I’m thoroughly obsessed with this chicken and dumplings recipe. This is some serious comfort food. I’m talking tender chicken thighs cooked in a rich gravy, a medley of colorful vegetables, topped with tender, fluffy, and flavorful dumplings. This recipe is so cozy that eating a bowl of these homemade chicken and dumplings feels like being wrapped up in a big warm hug. And the best part? It’s made 100% from scratch. 🙌 Ugh, brb, I need to go make another batch because my mouth is WATERING.
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“This is the best chicken and dumplings I have ever had. I will absolutely be making this again! I doubled the broth, increased the spice amounts, and melted into a happy puddle.”
Lindsey
Chicken and dumplings can take on many forms depending on where you live, but they’re always super cozy, filling, and comforting. While they usually always have tender chicken smothered in a savory gravy as their base, the dumplings can either be a thick noodle, or a pillowy biscuit steamed on top of the gravy. I love both versions, but today I’m making the pillowy cloud dumplings!
Tips for Fluffy Dumplings
- Make sure the dumpling batter is moist enough. It should be a soft, sticky, scoopable dough. If it’s too dry, the dumplings won’t be able to puff up as much.
- Make sure the gravy is simmering before adding the dumplings. The dumplings need the steam action from the simmering gravy to cook and fluff up. Avoid overcooking the dumplings by simmering them until they’ve doubled in size (about 15 minutes). Any longer and they can become gummy or disintegrate into the gravy instead of staying light and fluffy.
- Keep the lid on the pot the entire time the dumplings are cooking (this holds in the steam and ensures they cook from all sides.
- Don’t make the dumplings too big. They’ll double in size as they cook and larger dumplings will take much longer to cook.
- This recipe uses homemade drop dumplings (where the dough is simply dropped into the simmering gravy) because they’re quick, easy, can be seasoned to taste, and I just love how fluffy they turn out. For other dumpling styles, like using pre-made biscuits, see the Variations section below the step-by-step photos!
Chicken and Dumplings
Servings 6 (about 1.5 cups each)Ingredients
Chicken and Gravy
- 4 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, (about 1 lb.) $3.48*)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 1 yellow onion (diced, $0.70)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, $0.16)
- 2 carrots (diced, $0.31)
- 2 stalks celery (diced, $0.20)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.50)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.18)
Gravy Seasonings
- 1 tsp dried parsley ($0.10)
- ½ tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- ½ tsp dried rosemary ($0.05)
- ½ tsp dried sage ($0.05)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.18)
- 1½ tsp baking powder ($0.09)
- 1 tsp dried parsley ($0.10)
- ½ tsp granulated sugar ($0.01)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
- ½ cup milk ($0.09)
- 2 Tbsp butter (melted, $0.25)
Video
Instructions
Chicken and Gravy
- Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs and brown on each side. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point, just make sure they get very brown on the outside. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a clean bowl.
- After removing the chicken from the skillet, add the diced onion and minced garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onions have softened. Stir to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet as the onions cook.
- Add the diced carrot and celery to the skillet with the onion and garlic and continue to sauté for about five minutes more.
- Add the butter and flour to the skillet and stir until the butter has melted and created a paste with the flour that coats the vegetables. Continue to cook and stir this mixture for about two minutes.
- Add the parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and milk to the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high and continue to stir and cook until the mixture comes up to a simmer and thickens into a gravy.
- Dice the chicken and add it back to the skillet with the vegetables and gravy. Cover with a lid and let the chicken simmer in the gravy over medium heat while you prepare the dumplings.
Dumplings
- To prepare the dumplings, combine the flour, parsley, sugar, salt, baking powder, garlic powder, and pepper in a bowl.
- Pour the milk and melted butter into the flour mixture, then stir until a soft, scoopable batter is formed. Do not over stir.
- Remove the lid from the chicken and gravy and drop the dumpling batter onto the surface of the gravy in 2 Tbsp dollops. You should get about 12 dumplings.
- Make sure the gravy is still simmering, then place the lid back on the skillet and allow the dumplings to simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure they're simmering the entire time. After 15 minutes the dumplings should have doubled in size and will be fluffy and cooked in the center. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet* (Use a 10–12-inch deep skillet or a Dutch oven with a lid, around 4 quarts)
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chicken and Dumplings step-by-step photos
Brown the chicken: Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large deep skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add four boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the pan and allow them to brown very well on each side. The chicken doesn’t need to cook through at this point, just make sure it gets very brown. Remove the browned chicken to a clean cutting board and set aside.
