Bring your broth to a broil. Add one dumpling at a time and stir continuously as you are adding them until you have all in the pot. Reduce the heat to just a simmer and cover. Leave a little room with the lid for the steam to escape or they will boil over even at a simmer. I cook them about 20 minutes and I stir very gently a couple of times while they are cooking. This keeps them from sticking together and they cook better. Turn off the heat and add the shredded chicken. Let them set uncovered for about 15 minutes before serving. This helps them to thicken. If the broth isn’t thick enough for you, just mix a little cornstarch and water and mix in a bowl and then add to the pot stirring to thicken. It may take making them a few times until you have perfected the receipt for your liking.
It is important to use a pot about the size of a dutch oven pot and add enough water to about 3/4 of the pot.
Make sure each time you roll out a section of dough you add flour to your rolling surface.
You must use the baking powder or the dumpling will stay flat and doughy. Do NOT use baking soda. Will NOT work and it is too salty.
Using your hands to mix the dough will give you a feeling for if you need more or less broth. Usually one cup is enough but if you think you need more, add it. Your dough should end up with a spongy feeling.
I hope this helps. Don’t get frustrated if you aren’t happy with the results for the 1st time. This is kinda like making a pie crust. You have to get a feeling for the dough and judge for yourself if you cooked the dumplings long enough. The inside of the dumpling should not look raw.
Some people don’t skin and bone the chicken, but I do. That’s just a person preference.
I like to serve with corn and a side of cold slaw. IF I am in a hurry or don’t feel like making the slaw, I get some at KFC. I buy it the day I am going to make the dumplings so it is fresh. It seems the longer slaw sits the soggier it gets.
Two cups of plain flour 3/4 tsp of salt and just enough of ice water to mix up. Then roll out thin and cut up and drop in chicken broth.
I make my dumplings with 1. Can of crm/chicken/1 egg,and 2 tsp of baking powder.Mix with enough flour,about 3 cups,knead a few times,divide into 2 balls,roll out thin,cut instrips,freeze.Take out as needed,break off and put in broth.These are very good!
i make my dumplings the sameway with flour and water thats how mom taught me, later i added milk and butter and they are AWESOME, I’M A HIT WITH GUESTS AND FAMILY.
Two cups self rising flour
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup cooking oil
Works every time!
Us can biscuits and roll th out
Ditto
Not as good and they still need to be rolled out. Can be expensive when you have to buy four or five
cans.
I make dumplings like Kate but instead of food coloring, I like to use a little tumeric for both flavor and color
Tastes like chicken and canned biscuits
Ditto
I do like kate too but if you put oil,crisco,or oleo around the rim of your pot the water will not boil over the oil stops it.
That’s how i do it
I also use buttermilk canned biscuits rolled thin in flour
Love that idea…I have a hard time finding Anne’s frozen premade which are fantastic…so I will use the canned buttermilks from now on
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I enjoy making homemade chicken n dumplings; especially in the winter time. I have never used milk in my dumplings; I use plain flour, salt, pepper and water! I have never had any complaints! I also make mine early in the day at times, and as you suggested, put waxed paper between the rows of dumplings and freeze. the dumplings are as thin as a piece of paper and truly are delicious !
I make them this way too, only use the chicken broth instead of water, They turn out great and are a big hit in the fall. I have never used baking powder in them. I will try with baking powder just to see the difference,
I use the chicken broth out of the pot to make my dumplings.
I make the same old fashioned way (the best way) I called it Pot Pie ,I also make it with ham which I like the best 🙂
I use the broth instead of milk. I have to wait until it cools but it adds all that flavor to the dumping and it is wonderful!
I make my dumplings like mom taught me. Flour, salt and hot chicken broth. Cook till doughy taste is gone. Cook in broth and add cooked chicken, deboned
I just use the chicken broth
I use the same recipe my friend taught me years ago plain flour Cisco salt and water and roll thin . They are delicious
I make mine like Kate only when all is done I add a little milk to the pot stir and let set for a few minutes and the broth will thicken up. Yummy
I make mine like Jan R. also! My grandmother taught me over 50 years ago. I cover them and turn the heat off after they are all in the pot and let them steam to finish cooking.
I do this too! I have a question. Can cooked dumplings be frozen?
Yes you can, JoAnn! You’ll just want to let them thaw and carefully separate them so they don’t reheat in a big blob, and they will probably taste best reheated on the stovetop instead of a microwave. ENJOY!
Use biscuits n pinch them in to four parts n drop into hot broth n when done add or chicken an a large can of Carnation milk n I add plenty of salt n pepper n my family love them .
have you tried frozen “homemade” dumplings at walmart? awesome! all the work already done
I use them all the time, they r great
YES DUMPLINGS FROM WALMART ARE VERY GOOD
What kind andwhat aisle? Thanks
Mrs Traylors are what we use. You can find them in the freezer section of most grocery stores. They are in a clear bag with red writing.
Dittos on the frozen dumplings,no work and they taste great.Best thing since sliced bread,
I have to look for those. Not sure we have them in Ontario Canada, but I’ll try them if we do. Thanks
Love the Walmart frozen homemade dumplings! So easy.
Yes I have and that the best way to go cuts down on your time and they are just as awesome!!!
Yes I really like the frozen dumplings at Walmart.
Couldn’t find them at our Walmart anymore. So I decided to try making them from scratch ………which I hadn’t done for 15 + years . This recipe was quick and easier than I remembered.
No, I haven’t but I am going to try them today.
Black Kettle frozen dumplings are as good as homemade! I add carrots, celery and a small onion to the chicken when cooking. You need good chicken stock for good dumplins.
sorry, but after using this recipe I found these dumplings to be the best.
Mary Hill Frozen Dumpling from Hazlehurst GA. Just like home made.
My family didn’t like tortilla either…Nor do I. BUT both of my sisters (who live in Arkansas) both use and love the tortilla squares…
I found the perfect way to make dumplings, was at a grocery and their dumplings were delicious, a clerk said they used pie crust, bought Pillsberry refrigerated piecrust and cut them so easy with a pizza cutter,. I don’t like chunky dumplings, these turned out like my grandmother use to make with no effort!
I’m trying this tonight!
Try Mary B’s dumplings in with the frozen bread, at your grocery store they are really good and no mess.
The secret is in the broth and boxed broth won’t do the job. I always freeze the carcass of my roasted chickens and boil down 3 of them with celery, onions and a carrot for the broth, then add in chicken from whatever source. I really don’t care if there is any chicken anyway. I used to “roll my own” (grandmother always double-rolled hers to get the proper density in her “slickers”), but now I just use the frozen ones we get here in Texas.
My family as well, darn it
I make mine from scratch. 1 1/2 ups flour 2 walnut size spoons Crisco, 2 tsp. Baking powder, mix together. (Get ready 1 cup of broth, also made from chicken base(1 tsp per cup of water) mix until dough is formed.
Roll thin, cut, drop into boiling broth.
Yummy😁 dinner I served
Ditto to that. It just didn’t work very well.
These are quick and delicious!
Walmart dumplings seem more like noodles. No fluff
I use a brand called Aunt Annie’s from Walmart…they are really good and really easy. (They are in a red box and found next to the frozen bread)
No one said anything about PEPPER….no good without lots of black pepper!!!
Allergic to black pepper. No one realizes how many people are. Can use white pepper though.
I use the flour tortillas also and I never get a bad review. Everybody loves them, they are soooo tasty, try it! It’s a winner! No complaints, cooked right…………YUM
You could also use refrigerated biscuits. I have don this before when in a hurry.
I use can biscuits also.Very good! .
Thanks I will do that!!! No mess!!
Amen!! The only way it’s made at my house!
That’s the way I make them!!
Tried the tortillias…..was rejected by whole famiy…:o( Sticking with the home made.
We call them camp dumplings they are fast to make and good,!!!
I like your idea better and ive heard one before using bisquick id like to find it
ON THE BOX OR TRY THEIR SITE
Bisquick makes the best dumplings
I have used bisquick. The drop and slso the roll recipe
Both ways are Good.
I use flour tortillas also. I dust each side of tortillas with flour before cutting.. this keeps the dumplings from sticking together and thickens the broth somewhat. Just remember not to add too many tortillas to your broth or it will be a mess.
Awesome ,thanks
Had those..What a horrible substitution for dumpling.
Canned biscuits make great quick dumplings too
Canned biscuits cut up also make great dumplings.
I just tried this and the outside of the dumpling is slimey. I don’t know what I did wrong.
I tried this and they were to mushy and no depth like dumplings
Oh gosh does this really work that would be a deal breaker I have never heard of this before I will try it for sure. Thank you.
Do you cover them while cooking or not? My mother-in-law told me but I have forgotten. She said that one way they would fall to pieces (but which way).
I leave the pot uncovered while they cook.
The box tells you how long. Yes you let them come to a boil and then cover them for so long.
What box? Leave them uncovered. I always make my grandma’s homemade recipe. They look just like the picture, my family’s favorite!
Real simple buy Mary hilll rozen dumplings the way you prepare chicken is most important..I cook chicken pieces such as backs thyghs along with onions celery tomatoes salt pepper let cool and strain .let cool. Remove fat reheat and drop dumplings.
