This EASY Chicken and Dumplings recipe is a comforting, creamy chicken soup with simple homemade dumplings that make it irresistible! It's hearty, loaded with vegetables, and is the perfect meal to make on a chilly day.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try Cioppino, Beef Noodle Soup, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, or Pozole Verde!
Why I love this recipe:
- Comforting – One of my favorite soups to enjoy on a chilly day, homemade Chicken and Dumplings soup hits the spot every single time!
- Crowd Pleaser – Every age family member loves this meal. It's full of flavor, loaded with fresh veggies and homemade dumplings and lower in sodium than store-bought. The taste can't be beat.
How to make Chicken and Dumplings:
Sauté Veggies: Heat a large pot with oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Dump in butter and flour and whisk well for 1 minute.
Pour in Broth and Seasonings: Stir in chicken broth and bouillon, scraping up anything on the bottom. Add thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken and let rest for 5 minutes before chopping or shredding. Add evaporated milk and peas to the broth.
Make Dumplings for Soup: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add milk, sour cream and melted butter. Stir until combined, but don’t over mix.
Add Dumplings: Bring soup to a simmer and then use a small spoon to drop teaspoon-sized amounts of dough all over the top of the simmering soup (the dumplings will double in size as they cook).
Simmer: Cover the pot and simmer on low for 12-15 minutes. Remove lid, gently stir to break dumplings apart, and scoop out a dumpling to check for doneness. If still doughy, cover and cook for a few more minutes, until tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Stir in chicken.
Serve: Ladle warm chicken dumpling soup into bowls or bread bowls, with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley on top.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Make this easy chicken and dumplings 1-3 days ahead of time, excluding the dumplings. When ready to eat, rewarm on the stove, bring to a simmer and add dumplings.
To Freeze: Leftover soup may be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw chicken and dumpling soup overnight in the fridge before rewarming on the stove.
Recipe Variations:
- Chicken: I recommend thighs, because they have more fat and won't dry out or overcook as easily, but breast meat will also work. To use rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken (or turkey), simply skip the step of cooking the chicken, and stir in cooked chicken just before cooking the dumplings.
- Bouillon: I use chicken better than bouillon base because the flavor is bolder, but 4 regular chicken bouillon cubes may be used.
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings: Prepare steps 1 and 2 in a skillet. Add everything to slow cooker, and add chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours (if using thighs) or High for 2-3 hours. Make dumplings and spoon them over the top of the hot soup, as directed in this recipe. Press them under the liquid a little before applying the lid. Slow cook on HIGH for 45 minutes. Break dumplings apart if needed and test for doneness.
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Recipe
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 celery , ribs, diced
- 2 carrots , large, diced
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste , better than bouillon base*
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 12 oz evaporated milk , canned
- ½ cup frozen peas
- fresh chopped parsley , for garnish
For the Dumplings:
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons butter , melted
Instructions
- Sauté Veggies: Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil. Once hot, add celery, carrots and onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add butter and flour and whisk well for 1 minute.
- Add Broth and Seasonings: Gradually stir in the chicken broth and bouillon, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a cutting board. Stir add evaporated milk and peas.
- Make Dumplings: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add milk, sour cream and melted butter. Stir until combined, but don’t over mix.
- Add Dumplings: Bring soup to a simmer and then use a small spoon to drop teaspoon-sized amounts of dough all over the top of the simmering soup (the dumplings will double in size as they cook).
- Cover the pot and simmer on low for 12-15 minutes. Remove lid, gently stir to break dumplings apart, and scoop out a dumpling to check for doneness. If still doughy, cover and cook for a few more minutes, until tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Chop chicken and add to soup.
- Serve warm, with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Macros Recipe Adaptation
1 ½ cups celery, 1 ½ cups carrots, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, ¾ unsweetened almond milk, ¼ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurtPer Serving Amount
508 gramsMacros
530 kcal, Fat: 20g, Carbs 50g, Protein: 38gNutrition
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Hands down best chicken and dumplings ever!!! Easy to make and tastes delicious!!
Move over Chicken Noodle soup. Chicken & Dumplings soup is now King!!
So good! I would double the carrots/celery but I also like veggie heavy soups. I also put extra rosemary and thyme in the dumplings and I think it tied it all together. I have never put evaporated milk in a soup before and I plan on doing that with other soups that call for milk or cream, I think it created a great texture.
Delicious!! Big hit with the family. Looks like we bought it at a fancy restaurant and served at home. Love the herbs!
This was absolutely amazing, thank you, Lauren for another terrific family meal!!!
A hearty and comforting dinner! My 13 year old son said, “Mom this looks like a fancy dinner from a TV show!” Well it does look fancy it’s very easy to make and it’s delicious💜
Very good recipe, also well written and organized. Would make again soon.
I made this soup today. It’s absolutely delicious! One of our family’s favorite soups now!!! My husband is allergic to carrots so I swapped out the carrots and used a green pepper instead, that was the only adjustment I made. So easy to make too! And it just happened to start snowing at our house when I was making it! Made a delicious soup on a cold snowy day!
Absolutely delicious, and so satisfying for a cool autumn evening. I’m planning to adapt the recipe so that my vegan sister can enjoy it too – mushrooms for chicken, vegetable broth for chicken broth, olive oil for the butter, vegan sour cream, and soy or almond milk. It might take a little tweaking, but I’m sure she would love it.
This recipe is amazing. I customized it, slightly, to suit my family’s taste (it is easy to do that when cooking from scratch). A few extra teenagers popped in unannounced and finished it off.
This is some of the best chicken and dumplings I’ve ever had (sorry mom)! So flavorful and the dumplings were delicious! Who knew sour cream would make such a difference?