There’s hardly anything more comforting than a bowl full of homemade chicken and dumplings. It’s the perfect comfort food for a chilly day or if you’re feeling under the weather. It’s an especially warmhearted gesture to take a batch to a friend. This delicious soup has a way of making everything feel better.
Chicken and dumplings is a cold-weather favorite. It’ll warm your house, your hands, and your soul. The aroma and anticipation are almost as good as sitting down to sip the sumptuous soup. With a pot of chicken and dumplings simmering on the stove, winter is infinitely better.
Chicken and dumplings can be a filling standalone dish, however, some excellent sides are roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, or a fresh salad. Need a dessert idea? Try pairing the creamy soup with warm, cinnamon, baked apples. The perfect crisp weather combination.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
- Shredded rotisserie chicken shredded
- Water
- Better than Bouillon Chicken
- Salted butter
- Carrots
- Celery stalks
- Yellow onions
- Flour
- Milk
- Italian seasonings
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Bisquick
This recipe makes drop dumplings which are fast, easy, fluffy, and delicious dumplings that float in the soup. The combination of the creamy soup base, chewy dumplings, succulent chicken, and tender vegetables is a delight in texture and flavor. Use a rotisserie chicken for added flavor or cook your preference of white or dark meat for your soup.
Make a batch (or two) and share it with family, friends, and neighbors. It’s the perfect pick-me-up on a gray day and surprisingly simple to make. It’s wholesome and filling and sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
FIRST STEP: In a large bowl combine water and better than bouillon to make chicken broth. Place in the microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and stir well. Set aside.
SECOND STEP: In a large stockpot over medium heat, add carrots, celery, onion, and 4 tbsp butter. Stir well to combine. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to ensure that the onions don’t burn.
THIRD STEP: Add ½ cup flour and stir to combine. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
FOURTH STEP: Add the shredded chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and milk. Stir well. Turn the temperature to low and let simmer while making the dumplings mixture.
FIFTH STEP:In a separate bowl sift Bisquick using a mesh strainer. Dump leftover Bisquick lumps in the garbage. Add salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings. Use a whisk to mix together.
SIXTH STEP: Pour milk and melted butter. Use a spoon to combine ingredients. Note: Don’t overmix the batter. Mix until just combined.
SEVENTH STEP: Using a small cookie dropper, or regular tablespoon measuring spoon, drop spoonfuls of dumpling mixture into the simmering pot. Don’t stir the dumplings in, just let the dumplings fall into the simmering liquid.
EIGHTH STEP: Cover pot and let cook for 15 minutes. Uncover, and using a large spoon gently turn over each dumpling. Let simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
NINTH STEP: Serve and enjoy. Optional to garnish with a little chopped parsley.
Cooking Tips
Make a well in the dry dumpling ingredients and always add wet to dry.
Use a wooden spoon and don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will result in dense dumplings. Mix until just combined to keep the batter tender and airy.
When dropping the dumplings, place them all around the pot, not just in the middle.
While cooking, gently press down on the dumplings and turn them over so the hot soup cooks the whole dumpling.
Storing this Recipe
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze, let cool completely and store in shallow containers or zip lock bags for easy thawing. The frozen chicken and dumplings will keep well if frozen for up to 3-4 months.
Thaw completely before reheating in a saucepan.
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3-4 cups rotisserie chicken shredded (or 2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded)
- 8 cups water
- 4 tbsp Better than Bouillon Chicken
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 4 carrots cut in half lengthwise and then diced
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 2 small yellow onions diced finely
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
For the dumplings:
- 2 cups bisquick sifted into medium mixing bowl
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
For the soup:
- In a large bowl combine water and better than bouillon to make chicken broth. Place in the microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and stir well. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, add carrots, celery, onion, and 4 tbsp butter. Stir well to combine. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to ensure that the onions don’t burn.
- Add ½ cup flour and stir to combine. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the shredded chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and milk. Stir well. Turn temperature to low and let simmer while making the dumplings mixture.
For the dumplings:
- In a separate bowl sift Bisquick using a mesh strainer. Dump leftover Bisquick lumps in the garbage. Add salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings. Use a whisk to mix together.
- Pour milk and melted butter. Use a spoon to combine ingredients. Note: Don’t overmix the batter. Mix until just combined.
- Using a small cookie dropper, or regular tablespoon measuring spoon, drop spoonfuls of dumpling mixture into the simmering pot. Don’t stir the dumplings in, just let the dumplings fall into the simmering liquid.