I always made homemade with SELF-RISING FLOUR until I found MARY HILL DUMPLINGS.They are just like mine and Mamma’s. Chicken cooked at home -boiled and deboned- add store bought chicken broth or the cubes to taste to the leftover chicken water and boil away.
You can also add little green peas and
carrots if one pot meal. Love it!!! AS A NOTE TO FLOUR USERS…PLAIN FLOUR REQUIRES BAKING POWDER, SELF-RISING FLOUR DOES NOT IN MOST CASES AS ALREADY HAS IT INCLUDED.
You can put a dish towel over the pot and then put on the lid and it won’t boil over
My grandmother did the cover with a dish towel thing her dumplings were great.
You can also put a wooden spoon across top of pot and it won’t boil over. Do it all time especially with Mac n chess
My daughter has a gluten allergy. I’m going to try this with my rice flour. She’s missed chicken n dumplings. We are from the south and when you live in Tn. It’s s sin not to eat bread, fried breads, cakes ,pies and southern dishes. Hoping this recipe works for my gluten free baby.
Bisquick makes it gluten free now look either in your local grocery store or hole foods market or go on line and google it .. I have been cooking gluten free for several years and have seen more options for celeac indevidusld !! Good luck !!
I made this recipe using the gluten free baking mix from King Arthur and it worked out just fine. My daughter loved it! I just tweaked the measurements to work out according to the box. It wasn’t hard. In fact I made her batch right alongside our batch (she’s not a celiac case) and it only added a few extra steps/minutes. Getting ready to go do it again right now.
I sautee an onion and celery in my broth and use crisco to make my dumplings. Roll them out really thin and they are delicious.
I use cream of celery soup in my dumpling.
I use to watch my grandma make them! The messy, the better they taste!
I think this is a wonderful…true recipe!!! It’s easy and why cut corners with tortillas? Blah! I’ll use this recipe every time!
I use broth from cooking chicken & a processed broth & I use tortillas (floured) not as messy as homemade, turns out the same and i cut the tortillas with a pizza cutter .
i live in missouri. we have dumplings which are light and fluffy, noodles which are basically flour and egg, rolled thin and dropped into broth and then we have slickers. they are a dumpling rolled out like these. around here they are all eaten, all loved
My mom was from missouri, flour ,eggs ,2 tbsp. Melk. Tney were awesome
From Iowa and my mother in law taught me with the eggs and flour ….. Depending how big a batch determines the number of eggs …. For example : Beat three eggs with a fork then ( add salt to taste and I also add some garlic salt ) flour to the egg mixture until it forms a ball Roll out and cut how you want ….. Squares or strips …. Use flour to add to board when rolling out and add flour to rolling pin and formed ball …. Drop in chicken broth that is boiling until they are done…. They will float to top …. Close to done
Sounds like my Germany grandmother
Dumplings are made the way you all day but not true hill dumplings the cut dumpling is. German drop your dumpling by tablespoons in to your boiling broth and cover now that’s a dumpling there are people out there that no what I am talking about.
Exactly how we make ours, and from
Iowa as well!!
We learned 1 egg, 1 c water or broth, salt to taste & enough flour to make a fairly stiff dough. Drop on boiling broth. Or add a little more flour and roll out and cut in strips or squares. My father liked the soft, fluffy type of dumplings with the baking powder but the rest of us like the “heavy, chewy” kind. So if he was home we had his kind but ours when he wasn’t home. My grandma called them “bot boi” which is what I heard them called in Amish country in SE Ohio.
Yes this is the way my gramma taught me to make them with 1 egg for every cup of flour salt pepper to taste and enough cold water to bring dough together. Then roll out as usual…in PA we call it chicken potpoi. Also add potatoes, celery, shredded carrots.
Yup I use eggs and broth cooled we call it pot pie and my family loves it made with ham most, but also make chicken or beef pot pie. From Pa.
Yes this is what we refer to as slippery pot pie. Beef is my family’s favorite flavor. I save broth and some beef when we have roast beef and store in freezer until needed. I start by boiling broth with onion, bouillion, and a few small cubes of potato. Noodles are made with a similar recipe but I do not add baking powder. I do however use flour, butter, salt,pepper, an egg for each cup of flour and milk. I have never really measured…just like my grandmA
If you four dumpling before dropping them in the broth it makes the best gravy
Do you use all purpose flour or self rising flour
All purpose flour
I wonder how lard in place of flour would work
I think you mean lard in place of butter. That should work great and would be more traditional.
Dumplings are supposed to be round and fluffy not square and chewy , but everyone is different 😉
Omg!!! Thank you so much for this easy dumpling recipe!!!!! It was so easy to make!! And best of all they were so yummy I couldn’t just have one bowl! Lol
These were wonderful I tried them today for the first time.
Thank you for the super easy recipe. I have made them in the past and they were not near as easy or turned out as tender and good.
Sounds yummy, I have a lot of chicken in the freezer so I will have to give it a try!
I buy the bonless skinlees thighs. they are nice & juicy and make great broth.
Has any one made them from Buisquic????? Easy, Recipie on box Just spoon into the boiling broth. They float to the top when done. Yummy
Not the same as flour dumplings. They are good too, just not as good as the old fashion kind that your roll out.
Yes, I always use Bisquick..I just add an egg to the recipe on the box! Easy and delicious!
I always thought dumplings were the light fluffy ones you make with Bisquick. Dropped in the simmering broth and cooked forTen minutes covered and ten minutes uncovered. The dumplings in this recipe are more like noodles….I find them slimy and not the least bit appetizing….I prefer mine light and fluffy almost like a biscuit….
Fluffy, biscuit-like dumplins in the North; flat, doughy “pastry” in the South. Comfort food at its best! Home made is always best, but sometimes you gotta have them quick.
I do not roll out the dough, I drop it by using a teaspoon into the boiling broth.
My first wife made her dumplings kind of biscuit like and were OK but my mom always made the rolled out and cut into strips like wide noodles that were best.
I am Pa Dutch and the recipe you have here we called home made pot pie and the kind with the bisquick we call chicken and dumplings ( we also use ham or beef too
I make mine like my mom and grandmothers did. We never rolled them out. You spoon them in and they puff into wonderful light dumplings. The rolled out ones seem packy to me.
If I’m in a hurry, I have used Mary B’s tea biscuits. They are frozen and half the size of standard bisquits…..more like homemade so they work well.
Bisquick are my favorites. I don’t like the flat ones. Bisquick ones rise and are fluffy and light!!
Marie try dilly dumplings , bisquick recipe but at dill weed to mixture and sprinkle on top, wonderful, I dont measure dill just sprinkle in mixture and on top.
I love Bisquick dumplings because they are fluffy, not gummy.
Bisquick or Pioneer mix is the way my family likes dumplings. Light an Fluffy
I like slippery dumplings and use bisquick. There are two recipes on the bisquick box. One is for drop biscuits (the kind you like) and a recipe for rolled biscuits (the kind that I like). The rolled biscuits call for a bit for bisquick mix than the drop recipe.
I just roll them no less than 1/4″ thick and then cut into fat, short noodles. Add them one at a time into a pot a boiling broth and when all are added and starting to sink, I reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for at least 45 minutes and stir frequently.
Mom used both recipes depending on what dish she was cooking. Rolled biscuit (slippery dumplings) for chicken (stew) and dumplings. Fluffy, dropped dumplings on her beef stew. I have also used the rolled biscuit recipes for ham and dumplings -yummmm
yep they turn out real fluffy and good
Mix Bisquick and chicken broth to make your dumplings.
YES! That’s how my grandma made her dumplings!
These are my favourite. So much better than the rolled out kind.
Bisquick dumplings are like large fluffy biscuts You need a lot of broth as they are dry,
I use the broth to mix my flour instead of milk helps give a better taste. (Mrs)
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!
Just not the same with canned bisquits. too doughy
You can use Flor torrilas cut into squsr
I use flour tortillas! Cut them in longer strips. Use a large CANNED CHICKEN deboned.
Put bones in empty can and fillwith hot water then add to pot with chicken. When it comes to a boil add cut flour tortillos and cook until tender. Tastes just like my Mama used to make!
that’s not true… my mom made the best chicken and dumplings and she used canned biscuits. I have taken on her way and we love it. The dumplings come out perfect not doughy and not fluffy (don’t like fluffy). The trick is to use the cheap canned biscuits, you know the ones that come 4 cans together.
You are so right about using canned biscuits. I do catering and cooked wednesday night dinners at the church for at least 120 people and i always used them. People would ask me if they could buy any leftovers that i might have. The secret is YOU have to know how to cook.
I have used the small frozen tea biscuits when I was in a hurry…..chicken was already cooked the night before, had 4 cups reserved broth, added a box of swansons broth to boost the flavor. When it came to a boil I added 12 frozen bisquits….they melt down a bit so I add the other 12 as the broth thickens….pepper to taste…so quick and yummy and awesome for a working southern mom! When I make from scratch, I use the Driscoll instead of butter….I don’t roll mine. I spoon mine into the broth to make puffy dumplings….it’s the way my mom and grandma made them…. Now I’m hungry and I want to make some. :).
