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Chicken and Dumplings are a classic chicken soup that is hearty, comforting, and nourishing. It's loaded with chicken, homemade dumplings, and a flavorful creamy broth. This homemade soup is also quick to make in one pot in just 40 minutes — perfect for weeknight family dinners.
Whether you’re craving warm comfort food, fighting a cold, or just craving a hot meal in a hurry, this chicken and dumplings recipe will be your new go-to. Plus, you can save time and use a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from the fridge.
Why You'll Love these Chicken and Dumplings
- It’s a classic comfort dish. Cold weather and bad days are instantly made better with a steaming hot bowl of chicken and dumplings! Juicy chicken, tender dumplings, and soul-warming broth are just what the doctor ordered.
- Ready in 40 minutes. It takes less than an hour to make this chicken soup recipe completely from scratch. Just follow our easy recipe and you’ll have a warm, comforting pot of chicken and dumplings ready in no time — making it perfect for busy weeknight family dinners. Plus, you can make it even faster by using leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken.
- A one pot meal.With this old fashioned chicken and dumplings, everything is cooking in the same pot, meaning there is only one pot to clean along with the mixing bowl that you used to make the dumpling batter.
- It’s freezer friendly. Chicken and dumplings store well and freeze well so you can turn this into multiple meals to have on hand to satisfy cravings or serve a crowd when you’re short on time and energy. You can make a big batch ahead of time and add to your freezer stash for easy reheating.
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Chicken and Dumplings soup, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- avocado oil - feel free to substitute with vegetable oil or olive oil.
- chicken thighs or breasts - use boneless chicken thighs and breasts. You can choose to leave the skin on or off. You can also substitute with leftover cooked chicken!
- butter - use unsalted butter for the most control of the amount of sodium in the recipe, or use salted butter and reduce or omit the additional salt called for in the recipe.
- onion - white onions, yellow onions, shallots, or vidalia onions all work.
- carrots - parsnips will work in place of the carrots if you’re all out.
- celery
- Italian seasoning - you can use a store bought or a homemade Italian seasoning blend, whichever you prefer!
- flour - all-purpose flour or a gluten-free substitute should produce a similar result.
- chicken broth - you can use homemade stock or store-bought. You can also swap it for veggie stock if you want or need to.
- salt and pepper
- heavy cream - you can also use milk for a slightly less creamy result.
- baking soda + baking powder
- green onions or chives
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a large cooking pot, and a mixing bowl.
How to Make the Best Chicken and Dumplings
- Cook chicken. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until sizzling hot, about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer onto a large plate and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics. In the same pot, add butter and heat until melted, about 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery and sauté until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning until well combined.
- Thicken. Add flour and mix well until thickened to a paste, about 1 minute.
- Add broth. Slowly add chicken broth and stir constantly until evenly distributed. Return the chicken to the pot and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over low heat, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare the dumplings. While the soup is simmering, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, green onions until evenly combined. Slowly add oil and milk and mix until just combined. Once the batter forms into a soft dough, use a spatula or spoon to fold in the dry pieces that haven’t been incorporated. Be careful not to overmix. Note that the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Add dumplings. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of batter at a time and add into the soup (the dumplings will expand quite a bit once cooked). Continue to simmer over low heat until the dumplings are fully cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve. Stir in cream and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- How to customize. You can customize this chicken and dumplings soup by adding in other veggies. Frozen peas are a common ingredient to add. But you can get creative! Try frozen corn or spinach.
- Use leftover chicken. You can substitute the chicken with cooked shredded chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken. Just skip the first step where you cook the chicken, and add it in when the recipe calls for the cooked chicken to be added in. So easy!
- Easy on the dumpling dough. Don’t get too eager with a mixer when making the dumplings! Overmixing the dough will make tough dumplings, not the soft, tender kind we all crave when we think of chicken and dumplings.
- Adjust the consistency. Everyone has a unique preference when it comes to the consistency of their chicken and dumplings — and it usually comes down to the way it was prepared when they were growing up. If you want a thicker broth, allow the soup to simmer a bit longer or add a bit of cornstarch mixed with water to thicken the liquid. If the soup is too thick, add a little water or broth to thin it out
How to Serve
Chicken and dumplings are the star of the show and don’t need any fancy accompaniments to impress. Steamed vegetables, easy mashed potatoes, or your favorite greens salad will do nicely!
Some of our favorite sides to serve with this chicken soup are:
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Kale Salad
- Air Fryer Vegetables
- Lemon Parmesan Asparagus
- Caesar Salad
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Once the chicken and dumplings have cooled completely, transfer the soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days.
How to Reheat
Reheat leftover chicken and dumplings in a cooling pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of water to thin out the consistency if it has thickened up too much when stored. You can also reheat in the microwave.
How to Freeze
Once cooled, transfer the chicken and dumplings to a large Ziploc bag or another freezer-safe airtight container (such as a plastic deli container) and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or use a warm water bath to release it from the container before reheating it using your method of choice.
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- 60 Best Soup Recipes
- Chicken Potato Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- White Chicken Lasagna Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
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Chicken and Dumplings
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- Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
Chicken and Dumplings are a classic chicken soup that is hearty, comforting, and nourishing. It's loaded with chicken, homemade dumplings, and a flavorful creamy broth. This homemade soup is also quick to make in one pot in just 40 minutes — perfect for weeknight family dinners.
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
For the dumplings:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh green onions or chives, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup heavy cream (or milk)
Instructions
Make the soup:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until sizzling hot, about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer onto a large plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add butter and heat until melted, about 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery and sauté until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning until well combined.
- Add flour and mix well until thickened to a paste, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add chicken broth and stir constantly until evenly distributed.
- Return the chicken to the pot and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over low heat, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the dumplings:
- While the soup is simmering, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, green onions until evenly combined.
- Slowly add oil and milk and mix until just combined. Once the batter forms into a soft dough, use a spatula or spoon to fold in the dry pieces that haven’t been incorporated. Be careful not to overmix. Note that the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of batter at a time and add into the soup (the dumplings will expand quite a bit once cooked). Continue to simmer over low heat until the dumplings are fully cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cream and serve immediately.
Notes
How to store: Once the chicken and dumplings have cooled completely, transfer the soup to anairtight containerand refrigerate for up to four days.
How to reheat:Reheat leftover chicken and dumplings in a cooling pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of water to thin out the consistency if it has thickened up too much when stored. You can also reheat in the microwave.
How to freeze:Once cooled, transfer the chicken and dumplings to alarge Ziploc bagor another freezer-safe airtight container (such as a plastic deli container) and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or use a warm water bath to release it from the container before reheating it using your method of choice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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