Name: Chicken and Dumplings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 egg (beaten); 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp chives (chopped); 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion (chopped); 1 large carrot (chopped); 1 stalk celery (chopped); 1/2 tsp thyme (dried); 4 cups chicken broth; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste); 1/2 cup peas (frozen); 2 cups roasted chicken (shredded (any part of the chicken will do, both white and dark meat would be great for flavor))

This easy recipe for Chicken and Dumplings is the ideal comfort food. A hearty recipe that uses roasted chicken, fluffy buttermilk and chive dumplings that’s both simple to make and shockingly easy to lose yourself in for a moment or two.

Chicken and Dumplings hold such a special spot in my heart. Every time I stand over the pot, watching those little dumplings bobbing at the surface, I feel as if I’m sitting in my moms kitchen once again. I would eat the soup quickly, leaving the dumplings for last to savour nice and slowly.

While my mom’s recipe was a little less traditional, a thinner more clear soup paired with semolina flour dumplings, the one I’ll be showing you today is far more traditional – closer to a stew than a soup. If you’re craving something savory, simple, and good for the soul consider curling up with a bowl your plans for the rest of the night.

Carrots, onions, and celery cooking in a dutch oven

Ingredients In Chicken And Dumplings

For the soup:

Celery, carrot & onion – Otherwise known in cooking as mirepoix (there’s a fun little French word for you). Mirepoix is a base in so many recipes that allows for a good foundation for further depth of flavor. Stir regularly to ensure that there’s no browning or caramelizing going on, we want to soften and sweeten the mirepoix rather than cook or saute it.
Chicken broth – I like to use my own homemade broth, store bought will do just fine but when it comes to simple recipes, I like to ensure that each ingredient is the best version it can be. For a delicious stock recipe, check out my chicken noodle soup.
Thyme – Even if you’re not the biggest thyme fan, there are just some recipes that absolutely need it, and this is in one of them. I used dried for this dish.
Shredded chicken – The more chicken the better, we want a rich stew like consistency at the end with roasted chicken in each bite. You’ll want to ensure the chicken is cooked before adding it.
Frozen peas – Don’t worry mom, I’m including veggies.
Flour – I’m using all purpose as a thickening agent for our soup.
Salt & Pepper – Just to taste, keep in mind sodium levels when using store bought versus homemade broth.

For the dumplings:

Flour – Gluten flour can be substituted but may give your dumplings a more gritty texture that has a bit more difficulty binding.
Baking powder – A leavening agent that will allow our dumplings to puff up in the soup.
Chives – Added to the dumplings for flavor.
Egg – Just one large, whole egg will do. We will need both the white and the yolk to bind our batter.
Buttermilk – Buttermilk is more acidic than regular milk and as a result will react more readily with our baking powder. This makes the dumplings light and fluffy.
Salt – All good batters need a little salt.

How To Make Chicken And Dumplings

Start with your base: Put some olive oil in a Dutch oven and bring to medium high heat. Add your carrots, celery, and onion and allow them to sweat until the onions become soft and translucent.
Incorporate your broth – Add dried thyme followed by the chicken broth to the pot. Reserve a ladle full to be put in a small bowl with 1/3 a cup of flour. You will whisk this together till smooth before adding it back to your pot. Whisk once more to ensure there are no lumps before adding the frozen peas and shredded chicken.
Prepare the dumplings – The broth will need a few minutes to cook which gives us some time to make the dumplings. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, chives, baking powder, flour, and salt till the consistency is smooth. Be sure not to over-mix as over-mixing will make your dumplings dense.
Bring the two together – Using a spoon drop the dumpling batter one at a time into the now thick broth. The dumplings will double in size once they’re cooked so start small and tweak from there.
Finish the chicken and dumplings – Cover the pot and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked. Resist the urge to peek! All the steam in the pot is needed to cook our batter fully. After about 15 minutes stick a tooth pick through the centre of a dumpling to test its doneness. Once that toothpick comes out clean, your soup is ready! Serve up and enjoy.

Can I Make Chicken And Dumplings In A Pressure Or Slow Cooker?

Pressure cooker

If you’d like to take your new pressure cooker for a spin, I’ve got a delicious recipe for instant pot chicken and dumplings. Check it out and enjoy!

Slow cooker

You’ll want to combine the soup ingredients in your slow cooker, save the shredded chicken, and allow to cook on low for 1 hour. Add the chicken and your dumplings, leaving space between the dumplings to prevent them from sticking. Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Leftovers

Chicken and dumplings can be stored up to 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Keep in mind that the more times this recipe is reheated, the more the dumplings may fall apart. Freezing is possible but again the dumplings may fall apart when thawed, so be gentle. Ensure the soup is completely cooled before storing in a shallow container.

Change It Up

This dish is simple comfort food at it’s core, so we want to keep the recipe list short. There are simple swaps you can make if you don’t have ingredients on hand.

Parsley can be substituted for the chives in the dumplings and will still easily achieve that sharp fresh taste.
If you’ve got leftover ham on hand instead of chicken that will easily make a savory, scrumptious soup too.
If you want a sweet little burst of flavour, corn is a great addition either instead or alongside your peas.

Chicken and Dumplings