I make dumplings with canned biscuits also, IMO, the plain, cheap ones are the best..never use buttermilk kind, also use lots of flour when rolling them out. I always let them cook slowly for quite a while until they are flat (don’t like fluffy dumplings). Have never had any complaints
That’s how I make them the recipe they have is way to complicated
Too sweet with canned biscuits
I agree
I learned to make this on my own and the only thing i do different is add some cream of chicken soup to the mix. My old boss use to make this really thick gravy with it and they were just delicious…i hated chicken n dumplings until i ate hers…I tried the canned biscuits when i first started trying to make them and they just dont taste the same…
I always use canned biscuits but I flatten them in my hands and break into pieces. They have always been great and tender. I need to try the cream of chicken soup though if it will thicken the broth.
I even use cream of celery and mushroom
Amy, you know that your grandmothers’ version had to be good….you spell it as ‘dumplins’, not dumplings.
It must be a southern thing Rhonda cause I spell DUMPLINS the same way…
There is no wrong way in making chicken and dumplings. Everyone makes them different.
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.
In the South, chicken and dumplings and chicken pot pie are too very different things. Both delicious!
Yes, and in PA this is also called chicken pot pie. When they make chicken and dumplings they use biscuit dough and form balls and drop them in. That is how my grandmother made them. The biscuit dumplings take longer to cook because you want them to be fluffy on the inside. Both dishes are similar and both are delicious. I also add a couple of potatoes to the broth and cook them with the chicken.
Yes, they are entirely different. One has dumplings and the chicken pot pie has a pastry crust….
Chicken & Popeyes is what they called them up north. Pot pie is with a crust and baked.
Actually, they are correct. At least in areas of PA, there are 2 types of Chicken Pot Pie. One has a crust and whole lot of vegetables (the logical pie.) And one looks like this, with hand cut squares of doughy goodness and chicken, sometimes potatoes, simmered in a broth perfectly thickened by the starch from the handmade dough. And when you see that Chicken Pot Pie Supper sign in front of the church or school or fire station, you better show up hungry. Chances are they have a table of homemade baked goods to go with it.
My grandma made both. Chicken Pot Pie with the veggies, and just Chicken Pie without.
Yes! I’m a SoCal girl now, but family is from Ohio. We make a very similar, give and take a couple ingredients and we call it Chicken Popeye and serve over mashed potatoes…carb overload, but oh so good and the best comfort food ever! I am not the cook in the house, but this is one thing I can and do make well, having been taught by my mom and then cooked it with my grandfather (came from his side of the family) who taught my mom. The family loves it, but funny thing is my sister can’t make it worth anything, lol.
Yes, we have always called them Popeye. So glad someone else does.Watched my mom make them for years!
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!
I get Aunt Annes frozen dumpling at grocer. these are easy to use, and I also get boneless, skinless thighs. also add some chicken broth. mmmmmm
I tried Aunt Annes and Mary B’s
I preferred the Mary B’s frozen dumplings. 🙂
I’ve made Chicken and Dumplings and Beef and Dumplings many times in the past, (Learning at mom’s elbow). I can say that I will never roll out another dumpling as long as I can get Mary B’s at the store! 🙂
U r right about Mary B’s dumplings! Much easier than rolling out.
U are so right about the Mary B dumplins.
They are the best, the only thing I cut each dumplin in thirds to make them thinner and then cut them in two ….. also try adding two cans of chicken soup and 1 stick of butter. chicken is always better to cook the whole chicken and that way use both dark and white meat of the chicken, this makes the whole dinner very very tasty. I also before the dumplins get too soft I put them in big crockpot on low and oh they come out wonderfully and U always get an A plus from your partakers.
Makes slimmy dumplings
If you like firmer dumplings add and egg to your dough…Will firm them right up and therefore stop the slimmy as you call it LOL
I use homemade noodle dough for mine. Hubby likes hard dumplings not slimmy.
if you use ice water (a little cream can be added to water for flavor) the dumplings will be firm never “slimey”
I was taught to make my dumpling ahead of time and lay them on a floured tea towel to dry. Also my folks just cut them into about a 4 to 5 inch strip and slowly lower them into a boiling pot of broth. We did not use leavening of any kind just Crisco and flour mixed with some broth or water. Drying out the dumplings or noodles as we called them cut out the gooey-ness of the noodle/dumpling.
Isn’t it amazing how people from all across the country make the same recipes with just a few changes??
Love this blog will keep watching.??
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 put a little poultry seasoning in my dough. And at our house they are always served with fresh hot cornbread!
I always use cream chicken soup. Adds great flavor.
My granddaughter is in the kitchen right now making her first chicken ‘n’ dumplings!!love this blog!!
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….
Definitely is a regional thing. I am from the north and make dumplings with bisquick. Fat and light The best. Southern dumplings are like hockey pucks to me….sorry don’t mean to offend. Just stating fact.
Just for clarification, opinion and taste preference are not fact!
It doesn’t matter what part of the country you are from. I was born and raised in new jersey. Both my mother and my wife would make them 2 ways. Either drop dumplings or bisquik dumplings is one way… the other way is rolled out or pa. dutch pot pie. Both ways are delicious. .. it’s just different in what people call it ( or recipe they want )
You must be a neighbor. I was gonna say the same thing. My mom came from TN so I thought that was where it came from, until I saw Alton Brown show. Some people call these slickers. A rose by any other name and all that!
I think maybe the biggest difference that some folks are use to is that the older generation use to add egg to their dough which firmed up the dough some. I use to love them made like that but, I have gotten to where I like them more fluffy and melt in your mouth sorta dumplings because they seem to hold the flavor of the broth better. I think just as you do Ms. Linda, it’s all in what part of the country you are raised in, but as for the South, (Texas that is) there’s not too many types of dumplins (LOL) we will push back from…
That is because you like fluffy dumplings that rise to the top……I don’t like those slimey style dumplings either. I always put onion, peas, carrots and poultry seasoning in my chicken and dumplings…..I make my dumplings with Bisquick and use the recipe on the box. Maybe the is a Southern vs Northern thing…..Southern cooks use the noodle type of dumplings and Northerners use the fluffy Bisquick ones.
Hi Barbara,
I know where you are coming from, but both types of dumplings are popular in the North…I live in Massachusetts so think I qualify as North. 🙂
Personally, I prefer the flat dumplings whereas my brother prefers the fluffy dumplings.
Both are good…however, I feel personal preference decides which is better to each of us, and this is as it should be. 🙂
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?
It’s been 2 years since the above post, but you don’t have to thaw the frozen dumplings. Just toss them in your hot broth and give them a little extra time to cook.
Cindy, you’re right. They thaw out really quickly in the hot broth. Thanks for sharing that tip!
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!
Found this on pinterest and so excited to try it! My grandmother used to make this when we would visit and it was always such a treat. She was from Kentucky, too. I was lucky enough to inherit her rolling pin that she received from her mother as a wedding gift. How special to roll out some home cooking for my dad with her favorite kitchen tool. Can’t wait! Do you have a Kentucky green bean recipe to go along with it??
This is this first time I have made chicken and dumplings and I found this recipe easy and very tasty. My family also enjoyed it. Thank you!
Planning on making these tonight (: Just a quick question, do you use all purpose flour or self rising flour for the dumplings?
Amber, I use all purpose flour.
I use half plain and half self rising flour. I also add celery, onion, and carrots when I cook the chicken – better flavored broth.
This looks like what my grandmother used to make, can’t wait to try it!
Tried these tonight and I loved them! Made them with self-rising flour to make them a little fluffy and added some sage into the broth. Delicious and even my picky husband ate two helpings. Thanks so much for the recipe. This is a keeper.
Looks so good! I have a recipe that we love, but I can tell that your recipe takes much less time to finish. And it looks like tasty goodness! Can’t wait to try this one out =)
I just used your recipe and it turned out great. The only modifications I made were to use buttermilk instead of regular milk and add some pepper to the flour mixture. Oh, also, I needed a bit over a cup of milk as my flour was still way dry after a cup. I knew it didn’t need to be sticky but there was a ton of flour leftover in the bottom of the bowl that wasn’t incorporating!
While I was making the dumplings, I cooked b/s chicken breasts I’d cubed into 1″ pieces in 2 cartons of chicken stock, added some chicken bouillon powder, thyme, s&p to the stock mixture and halved 2 carrots and an onion and tossed it all in the liquid while it cooked. After the chicken was done, I strained out the veggies/herbs, put the chicken in a bowl, added some water to bring the liquid back up to 8 cups and then put in the dumplings a few at a time. I stirred every few minutes, reduced to a simmer after about 20 mins and let it cook on low for an additional 15 mins or so just to thicken up (Cracker Barrel style!!). Super quick and easy and will definitely be my go-to dumpling recipe.
ive made them over and over this is a fast and easey recipe and they turn out yummy
Thank you for sharing your recipe. My grandson (6 yrs old) and I just made them. Delicious!
