Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
on Feb 06, 2022, Updated Feb 09, 2024
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Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is the epitome of a classic comfort dish filled with tender chicken, hearty veggies, and light and fluffy dumplings. This easy homemade recipe is the perfect meal to warm you up on any chilly winter day.
Homemade soups are a staple in my household when the cold chilly months start rolling in.
And if you’re in the mood for more comforting creamy soup recipes, be sure to check out my personal family favorites: Corn Chowder, Butternut Squash Soup, Zuppa Toscana.
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Homemade Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is one of those winning soups. This comforting one-pot dish is full of tender chicken, hearty veggies, pillowy dumplings, and a few earthy herbs for a soul-satisfying meal.
If you’re anything like my family, during the cold winter months, there is nothing better than a rich, hearty, creamy soup.
We love to enjoy it with a piece of thick crusty bread and a fresh garden salad for a satisfying complete meal.
But really, the best thing about this recipe is that it is a perfect make-ahead, freezer-friendly dish.
Soup is like a fine wine in that it gets better with time! Meaning – it tastes even better the next day if that’s even possible!
We enjoy the leftovers for lunch or dinner in my household. Plus, you can always double the batch and freeze one to pull out whenever the family is craving a hearty comfort dish, but running short on time.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
This soup is full of flavorful ingredients, yet they are super simple. Here’s what you need to have on hand.
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Chicken breast
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- Chicken broth
- Dried thyme
- Butter
- Flour
- Frozen peas
- Fresh parsley
- Baking powder
- Heavy cream
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
No matter what time of year, there is nothing quite like a satisfying homemade meal to right everything in the world.
To get started, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Sear chicken on both sides, then remove from the pot and set aside.
Chop onion, celery, and carrots and add to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes. Then, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Sprinkle in flour, stir to coat veggies, and brown. Once browned, add in thyme.
Add a bit more flour and chicken broth. Stir to incorporate.
Bring the broth to a boil and re-add the chicken. Let soup simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until thickened.
While the soup is simmering, make the dumplings.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Melt butter and add melted butter and heavy cream to the dumpling dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Once the soup is thick, stir in frozen peas.
Drop-in 1 tablespoon of dumpling dough into the simmering soup, one at a time.
Cover and cook for 17-minutes. Do not open the lid during this time as the dumplings will cook to steam during this time. I mean it. No peeking!
Once the dumplings are cooked, serve hot.
Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
How To Store Leftovers
Allow any leftover soup to completely cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
When ready to reheat, place in a pot and simmer over medium heat until warmed through.
Can I Freeze Chicken and Dumplings?
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a wonderful freezer-friendly meal. For best results, freeze the chicken and dumplings in two separate freezer-safe containers – one for chicken and broth, the other for dumplings for up to 4 months.
When ready to enjoy, allow the ingredients to thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a pot on the stove until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Feel free to use shredded rotisserie chicken, chicken thighs, turkey, or even a mild or spicy Italian sausage
- If you do not have heavy cream, whole milk or half-and-half would be an excellent substitution
- When done, dumplings should rise to the top of the soup. If you are unsure, after the 17-minutes of cook time, cut one in half. The inside should resemble a soft biscuit, if it’s gummy, continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- If you prefer a soup without veggies, feel free to remove prior to adding in dumplings and enjoy as a healthy side.
- To make dumplings gluten free, feel free to use a 1:1 gluten-free flour and follow recipe according to card
Print the Recipe
Next time you need an old fashioned pick me up, this soup will comfort you from the inside out. Enjoy!
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs chicken
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 6 cups Chicken broth
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 TBSP Butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Fresh parsley
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups flour
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 TBSP butter
Instructions
- Chop vegetables
- In a large soup pot with a lid, place olive oil and heat .
- Sear chicken in batches and set aside.
- Add the onion, celery and carrot to the pot and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add flour and stir to coat veggies and cook until lightly browned. Then add Thyme.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir to incorporate the flour and broth.
- Bring to a boil and add chicken back to the pot.
- Let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to allow the soup to thicken.
- Make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the melted butter and cream and mix until completely incorporated.
- Once the soup is thickened, add the frozen peas and stir.
- Drop dumplings 1 tablespoon at a time into the simmering soup. Cover and cook for 17 minutes.
- Very important! Make sure you do not open the lid until after 17 minutes. The dumplings will steam with the cover on the pot.
- Once the dumplings are cooked, serve hot and with fresh parsley for garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