- Cover pot and let cook for 15 minutes. Uncover, and using a large spoon gently turn over each dumpling. Let simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy. Optional to garnish with a little chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Easy and very flavorful. Only thing was I am a weird on who likes my soup to be thick. Easy to fix. I like how clear the directions were and all the added and very helpful side notes.
This was delicious and super easy to make. I did cheat with pulled rotisserie chicken. Family loved it. Great comfort food. Thanks for the recipe.
The dumplings failed in this recipe. I have made chicken and dumplings several times in the past but I always just look up random Bisquick dumpling recipes as I don't memorize the dumpling portion. Most of them melted down in the pot. After looking at other Bisquick recipes, this one uses much more milk, about twice as much (compared to Bisquick & Betty crocker recipe, which use only 2/3 cup for 2 cups of Bisquick)... I should have known better when the batter seemed extra sticky. I'm just going to remake the dumplings for my leftovers, but it did make the soup more creamy, wasn't bad, just disappointed that this ratio didn't work out well.
I want to make dumplings gluten free for friends. I bought gluten free Bisquick. Can I make the same recipe substituting the GF Bisquick? Any suggestions??
Yes, I think that would work. You can skip steps 1 and 2 in making the dumplings and make them according to the gluten free Bisquick packing instructions. Then follow the remaining steps in making dumplings instructions section.
The correct dumpling recipe is on The Bisquik box. I make fewer than the recipe, so I only use 1/3 cup milk to 1 cup Bisquik. Keep in mind, if your bisquik (or baking mix) is old, your baking powder/soda is perhaps too old to allow them to rise. I replace my soda & powder on the first of the new year.
Love the. Recipes on the different things of food I love I love dumplings and going to try this let you know how it turned out
I just made this recipe and it tasted really good but I had to add a cornstarch slurry to it to make it thicker. This recipe was too runny without fixing it. Also, I made the dumplings the way the recipe said and they came out too runny so I had to look up other recipes like this one on pinterest to get the right amount of Bisquick. I had to dump out the first batch and start over. 2 cups of Bisquick to 1 cup of milk and melted butter was not the right ratio. Bisquick is kind of expensive for someone on a budget so I really hated throwing out the first batch. For flavor I give this recipe a 5 but for correct amount of ingredients for dumplings, I give it a 3. You might want to edit your recipe so other people can get it right the first time.
Hi Nancy,
That is so weird that it didn't turn out right for you the first time! This is a family favorite recipe and we love to make this and it usually works when we make it so I'm not sure what happened. I definitely appreciate the feedback and I'll have to see what happened and try out that mixture as well to compare!
Excellent!! I had fun making this! Per the suggestions from others, I cut the milk for the dumplings in half, they turned out perfect!! The only issue I had.. I can’t eat this because my tummy doesn’t tolerate meat, dairy, or bread anymore... but hubby says 10.5 stars out of 5! We are snowed in so I couldn’t go get a rotisserie chicken, so I cooked 2 chicken breasts, covered in a skillet before shredding. My house smells so delightful! Thanks for the recipe!
Everything was great except the dumplings. They just melt in the soup. Used the exact recipe the first time and the batter was way too thin. Reduced the amount of milk the second time and it still didn't work. So disappointed.
I find that when I’m not making dumplings from scratch, that Jiffy Baking mix is better than Bisquick. I think perhaps Jiffy has less sugar and simply tastes better in dumplings. I mix mine with about a cup and 1/2 Jiffy, 1 egg and a scant 1/3 cup of milk. The dumpling mix should be wet, but thick, not thin. The egg makes a good binder and adds to the fluffy rise. I drop the dumplings with a spoon or scoop and then reduce heat to a bubbling simmer put a lid on the pot for 15 minutes. Steam helps. It’s easy to double the dumpling recipe.
As for me, I like to stew a whole chicken for both the broth and meat. I add a couple salt free Bullion (and the onion, celery and carrot) to the broth. Of course, this removes the ‘easy’ from the recipe. But, I’m retired, obsessed with cooking and baking and have plenty of time.
It’s mid-June here in San Antonio and HOT, but I was craving chicken and dumplings which is normally a dish to enjoy in the fall/winter months but, that didn’t stop me. I have tried a lot of recipes for this dish but hands down, this is the best. The only thing I changed, and not to deliberately change the recipe, but I didn’t have “better than bouillon” but I did have chicken broth so I used it. The broth has just the right amount of thickness, and the seasonings for the broth and dumplings are perfect. This is definitely now my only chicken and dumplings recipe. Thanks!!!