Just made your version tonite…I did alter mine a bit by adding a bit of milk,1/2 and 1/2 with flour mixed in…The recipe was very good and my family enjoyed the dumplings. Only difference was I left out the celery,onions,peas and carrots I normally add and my son DID request those be added the next time but he gave this two thumb’s up even without them.
It is the celery, onions peas and carrots that make it a meal….chicken, broth, dumplings doesn’t bring a whole meal to the table like adding those vegetables does…
Love this recipe and tried it out this weekend. It was a hit thank you for sharing:)
Just made this, delish! The dumplings turned out perfect (even with my 2 year old ‘helping’). I sautéed my chicken in the pot first just for more flavor. So good!
I found this recipe a while back on Pinterest. My whole family loves them. I make them at least 3 to 4 times a month. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
How exactly do I cook the chicken? My Aunt Kelly used to make it when we lived in Florida but we recently moved to Illinois and the weather is getting chilly. I’d love to make this for dinner! Thank you!
Candice, there are several options for the chicken. You can “cheat” and buy a rotisserie chicken and take the meat off the bone to add to the dumplings. Or you can bake your own whole chicken or cut up chicken in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours at 350. Or bake boneless chicken breasts in the oven for about an hour.
I boil my chicken, then I also have homemade broth to cook the dumplings in
Can I use Crisco instead of butter?
Amber, I’m guessing that’s the more traditional way to make them. I think crisco would work fine.
Made this again! It’s now my go to recipe 🙂 I add carrots though so we at least get some veggie
have you tried country drop dumplings make the dumpling mixture the same way but make thin it out to the thickness of pancake batter may just a tad bit thicker it cooks really fast and they are fluffy on the inside
Would these still be good if you froze the leftovers for future meals?
Thanks and blessings,
Lori
It’s been a long time, but I do think that I’ve frozen them before.
My grandmother used to make these. I have fond memories of her at the counter with her rolling pin. I made your recipe tonight, and used that same rolling pin (I “inherited” it). These were delicious and JUST LIKE Grandma used to make. They took me way back to a simple time and brought back sweet memories of my grandmother. Not only that, but my big, picky family loved them so much. Thanks so much for posting this recipe and helping me to give that same memory to my children. These will go into our meal rotation.
How many does this feed?
Mary, as a side dish this will feed about 12-14. As a main dish, 8-10 servings.
O.M.G. sooooo amazingly gooood. Definetely my go to recipe. BUTTTT gonna put in my two cents on what i did…. I had a TON of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, sooo i that instead of chicken. I didnt ahve enough chicken broth, but had chicken bouillion cubes. So i boiled 4 cups of water with 2 chicken cubes, an also 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Put the turkey in an got it boilin while i made the dumplins. Had alittle leftover buttermilk, so added some of that, was bout 1/2 cup, then added 1/2 a cup of chicken broth. Then put it in an turned to simmer. Was soo yummy!! Thanks!
I too have used turkey in the past because of the leftover turkey. I also take the turkey carcass and bones and boil it down with onions, thyme, sage, and celery to get turkey broth. Then strain and cool then put in freezer in small batches for future use. Very flavorful. I also pick through what I strained and there is so much turkey in it that I put in baggy for soups or dumplins. Just thought I would share. It saves a lot of money by not having to buy chicken stock. To me, it’s close enough and use it for all things that uses chicken broth.
I just made this today, very good. But I made a few changes. I didn’t have chicken stock so I made a vegetable stock with onions celery and carrots; thyme, and oregano; salt and pepper. Strained that then did the chicken and dumlpings normally but the last 15 mins of cooking I added celery and carrots to it. Very good. thank you for the dumplings recipe.
your recipe is simaliar to my mothers she uses lard instead of butter. I think I will give this one a try with some of your other recipes I have bookmarked.
I’m going to have to try this recipe for my Texan husband. First time I made my yankee style big fat fluffy dumplings he looked at me like I was crazy!
Oh Terri, this made me laugh. I’m a Texan and I gag when someone makes them with biscuits or tortillas. Did you make these for hubby? What did he think?
Great recipie. But here where I live in Pennsylvania, in the middle of PA dutch country, this is called Chicken Pot Pie. Chicken and dumplings would consist of the same base withthe chicken and chicken broth, adding carrots, and potatoes to the mix and the dumplings would be plops of dough that get all gooey and good on the outside but the inside stays dry and puffy with air hole in them. Only way I can describe there. But this recipe makes a great chicken pot pie and thats the way we make it here.
Will be trying this for sure i remember my mom making these gonna try this in a couple of days. she used to make them round but square is just fine with me….
I made these Dumplings today, good!
I make these all the time with the same recipe. My mom always made the drop dumplings (and as someone mentioned earlier it may be regional because I’m in IL and I hated drop dumplings. My husband’s father made the rolled ones and they are so much butter. The only difference is he pre-cooked the dumplings in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to cook some of the starch out (I have no idea if it really does anything but my husband does it the same because of this) and then transferred them to the broth to finish cooking. Funny thing – he never thickened the broth and when I explained my mom always did and it was a little more like a gravy he tried it and loved it!
I’ve made these about a half dozen times!! They are great!! My little guy loves helping me cut out the squares! But they always seem rather big, esp. for his little mouth. I think maybe I’m not rolling them out thin enough? Because it always takes about 40 minutes or so do get mine done. He says I should just make them more bite sized for him. Which I’m going to try when I make them again tomorrow, since he’s had such a blast helping me. He’s my picky one, and I have no doubt the only reason he loves when we have this is because he loves helping make it.
Not that he doesn’t love it and eat it all! But if I tried to get him to eat any other version he wouldn’t even try it.
Absolutely loved this recipe. So close to my Mom’s, yet so easy. Made it just as it’s stated and added the leftover flour from the counter at the end just to thicken it even more. This is the 3rd time I’ve made them and practice does make perfect. I was easily intimidated by the dough the first time, but the thought of using biscuits made me more determined than ever to have “Homemade.” So, so good!
I have always made drop dumplings like my mother for the last 30yrs….I tried these, they were very easy to make tho mine don’t look as nice for the first time but it was very simple.
Can’t wait to try them for dinner :))
Yummy!!! This looks so good. Reminds me too of making chicken and “dumplins” with my grandmama. She used Crisco and buttermilk. The dumplins were so good (as were her biscuits!) we’d eat dough pieces raw before they were even cooked! Also, here in eastern NC we would call your style Chicken and Pastries. Oh but we’d still eat ’em all up! lol. My grandmama did the drop style where they’re big fluffy balls….miss that. I love both styles! Mmm Mmm. May have to make this very soon. Thanks for sharing.
My family is from eastern nc too and we call it chicken and pastry-love it !!
I was searching for a way to freeze the dumplings once I rolled them out and found your sight. My dumpling were made for a simple baking mix similar to bisquick. I always have some kind of chicken parts in the freezer and today I just simply used some wings I had thawed in the fridge. Thanks for the tip about freezing them!
Sharon, I’m glad you found my site. Enjoy those dumplings!
Just made these but with turkey. Added chopped fresh thyme & rosemary added to dumplings. Great recipe.
Hello! You have a very wonderful recipe and present it wonderfully easy to to follw! I made a double batch, everyone loves them but was wondering if I can freeze some because I just made way too many!! I don’t want them to go go waste! ]
Thank you
Katrina
Katrina, they do freeze very well if you do it before cooking them. I’ve never tried freezing them after they’re cooked, but I imagine it would work fine too. Just be gentle when you heat them, not to stir too much so they don’t break up.
Hi Tiffany,
I’ve been making a very similar version of these for over 50 years. When it comes to freezing the finished dumplings, well, lets just say that I have found them to be crumbly and a pale semblance of their original self; again, could be just my palate talking . What I would recommend is to freeze all but the dumplings and make a fresh batch using the thawed, and if necessary, reconstituted broth. 🙂
We’ve never had trouble with them crumbling after being frozen. But we freeze before cooking, so it’s just the dumpling dough, not cooked dumplings.
Correct, Tiffany. The uncooked ones freeze just fine, however, I have found that the cooked ones do not hold up near as well. 🙂
I MADE THE CHICKEN AND ROLL DUMPLINGS, THEY WERE WONDERFUL VERY EASY TO MAKE I ALREADY HAVE A BATCH IN THE FREEZER AND I WILL NEVER USE ANY OTHER RECIPE FOR DUMPLINGS, THIS IS JUST LIKE THE ONE I GREW UP WITH…
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE
I just make this! My family loved the recipe. I seasoned the flour with garlic and pepper before mixing the dough. Thank you!
i make them just like u do but just regular flour and their a hit with my family and everyone but im gonna try it with the self rising flour to make them more fluffy.and i dont like vegetables in them veggies on the side .
As a ten year old, I would go squirl hunting. My Grandma born in 1885 would take them to back of her small house we built her and skin them..zip, zap done. She made squirl dumplings, but she didn’t use milk, but the broth from the stew and the same with chicken.
What did the squirrel dumplings taste like? When was the last time you had them? Interesting story!
