Chicken and Dumplings

5 from 6 votes

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Southern Chicken and Dumplings is a true classic comfort food. With scratch-made buttermilk dumplings that are tender and a savory broth loaded with shredded chicken and vegetables, this is a sure hit every time.

buttermilk dumplings in chicken broth with vegetables


Chicken and Dumplings

An all-in-one dinner that is rich in flavor and quite filling.

Sometimes I am in the mood for a warm soothing soup and one of my favorite crackers to throw on top are Cheez-Its. I just love the cheesy flavor and they hold up on the crunch factor.

Then there are times when I want a tender dumpling. Like these delicious dumplings. Buttermilk dumplings, too by the way. Can’t get any more Southern than that.

buttermilk dumplings in chicken broth with vegetables

About this Chicken and Dumplings recipe

I like to add poultry seasoning to my dry ingredients for an extra flavor punch, feel free to omit or add your favorite seasoning.

Crisco is my go to lard for pastry making, but trust me, bacon fat works beautifully here as well.

The tender dough is made in a flash and with a quick roll out the dough is cut into 2 inch squares and dropped into the boiling broth to puff up and cook.

The chicken broth is made by cooking a whole chicken with some aromatics and spices.

I allow it to cool shred the chicken meat and discard those bones and the skin. Buh-bye, thanks for coming.

Fresh tender pieces of carrots, celery and onion are laced throughout tender delicious puffed seasoned dumplings and chicken. A slight tang from the buttermilk and the poultry seasoning compliments the broth well.

chicken in pot for Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Whole chicken, perfect to cook, shred the meat for this and leaves you with a fantastic, rich broth
  • Celery stalks chopped
  • Carrots peeled and chopped
  • Yellow Onion chopped
  • Bay leaves
  • Parsley chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Turmeric

    DUMPLINGS
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Poultry seasoning
  • Vegetable shortening
  • Buttermilk

How to Make Chicken and Dumplings

  1. Place whole chicken, vegetables, bay leaves, parsley, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, pepper and turmeric in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
  2. Carefully remove chicken from pot. When cool enough to handle remove meat from bones, discarding the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and set aside.
  3. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking soda, poultry seasoning and remaining salt.
  4. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut shortening into flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and with your hand mix until dry ingredients are moistened and the dough holds together.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Roll out to 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness (I prefer them thick and do 1/2″ thickness as shown here).
  6. Bring chicken broth and vegetables to a boil and pinch off or cut dough in 2″ pieces and add to the boiling broth (See Note 1). Reduce heat to medium and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, covered. 
  7. Add hot sauce if using and stir to combine.  Stir in reserved chicken and season to taste before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and ladle into bowls.

Tip From Kevin

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For other comforting soups try my Cream of Broccoli Soup with ChickenBeef and Barley SoupShrimp Posole Verde, or this Potato Cheeseburger Soup. Enjoy!

buttermilk dumplings in chicken broth with vegetables

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kinds of Dumplings are There?

Rolled- The dough for these are rolled out, cut into shapes, and cooked in the broth like I do here.
Drop- These are dumplings where we simply scoop the dough up right from the bowl and drop them into the soup for steaming.
Biscuit- Homemade or refrigerated biscuit dough is cut into smaller pieces and added to the soup to cook.

How can I thicken my chicken and dumplings?

Before adding the dumplings to your soup, whisk 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into 1/2 cup of the broth. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it back into the soup pot and stir in over medium heat until thickened.

Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?

This chicken and dumplings can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, excluding the dumplings. When ready to eat, bring to a simmer and add then the dumplings. Any leftover soup may be frozen for up to 3 months.

dumpling on spoon over bowl of soup

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buttermilk dumplings in chicken broth with vegetables

Chicken and Dumplings

5 from 6 votes
This Southern Chicken and Dumplings has scratch-made buttermilk dumplings in a savory broth loaded with shredded chicken and vegetables.
Servings: 6
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients 

Soup

Dumplings

Instructions 

  • Place whole chicken, vegetables, bay leaves, parsley, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, pepper and turmeric in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
  • Carefully remove chicken from pot. When cool enough to handle remove meat from bones, discarding the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking soda, poultry seasoning and remaining salt.
  • Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut shortening into flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and with your hand mix until dry ingredients are moistened and the dough holds together.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Roll out to 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness (I prefer them thick and do 1/2″ thickness as shown here).
  • Bring chicken broth and vegetables to a boil and pinch off or cut dough in 2″ pieces and add to the boiling broth (See Note 1). Reduce heat to medium and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, covered. 
  • Add hot sauce if using and stir to combine.  Stir in reserved chicken and season to taste before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and ladle into bowls.

Notes

  1. I use a fluted pastry wheel or pastry crimper to cut the dough into strips and then cut across into 2 inch squares. (see photo)

Nutrition

Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 848mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3930IU | Vitamin C: 8.4mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3.3mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main, Soup
Cuisine: Southern
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!
dumpling on spoon over bowl of chicken soup

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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17 Comments

  1. Thank you so much. I have two other of the Chicken and dumplings recipe, but this is more like my mother;d and I am truly grateful.

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you Kevin for a great recipe! I was looking for a recipe which started with a whole chicken, and this one sounded yummy. I was very happy with the results! As with most recipes, I altered it slightly as I didn’t have everything on hand. I used heavy cream for the dumplings instead of buttermilk, and threw in a few garlic cloves…just because I love garlic 🙂 This is a recipe I will definitely make again! Thanks so much!

  3. 5 stars
    This is one of our favorite fall/winter dishes Kevin! Such a great comfort food dish. Looks delicious!

  4. 5 stars
    I’ve got this excess of bacon fat in my fridge that is just dying to become these delicious dumplings. I haven’t made chicken and dumplings in so long, this sounds delish!

  5. Hey Kevin! Homemade chicken noodle soup was always what I made at the first sign that my kids were getting sick. There is something magically healing about it! I’ve always made dropped dumplings, but I will definitely make Southern style next time. I like to add thyme to the dumplings.

    1. Always so soothing, right Dorothy?! I add poultry seasoning (it has thyme) and love the herb touch. Have a wonderful weekend!