Chicken and Dumplings
A cozy, hearty classic — this Chicken and Dumplings recipe is pure comfort food. You can make it with homemade dumplings or even shortcut with refrigerated biscuits. Either way, it’s creamy, flavorful, and sure to warm up your table.
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Servings: 6
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Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs bone-in, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (see notes)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Franks recommended)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon each: dried basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ cup cold sour cream
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a 4½-quart soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes per side, until lightly browned but not cooked through.
- Remove, let rest 10 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces. (Discard bones.)
- Combine all seasonings and set aside.
- In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat and scrape up any browned bits.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté 5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Stir in garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and the seasoning mix. Cook 1 more minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to coat the veggies. Cook 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- Gradually add the chicken broth while stirring to form a smooth base.
- Stir in the half and half and bouillon cube (if using).
- Add peas, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer while preparing the dumplings.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and sugar.
- Add milk, sour cream, and melted butter. Gently fold until just combined — do not overmix or the dumplings will be dense.
- Return the chicken (and any juices) to the pot. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop dumpling dough evenly over the soup.
- Spoon a little hot broth over each dumpling.
- Cover tightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes — do not lift the lid during this time; the dumplings need to steam.
- Check for doneness with a toothpick (it should come out clean). If not done, cover and simmer a few more minutes.
- Once cooked through, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm.
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Best chicken choice: Bone-in, skinless breasts or thighs give the richest broth.
- You can also use 2 boneless/skinless breasts (≈1.25 lbs) or 3 cups leftover cooked chicken (add it just before the dumplings).
- Flavor boosters: Mustard powder and Worcestershire add depth without standing out.
- Lower sodium: Use unsalted butter and low-sodium broth, and skip the bouillon cube if preferred.
- Texture tip: Don’t lift the lid while dumplings steam — it can make them soggy.