It has been over 50 years. Squirrl is great, Rabbit is better, Chicken is third to me. I am going to make the wild game dumplings this year. Oh and oppossom is last. Grandma used to get em, feed them in a cage for a week and cook em, delicious. I grew up a lot like the Dynasty guy, Phil.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing your stories.
I think I’ll try these and use smaller cookie cutters on the dumplings to make some interesting shapes for my grandchildren. The recipe sounds delicious.
Have you ever tried adding well seasoned chicken broth (the homemade kind) to make the dumplings in place of the milk?
A friend taught me this and I really like it.
All of your recipes are wonderful. Thanks so much.
Sally, I haven’t tried that, but I think I’ve heard of people doing it. It sounds great!
I use the chicken broth, also use eggs instead of butter. But that is how I was taught growing up. Just had a big batch a week ago. My kids and grandkiddos love them.
This is real chicken and dumplings to me. If it has veggies in it, it is still good but more of a chicken soup. I remember it this way when I was growing up in the Florida panhandle. Couldn’t remember all the ingredients in the dumplings, so was searching for a recipe. Thanks, this is perfect. Also, I buy whole chickens and if I am in a rush I just cut g he whole chicken in half and freeze. So this dish is a good use for the half chickens I have in the freezer besides just roasting them.
THANK YOU! My fondest memories of my Nanny were of her chicken and dumplings. Southern comfort food that sticks to your ribs. No one made dumplings as good as my Nanny and now that she’s gone no one could duplicate her dumplings. My mother is hideous at dumplings and gave up trying long ago. Nanny’s recipe is similar to yours and I’ve been trying for years to find an authentic version of dumplings from around KY. (She lived in a tiny little town near Pikeville.) Through the years I’ve found recipes close but not quite. Your recipe is perfect. No shortening in the recipe, she did include some chicken broth in her dumplings, and they were rolled not drop dumplings. I found your blog because I was trying to find if I could freeze dumplings to use at a later time and was going to search once again for a new dumpling recipe to try. Up popped your recipe and its perfect. Thanks again. I can’t wait to make this recipe.
Where does the butter come into the recipe or did I miss it? Thanks
LOL OOPS sorry I just went back to look again and seen it.
I used canned chicken broth instead of milk and did not need the butter, they are great! everyone can tweek the recipe a little bit for there own taste but my family loved them, just don’t roll them out to flat your not making pie crust! lol
I made this type of dumplings for years … always a family favorite. I time the cooking of the dumplings as follows: when you first put the dumplings in, they sink to the bottom. As they cook, they rise to the top of the soup. Once they have risen to the top, the put the lid on the pot and continue to cook until they are completely done … i.e. no doughy taste. Also, in my opinion, chicken and dumplings are always best the next day!
Any advice on how thick to roll out the dumplings? This is the area that I have the most problem. Either I get the dumplings too thin and they disintegrate making thick delicious broth. Or I roll them out too thick and they never get done. Yuck raw dough in the middle. I have a whole chicken unthawed ready to cook today to make dumplings this weekend. I could really use some advice on thickness.
I like to roll mine about 1/4″ thick.
Thanks Tiffany I took your advice yesterday and they were perfect.
I have a question do you use self rising or all purpose flour?
I’m not Tiffany but I have made many dumplings in my day. You can use either self rising or all purpose flour. If you use all purpose flour just add double the baking powder. Also I never use canned chicken or broth. Try boiling or cooking in a crockpot with chicken boullion cubes or granules. You can add as many as you like to get the flavor you want, but I start with 3 or 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts and 12 boullion cubes in a 10 quart pot.
How do you cook chicken?
You can bake it. 350 for about an hour. You may need to add time if you’re doing a large whole chicken.
I cooked my whole chicken in the crockpot. I filled it up with water to the top of the chicken. I had also seasoned the chicken prior to adding the water. I add two bay leafs as well. Cooked it on high about 6 hours. Living in the desert I put my crockpot outside so I don’t heat up the house. The chicken is falling off the bone tender when it’s done. I debone the chicken when it’s cool and allow the broth to sit overnight in the refrigerator so I can easily skim off the fat the next day. Plan to cook the chicken one day and make the dumplings the next day.
Here in northwest Florida the dumpling recipe is super easy.
3 or 4 cups self rising flour
1 egg
canned chicken broth to make a slightly wet dough
roll out on floured surface just as thin as you can get it. I let it dry out just a bit while the whole roasting chicken cooks on top of stove. Remove chicken to cool a bit before deboning, put cut up dumplings (cut in squares) in hot broth a few at a time. After coming to boil, reduce heat and simmer till done. Add de boned chicken.
Well, here is my take… And all we southerners have one. My “granny” would save the chicken necks, tails, back bones,wing tips and extra skin from chickens we would cut up for fried chicken and always place in an old used bread bag into freezer until dumplin time. Then the ‘scraps’ and a whole chicken would be boiled, usually day before. Then chicken deboned and broth cooled so the layer of fat could be taken off and used in the floor with dumplings. Then the chicken fat, crisco and ‘sweet milk’ was used to make dumplins. Once the dumplins had been cooked, addition milk, usually canned pet milk, was added to broth along with a glob of butter, deboned chicken along with lots of pepper. Boiled until a nice gravy is made. Served with a large slice of onion and a slice of light bread to sopp up gravy….. People would come from all around for ‘Ma Dales’ chicken and dumplins. She had a large boarding house during the war that she always successfully fed. I feel special for being the only one she has passed this technique down to. Enjoy.
Oh my goodness they sound like they’d melt in your mouth!
My old house keeper when I was a child used to call them “slickers”, kind of a slang name for dumplins.
I will try these using a rotisserie chicken from Walmart. It will add a lot more flavor to the dish. Just a thought.
I grew up eating made from scratch dumplings my grandmother made. I tried the tortilla ones but did not really like them. However, one day I visited an aunt in Mississippi and she made chicken and dumplings for dinner and they were delicious. I couldn’t believe it when she told me she used tortillas. She said the trick is to dip each dumpling in water, shake off the excess, then dip it in flour and drop them in the broth. She said most people couldn’t tell the difference. I sure couldn’t!
My mom made the best chick-n-pastry. Very simple. 2 cup a.p. flour, 1 cup water. Mom would add some salt and pepper to the flour. The key is to have a very wet dough when boiling (bread doughs are dry). In the mixing bowl, make a hole in the flour, add the water and mix. Remove from bowl and roll out to about to 1/8 to 3/16 thick on heavily floured flat surface. Use a knife to cut strips (or squares).
Boil a chicken in salted water the day before. Remove the chicken, and when cool, debone and skin it. Clean the meat of any fat or vessels, and shred it into a bowl. Save. Let the stock cool. Skim the fat from the top, discarding the fat (Mom was healthy–lived past 100). Save stock.
Add the stock to a large pot, and bring the total volume to 6-10 quarts with added water (I make a double recipe, so I usually have at least 10 qts stock). Salt to taste. Bring to a rolling boil on high, and slowly add the strips of pastry, 4-5 at a time. You want to keep the broth boiling. Keep slowly adding strips until all are added. Cook on high to maintain rolling boil. This keeps the pastry from sticking to the bottom. You may want to use a wooden spoon to check for sticking once in a while. When pastry is done, add shredded chicken. Turn burner off. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Taste, adding pepper and salt to season.
The more flour that is attached to the dumplings when added will thicken the broth more, but can cause sticking. Also, I often add whatever flour is loose from rolling after I’ve added all the pastry.
I’ve added celery to the water when cooking the chicken, discarding when cooked, along with crushed red pepper. Celery goes well with chicken, and I like a little hot–just a tiny bit. Some people add boiled potatoes, adding them at the time the chicken is added. I like em. I even added cooked sweet potatoes, but they don’t hold up well.
Its Southern Cooking, add all kinds of things to see how it works. Winter squash works, Sausage balls, not so much. A hint of cardamon is OK. Even tried a hint of cinnamon. eh.
Always better the second day.
My sister taught me to make chicken an dumplin’s from scratch . One thing she taught me to do was use broth chicken cooked off and strain noodles from a large can of chicken noodle soup.add strained broth to stock. My family likes a little celery and carrots in the stock, just don’t overdo! For a change we will add a large can of peas to the last15 minutes of cooking.
LOLOLOLOL It looks like Rachel Ray is standing behind a giant bowl of flour…hahahaha. Took me a sec to realize what was going on there lol.
Kellie, I think the same thing every time I look at that photo and I”m the one who took it!
She totally photo-bombed your pic LOL.
My Aunt Reba cooked on a wood burning stove .she started out with a whole chicken in a big pot when chicken was cooked and deboned she pinched off her dough and dropped into pot until dough was done man that was some good eaten that was real chicken and dumplings yum and the blackberry dumplings where out of this world
Thanks for the recipe. Gonna try it since I’ve never et made dumplings before . It cracks me up that when someone goes to the trouble of posting a recipe that people reply with their own. I’m like, post your own somewhere else!
I love serving my dumplings over fresh, hot, mashed potatoes. Mmm, mmmmm! It adds a lot to the taste.
We use caned bisquetts and they are sooo good the broth gets creamy ummmm I know what’s for dinner tonight
Omg been searching for a good recipe for this and this one was AMAZING! Thank you:)
I made this yesterday and they were FABULOUS. I followed the recipe to the letter with one exception- I used chicken broth not milk in the dough. Having the size helped as did the thickness (thank you Tiffany). It took about 10 minutes longer to cook (35 minutes) but they were excellent. My husband who never gives a compliment was talking about how good they tasted while he was still eating. I can count on one hand the number of times in almost 30 years of marriage he’s done that. This recipe is a keeper. I plan to make more dumplings for the freezer next week so I can make these on a whim. Although I must say it only took about 15 minutes start to finish to make the dumplings. Thanks again.
A husband who gives a compliment is something to be celebrated! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Not a naturally good cook at all, but I must tell you for the best chicken and dumplings, one needs to make their own home-made chicken broth. This recipe gave me some tips on how to make it feed a crowd. The chicken itself is not all important. My recipe calls for trying to steam them with the lid on without it boiling over. The same tip is important for good cornbread dressing. Have the dressing really moist to have it not too dry with possibly adding some water if the broth doesn’t do the trick. Good broth needs to include 7 cups of water, one sliced carrot, 1/4 cup finely chopped celery, a small chopped onion, 4 whole peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and 2 tsp. salt, as well as some chicken parts. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours. Strain broth and place in the refrigerator overnight for the fat to solidify. Remove as much of the fat as you can before using broth. This is enough for a 9″x13″ pan of dressing. Some people even put some of the chicken in the dressing and most put some of the chicken in dumplings. Again, I must remind you, Go sparingly on the chicken. Don’t overload it. I personally like my cornbread dressing to have both cornbread and light bread and use the chicken for other recipes. I also think too much chicken in dumplings takes away from how good the dumplings are.
My grandma made hers similar to this but like others have said used the chicken stock instead of water. She also cut out her squares with a pastry wheel so that they had pretty edges. Thanks for sharing this!! I haven’t made these in ages!
does anyone use sage for seasoning? I’m from Texas and that was usually an added ingredient. Love this recipe, but added sage.
The only real dumpling is a drop dumpling onto the boiling chicken stew. Cook until done. It also thickens the chicken stew. Anything else is just chix noodle soup w/ bigger noodles.
Chicken-n-dumplings from my southern Grandma. She called the dumplings “slip dumplings”. Tweeked it for my taste. Always all gone! I’m the kind of cook that doesn’t exactly measure everything. I measure by my eyes. Cover a whole chicken, or legs and thighs equivalent to whole chicken amount with water. Add a Bay Leaf or two. Add a chopped onion if ya like. Cover and boil until chicken comes off the bone. After it’s cooled, refrigerate pot and all. While the chicken is cooking make the dumpling dough. Combine with a whisk, four cups flour, salt, pepper, dill, tarragon, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry season to taste. Cut in 1 cup Crisco or lard. Add enough chicken stock to combine everything. Roll into a ball or two, cover and refrigerate over night. Next day remove the Bay Leaf and the chicken fat rendered from the chicken, debone the chicken and set aside. (Save the bones to make chicken stock later) Add some chicken stock to liquid and bring to a boil. Roll out dough onto floured surface. Cut into whatever shape you want. I usually cut into strips about 2 or 3 inches by 1 inch. Usually about a 1/4 inch thick. Make sure both sides are floured. Layer on waxed paper. Drop one by one into boiling stock. Stir gently. Remove to a large bowl when they come to the top. Do not over stir or over crowd or you’ll windup with a big glob of dough. Continue until all the dumplings are cooked. While cooking the dumplings there may be times you’ll need to add more chicken stock or water, do so. Bring to a boil again before adding more dumplings. (Optional) Add a can or two of concentrated chicken and/or mushroom soup, and about a half cup of peas. Then add chicken and dumplings and gently stir. Cook on low heat for about 10/15 minutes. VOILA! Enjoy! Grandma served this with her coleslaw (chopped cabbage, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions, salt and mayo) and cornbread. Btw, sometimes I add carrots when the chicken is boiling.
How many does this recipe serve?
Thank you
It serves about 8 people.
My Mom use to make chicken and Sliders as she called them. It was a recipe that she learned from her Mom. We always had lots of company and she could stretch this meal and no one left the table hungry. She would have a couple chickens in the pot and cook them for a couple hours. She would remove the chicken and I would help her remove all the skin and bones and we would then set this aside.
The sliders were made with flour, salt, and water, and she would flour her board well and roll it out very thin, then cut the sliders into squares. When she had a plate full she would drop them into the boiling stock and gently stir to have them. She would repeat this until she had cut all the sliders up and cook uncovered until done. When they were cooked she would add milk and have a milk gravy with the sliders. When the gravy was all cooked she would stir in the pulled chicken. Everyone remembers my Mom’s Sunday dinners with the sliders and chicken and she usually had mashed potatoes and biscuits too. Great Memories.
I make mine somewhat the same way but I season and brown my boneless skinless chicken in the bottom of a deep pot with a tad bit of oil, ( this adds flavor to the broth scrapping up all the yummy goodness stuck to the bottom and even gives the gravy part a more color then just white which makes it more appetizing then remove add chicken broth and water till half way up the pot. Chop up my chicken and return it back to the pot heat till simmering while im making my dumplings. For a quick and easy way use cans of biscuits and a lil flour on a cutting board when rolling them out. But when I make from scratch i too use a pizza cutter and just scoop them up with the edge of the cutter drop in bowl of flour then when the bowl is full i sift them out and drop into pot. They will float on top at first but once they become done they will start to sink.
Yum! I used boneless skinless. With 1 can cream chicken and 1 can mushroom soup. I added maybe 2 cups milk. Slow cooked all day on low. The dumplings were added not too long b4 eating. It fed 6 kids age 1-6 plus 2 adults. Perfect size for our family! Thanks for sharing original idea.
My mom says that you must start with a “yellow” chicken. I think that means a fat one so there is lots of chicken fat to make the broth rich adn flavorful. So she spends a day or two making sure there are no pin feathers or other impurities on her chicken. THen she cooks it until it falls off teh bones. So she would not use just chicken breasts because it would not make a rich broth. My dad grew up near the NC mountains where they made drop dumplings. My mom grew up near the coast where it was “chicken and pastry.” At our house Mom’s version was what we wanted. At her mom’s there always seemed to be a cornbread dumpling thrown in the pot and all the grandchildren thought it was disgusting. We only wanted the pastry. We called it dumplings and I still do although it is more of a noodle process but we’d never add an egg or dry them out at all. Now as a vegetarian, I like to figure out how to make my version, but I have too many other projects to do that this year:)
Hi LaDonna,
This is not quite the conundrum you may think it is. Here is an alternative recipe.
Make a broth with vegetable bouillon. Add some quartered potatoes and onions along with 2″-cut carrots and celery, salt, pepper and a couple of bay leaves and sprigs (1/2 tsp. dry) of thyme.
Simmer until the veggies are done.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings with 2 cups of all-purpose flour, salt and pepper (to taste), 1 Tablespoon shortening (Crisco or margarine), and a cup or bit more of some of the stock which has been cooled to below boiling. Mix well and roll about 1/8-1/4″ thick on a well floured surface. Use generous amounts of flour when rolling out the dumplings and DO NOT dust it off of them after they have been cut…this extra flour gives you a thicker broth.
Cut into I-1/2″ to 2 ” pieces. The size and shape is not that critical so use even the irregular pieces left over.
Remove the cooked veggies from the stock and set aside in a covered bowl.
Add the dumplings to the boiling stock 1 by 1, stirring occasionally. Don’t crowd them, if necessary do 2 or 3 batches.
Boil uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Reduce the heat to a low boil, cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes. You can tell when they are done because there will not be a center of raw dough when they are cut.
Remove each batch when done and set it aside until all are finished, then return the veggies and the dumplings to the stock until heated through.
To serve…Place some veggies, dumplings and broth into a large soup bowl and have salt, pepper, and crusty bread at the ready. 🙂
Give it a try and let us know what you think. 🙂
Have you tried pinto beans with dumplings? It is ssoooo good
I just made this using self rising flour and mostly broth with some milk, it was fantastic and the best I ever made. And sorry to say I think it rivaled grandmas.
LOVE Chicken n’ Dumplins! My Moms long time Receipe was similar, except self rising flour. She also beat an egg in the milk and often used 1/2 milk and 1/2 chicken broth to give the Dumplins an even better flavor. She also threw in a couple Chicken bullions, but only Wylers! Another secret was to roll them out very flat. Cut them in long strips about 1 and 1/2 inches wide and 3 or 4 inches long. She always told us not to peek at the Dumplins! They simmered on low+ until done. Sooooo good! She served mashed potatoes with hers. I’m happy to say after many try’s, I finally can make them! This is an old Virginia recipe.
use chicken stalk in stead of broth it’s better
This is a true southern recipe. As the dumplins cook, they slightly dissolve to thicken the gravy. I make my own broth using chicken, celery and onions. When the chicken is done, remove to plate, let cool, then shred. Strain broth, add chicken back, add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (not bottled), add dumplins and simmer for 20 min. Sooo good!
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If you are a Cracker Barrel fan, this is just like CB Chicken and dumplins!
I’m from the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches, and a great southern cook. I learned to cook from my aunts and have always made everything from scratch. I was taught to make my chicken and dumplins just like this recipe. No biscuit, fluffy dough for us!! However, in this fast-paced world, I now cook using as many short cuts as possible, yet keeping the “old timely” good taste. I make my chicken and dumplins now using a rotisserie chicken (savory seasonings) and flour tortillas. Super fast, super good and no complaints from everyone that has always eaten my good cookin’. AND they are not slimey!!!!
We call ‘em slickers, not slimey.
Why can’t you set it up so you just can print the recipe. My computer wouldn’t let me print one page, so it proceeded to print all the comments also. With paper and especially ink being so expensive, we don’t need to print the comments. I just printed eight pages and never did get the recipe.
I just added a printable recipe on your suggestion. Most of my recipes are already in a printable format, but this one is old and I hadn’t updated it.
I use 1 tablespoon Crisco to 1 cup of flour and combine and mix thoroughly. Add enough milk to form a soft dough. Roll out and when you think they are thin enough, roll a few more time—-extremely thin. Drop into boiling broth—-I use 3/4 broth and 1/4 milk. Add chicken cut into bits. (I usually start with 3 cups of flour). When friends are not feeling well, they will call and request my dumplings.
I’ve cooked since I was 9 years old. I used to sell decorated cakes, I make my own pie crust and pretty much can make anything I set my mind to cooking but dumplins, as we say in the south, is NOT one of them!!! I just can never get it right. Now I make a delicious Chicken and Dumplin’s Casserole! It is to die for and tastes the same as the real thing!! I admire anyone that can make the above recipe. There was a lady at my church that HAD to make her Chicken and Dumplin’s for Church dinners or she would NOT be allowed in church. Those dumplin’s were like putting a pat of butter in your mouth. There was never enough for the last people in the line. So you see, the casserole is the only way for me. Bless y’alls hearts!!!
My husband and 3 year old liked this recipe – thank you! I threw in some sliced carrots for color and added pepper. I also doubled it and froze what we didn’t eat tonight. Hope it freezes well! Also I thought the 2″x2″ dumplings were a little too big – maybe that’s just me thinking about my toddler’s bites – but next time I make it I’m going to do smaller dumplings. Thank you!
I make my own broth by boiling a whole chicken and some celery an onion strain the broth add biscick from a can cut in quaters
Or you can do it the easy way and go to Mars grocery and buy a box of Annie’s dumplings,just as good and less messy!
Yum! If I were to use canned biscuits, would that affect the cooking time? Thanks!
I think the canned biscuits will take about the same amount of cook time, maybe 5 minutes less.
Very good recipe. I always use canned biscuits for my dumplings. Separate the biscuits, flatten and cut esch one into fourths. Drop into your boiling broth as in your recipe. Just a short cut you might like to try.
psssst~~~ the very best secret to the BESTEST CHICKEN AND DUMPLINS’ you’ll ever make is findin’ yourself the fattest “HEN” you can get your hands on and stick her in a crock pot and cover her up with chicken broth (I prefer swanson)… may take a couple big cans. Do this the night before. This makes the absolute BESTEST BROTH FOR YOUR CHICKEN AND DUMPLINS! dE~BONE THE HEN, set to the side… I use a big pot on the stove, boil up water with chicken buillion cubes (use ratio as directed or do what I do and throw some in until it looks good (; … then when that boils and gets going I drop my dumplins in (dont crowd and mess with them a lot or theyll be mush ~~ also, make sure you use margarine. dont know why, but it does make a difference in the taste…and i prefer butter normally! wierd… i know! anyway, when the dumplins start to surface, get em’ outta there and into the crock pot with that awesome broth that had the hen in it. (hopefully you still had your crockpot on medium heat or low.. doesnt matter which)… anyway, once all your dumplins are in the crockpot, gently add your hen back in and for taste I like to add a little coarse black pepper and some parsley flakes! (The recipe above is similar to mine for dumplins’ (great recipe)..NO BISCUITS< NO BOX STUFF! … ) gotta go make some right now! the g~babies comin over tonight! yeh!!
Not sure why everyone calls rolled out flour “dumplings”, where I come from they are called noodles. Drop dumplings is what we do here in southern WV. I saw where someone said it must be a regional thing so I guess to each his own,
Noodles are made with eggs.Dumplins are flour real rich broth and 1 1/2 t. baking pwd. per 1 c. flour. roll real thin cut and add to boiling broth after you get all dumplins added turn heat down to low simmer. Using canned broth does not make the best ,if this is necessary add butter. Basic you need a fat chicken to make the best dumplins .I’m the 5th generation of dumplin makers. and I have made my share of tough or bad ones but not anymore.I am 78 years old. No biscuits orother stuff for my family. My daughter andgrandaughter make them also.
This was AMAZING! So easy and so yummy. Thank you!!!
Easy dumplins:
A can of Grands buttermil biscuits. Coat each biscuit with flour and roll out thin…about 1/6 inch. Cut the biscuits in small squares….9 per biscuit. Drop into boiling broth. Yummy…tastes like from scratch
Can this recipe be frozen once it’s cooked? Sure did make a lot for just my hubby and I. Was delicious
Kathy, I think you can freeze it. The dumplings may break up some when you reheat. Stir carefully.
My mom made this when I was a kid. Right from the time she killed the chicken…made the best Chicken and Dumplings I have ever had! Years later I mentioned this and she then proceeded to make some. There will never be anything like it!
I have four sisters. Between all of us we cannot make chicken n’ dumplings like my mom. Its the little things you miss when someone is gone.
I make chicken & dumplings all the time and this is a really simple recipe. I actually cook the chicken in the broth with celery, carrots and onions to give it a little bit more flavor. Thanks for making it simple! I did past the recipe on to my friend who seems to mess up my recipe every time. LOL
Recipe: r-e-c-I-p-e 🙂 … you can make dumplings for anything ~ chicken, or beef stew or bean dish or soups ~ as easy as this ~ use pancake, waffle or biscuit mix, add water & stir to a dough texture, then drop by small teaspoonfuls into top of simmering pot (cook till they are done ~ 5 to 15 minutes) ~ simplest of ALL ~ nothing easier than this ~ certainly easier than you’ve said above! (Oh, my goodness ~ what a lot of unnecessary work! How silly!)
Everyone tells me my Chicken and Dumplings are good. My Daughter’s friend is a very picky eater and eats very little when she is over unless it is soup or chicken and dumplings. I make a from scratch broth from leg quarters, Mama always bought whole chickens and saved her bony pieces for dumplings because they had the most flavor. I refrigerate it overnight and use the fat that comes to the top instead of butter. Mama always used Crisco but I did not have any when the kids wanted Dumplings one time and tried the Chicken fat and the kids said it was the best they had ever had so that became our new recipe. I have been making it that way for many years now and sometimes the dumplings do fall apart because they are so tender so I may try adding an egg. I use Self Rising Flour. This is a very economical recipe since you can usually get leg quarters on sale.
Also I have tried the tortillas and biscuits and homemade is not only best it is easier than the canned biscuits. Tortillas got a thumbs down from the family.
Thank you for the great recipe and the easy to follow directions! I made these for my husband on his birthday and everyone enjoyed them – I thought they were even better the next day!
I would just like to know what China pattern the lovely chicken and dumplings are pictured in above. Does a yuk ow?
The bottom of the dishes say “International Stoneware – Japan”. Hope that helps!
Thank you for looking. I was able to find some pieces on Replacements.com. The pattern is called “Calico”.
Thanks for letting me know the pattern name. I’ve had several questions about that recently.
I use canned biscuits, i put one to 2 bullion cubes in the water when boiling the chicken. I use chicken brest or tenders. Sometimes i make them with ham and a potato. I boil the ham bone with a potato peeled and cut into a small dice then use the broth in the pan to cook the dumplings, I cut the viscuits into 6 or 7 small pieces and drop into the broth. My fourth grandaughter loves the ham dumplings with its of potato. I use Penzeys fresh ground black pepper too.
How many servings does this recipe yield?
About 8-10 servings.
In the UK, dumplings are made with suet which I guess you cant get in the US. Alternatively, you can make with with flour, baking powder, plenty of pepper, salt ,a pinch of mixed herbs (optional) and shortening. Make as above, by mixing with water until you get a soft dough. We then roll them into a ball about the size of a golf ball, on a well floured board and drop them into a pot of lovely thick stew, either chicken or beef for about 20 minutes, covered, until they rise twice the size the fluffy. Yummy. You cant beat home made dumplings, frozen ones taste like golf balls too.
Arkie-Nan knew what she was talking about. For the best dumplings just use flour and the chicken you just cooked your chicken in. It will contain some fats and seasonings from the chicken you just cooked. What could be easier?
Nothing to lose…just give it a try!?!
I roll out my dumplins first on my tupper ware sheet, leave them to toughen for a while, you can use warm water as liquid as they will roll out thinner & quicker. I add a can of cream of chicken soup to juice where I have cooked chicken. have GOOD results.
I LOVED these chicken and dumplings. I feel like they nourished my soul. I didn’t change much, but I made my own broth and added some spices you’d find in chicken soup (like thyme and such). I can’t wait to make it again. It’s like that first date problem… is it too soon to text? Is it too soon to eat chicken and dumplings again?
I just posted about this recipe on my blog, but I wanted to leave a note in the comments too just in case anyone was having any doubt about trying the recipe.
🙂 First date problems! They are kind of love at first bite, for sure!
How do yall keep them from sticking to bottom of pot. Mine always stick before done.
It can be hard to keep them from sticking. Keep the heat pretty low, if they start to stick. Having enough broth in them helps too.
My family recipe is nearly the same except while the chicken is boiling-(and if you don’t have broth, simply add chicken boullion to the water), start preparing the dumplings and add some of the hot chicken broth to the flour/salt/baking powder mixture, and roll out into floured surface and cut into squares then drop them into the boiling chicken & broth and cook at least 15 more minutes, then add some milk and butter to that and simmer a few more. Delicious!
This is the only chicken and dumplings its so delicious and easy something the whole family likes
Tried these and I am not happy. Very bland and not at all what I was expecting. Wont’ be making again
These are simply thick noodles. To our family, dumplings are the soft, fluffy, cloud-like things that are dropped on boiling broth cooked for 10 minutes uncovered then 10 minutes covered. oh my, I think I need some for dinner very soon.
How many people does this recipe serve?
8-10 people
Great recipe, especially for a first time chicken & dumplings cook! Followed recipe exactly. Next time I will make my dumplings a little smaller (or maybe rectangular) so they fit easier on the spoon. Delish!!!
What kind of flour?
all purpose flour
You didn’t say what to do with the butter lol
The butter gets cut into the dry ingredients to form crumbs. It’s step 1 in the recipe. Let me know if you have other questions.
My husband was craving for chicken & dumplings and I came upon this recipe on Pinterest. Very easy to make and DELICIOUS!!! My husband loved it!!!! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
Most of my family from S. Georgia and we always used bacon grease in place of Crisco. Not very healthy but tasted great. But probably not that much worse than Crisco.
Using Buttermilk vs plain milk makes the dumplings much better
This recipe is truely how to make chicken and dumplings. Adding vegetables makes it a soup (not chicken and dumplings). Removing the chicken fat is removing the flavor. Using tortillas, bisquik or any other lazy way of avoiding making real dumplings only makes it a kettle of slop.
If You use flour tortillas you need to use the one’s made with Lard. The one’s without Lard makes the dumplings sweet.
I’m Italian and never had. Hi ken Nd dumplings till I had it at a southern friends.
She used refrigerator biscuits which I replaced with homemade biscuit recipe. Then made a small ball and squeezed each ball in her hand near her fingers. It looked to me almost like gnocchi, and threw it into the boiling soup and stir slightly till cooled. They are fantastic. I never had them rolled out. I’m in Michigan and they sound like noodles to me if thin. My daugtwra friend was polish and would make noodles from flour and egg only and roll them out in very thick strips and they were amazing.
MY mom made the bisquick drop dough on top of stre in very large floating balls. This is all new to me and want to try this rolled version. My husband tells me his German grandmother made thick rolled out ones in beef stew and called them dumplings and I was confused when they weren’t round but like noodles. But he said they were thick and chewy.
I think I want to make them all and find out what I like!
Awsome input from everyone!
How do you cook the frozen dumplings, frozen or thawed?
I let them thaw just a bit. They don’t need to be totally thawed though.
My mother and Grandmother made them with self rising flour, 1 egg and broth from the chicken. Maybe 3/4 cup. Mis together and then roll out thin. Add chicken back in. (use mostly chicken thighs if not the whole chicken) Cut in strips and then pinch off into rolling low boil. Salt and pepper the Chicken while cooking, add more as needed.
My favorite chicken broth for chicken and dumplings uses deli-roasted chicken (Costco has the absolute best). Pick the meat off and put in the fridge until ready to add it to the pot at the end of cooking the dumplings… Everything that is left is dumped into a pot with some stock veggies and several peppercorns. If you can resist eating the delicious skin add that to the pot, too, since it is rich with collagen. Simmer for a couple of hours and then strain. I generally add a little bit salt at the end of simmering and I often add it in the form of a bit of chicken base or bouillon. Not too much though since it can easily become too salty during the dumpling cooking step.
I’ve used canned biscuits years ago but lately they are all of the “flaky, layered” variety so they tend to fall apart. Nowadays I just use the recipe for rolled biscuits on the bisquick box. I roll them out to 1/4″ thickness. They freeze well so it just makes sense to make extra and freeze them for later use.
No matter the recipe or shortcut that I use, I find that I prefer to cook my dumplings a lot longer than called for in any recipe that I’ve read. At 20 minutes in I find them to be a bit too soft. Cooking for an addition 20-30 minutes toughens them up a bit so you end up with a nice, slight chew to the dumpling. Just be sure to stir frequently because the longer they cook, the more they will settle to the bottom of the pot and stick. Pull one out after about 45 minutes and cut it in half. If you see a slightly dark thin line in the center of the noodle, let them cook for another 5-10 minutes and then recheck. When perfectly cooked there will be no line visible at all.
I’ve got the veggies all prepped to start making a big batch of stock/broth. Just waiting on hubby to stop by Costco on his way home and bring some chickens!
I boiled chicken in a broth with onions, celery and carrots. It’s the ‘DUMPLINGS’ I want to mention. Fifty years ago it was my mother-in-law (who learned from hers) who first showed me how to make dumplings. They were a little chewy and flat in taste. Then I found a recipe which I’ve used for about five years but THEN I came across this recipe and they are PERFECT!!
There’s no higher compliment than being on the same level of comfort food cooking than what our grandma’s made! Especially when none of us really know what the secret ingredient is that they use to make everything taste better! Here’s to more times gathered around plates full of chicken and dumplings and all the flavors of generations! Thanks for sharing, Linda 🙂
I’ve been hunting for a great dumpling recipe for years. I finally found it!
But, I did swap out the fat and used Crisco instead of butter. I find that butter makes the noodles too tender and they fall apart during the cooking process. If I had a source for schmaltz I would have used that instead.
I prefer slightly thicker dumplings so I skip the recipes that for slicks which are rolled to 1/16 thickness. Noodles that thin are too puny for me. But thicker noodles require a significantly longer cooking time so the noodles have a bit of tooth without being too soft.
The ratio of ingredients in this recipe was perfect.
Ever how you like your dumplins,try them in pototoes soup I was raised on pototoes dumplings they are grea!!!
I make them like most people do but while cooking besides salt and pepper I add some poultry seasoning
Help! Most of my dumplings dissolved. Made real thick and tasty,but lost too many dumplings!
Mine too! ☹️
One word- mmmmmmmmm!!!!! This is so good! I followed the recipe exactly. Well, almost exactly! Haha. Doubled it for a crowd and added some carrots and green beans. So so good! First time making homemade dumplings and they turned out fantastic! Thank you! Thank you! This recipe is a keeper!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
My grandparents handed a very similar recipe down to my mom and then me and my sister. We actually used eggs also in making the noodles/dumplings. We serve it over mashed potatoes. Such great comfort food, but I only make it once a year and we always have some to freeze for late. We always knew it growing up as Chicken and Popeye. 🙂
These we AMAZING! My husband is 51 and he said they are the best he’s ever had! Thanks for sharing!!
Well I have no idea what happened but the majority of my dumplings pretty much disintegrated into mush while I was cooking them and it looks like the last of them are going to do the same so I basically have no dumplings in my chicken and dumplings. Very disappointed
Made these as the recipe directs and they turned out great. Thanks!
Easy!! And absolutely delish!
Fluffy Dumplings from scratch are dissolving in the broth. Please help!
I made this last night using gluten free flour (King Arthur brand) and it was delicious!! 😋 There weren’t any leftovers! 😊 Thanks for another fantastic recipe! ❤️
I made these tonight. They were delicious! Thank you!
I had never made chicken and dumplings before this year. I always felt it was a lot of trouble and I didn’t like big doughy dumplings. I ate some at a restaurant nearby and found them to be delicious. Since I am allergic to beef and pork and search for good chicken recipes all the time decide d to give yours a try. Wow! They were delicious. I did add a can of cream of chicken to suit my taste but these were great and so easy. Ashamed I didnt taste these long ago when my mom made them. Thanks for the easy recipe! Gaga.
My mom and grandma used to make the drop dumpling kind so I thought I’d give this kind a try. I used leftover Rotisserie chicken and added about a cup and a half of frozen mixed vegetables when I put the chicken in for a little added color and flavor. It was a hit with my belly.
Now the real test is sending some home with my friend tomorrow who’s hubby is a chef and see if he can make it in the old Rival crock pot I gave them. He is in love with the vintageness of it. LOL. Thanks for sharing a right tasty recipe.