Sauté the veggies: Add two minced cloves of garlic and one diced yellow onion to the skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are softened. Add two diced carrots and two diced celery stalks and continue to sauté over medium for 2-3 minutes more.
Make the gravy: Add four Tbsp of butter and ¼ cup of all-purpose flour to the skillet. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat. The butter will melt and combine with the flour to create a sort of paste that coats the vegetables. Continue to cook this mixture for about two minutes more.
Add 1 tsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried rosemary, ½ tsp dried sage, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, 2 cups chicken broth, and 1 cup milk to the skillet. Whisk the ingredients together, making sure to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow this mixture to come back up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken into a gravy.
Once the mixture has thickened to a gravy, dice the chicken thighs and stir them back into the skillet. Cover with a lid and allow the chicken to simmer in the gravy while you prepare the dumplings.
Make the dumplings: Stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, 1½ tsp baking powder, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, and ½ tsp sugar in a bowl. Melt 2 Tbsp butter and combine it with ½ cup milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until it forms a soft, sticky dough. It should be soft enough that you can easily scoop it with a spoon.
Make sure the gravy is fully simmering, then drop the dumpling dough into the gravy in 2 Tbsp portions. The dumplings will expand quite a bit as they steam, so don’t worry that they don’t fully cover the surface.
Simmer: Place the lid on the skillet and allow the dumplings to steam in the simmering gravy for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Make sure the gravy is simmering the whole time. After 15 minutes they should be about double in size. Cut one open to make sure it’s fluffy all the way through.
Serve the chicken and dumplings hot and enjoy! (shown garnished with parsley for color)
Dumpling Variations
I use a “drop biscuit” style dumpling for this chicken and dumplings recipe, but there are several other variations you can try. Here are some popular options for chicken and dumplings:
- Pre-Made Biscuits: If you want a shortcut, buy a can of ready-to-bake biscuits and simply place them on top of the simmering gravy, then steam until cooked through.
- Biscuit Mix: Skip the from-scratch biscuits listed below and use a pre-made biscuit mix, like Bisquick, to make your biscuit/dumpling topping.
- Thick Noodles: Either make your own homemade thick noodles or “sliders” to simmer in the gravy or buy a pre-made dried “dumpling noodle”. If using a dried noodle, you may want to add an additional cup of broth to allow for the noodle’s absorption.
How to Store the Leftovers
Leftover chicken and dumplings are SO delicious, so make sure to save some for lunch the next day! Simply divide the leftovers into single-serving containers and refrigerate. The gravy will get quite thick when refrigerated, but they’re still delicious! Chicken and dumplings will stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
You can also freeze the chicken and dumplings. Once chilled in the refrigerator, transfer the chicken and dumplings to the freezer and store for 2-3 months. To reheat the frozen chicken and dumplings either thaw in the refrigerator overnight before microwaving until hot or use the defrost function on the microwave.
Can I please have the flat dumpling recipe sent to me? It was my absolute favourite!!
Just sent it!
If this is not one of the best recipes that I have done, at the very least it would be certainly have among the highest return-on-investment for cooking. With exception of having to go out and get milk, plus substituting a few herbs, I had everything in the kitchen for when my parents returned after about a week away. And it was close to spur-of-the-moment too. Plus, I threw in about a cup or so of frozen peas – pad out those vegetables, you know.
And what a great recipe to have on hand, one that should be taught for anyone wanting to know how to cook in the kitchen. It ticks all of the right boxes, and is tasty to boot. My parents were absolutely surprised, having slightly different plans. The flavours are fairly subtle, letting the natural aspects of the vegetables and chicken speak for themselves, plus the texture is wholesome and warming. What makes it great is that it doesn’t seem to heavy while eating.
You can bet your bottom dollar that this is going to go into rotation down the line.
Can you please email me the flat dumpling recipe? Thank you!!
Sent it over to you!
This is one of the first recipes I made from Budget Bytes. It is so simple and so delicious. I made a big pot of it on a family vacation to Colorado recently and everyone loved it including the picky cousins 10/10
Going to make this style for the first time. Can this dumpling recipe be doubled? Can you send me your flat dumpling recipe as well? Thanks
Hi Shannon! Just sent the flat dumpling recipe! I think you could double this one okay, but I would split it into two pans instead of using one big one. Good Luck!
I’d never made chicken and dumplings before this recipe, and it was amazing! Definitely going into the recipe rotation!
This was so easy and flavorful! Made it all in about 40 minutes so a great weeknight meal too!
Can you email me the flat dumpling recipe? I was in the middle of making the soup and realized that it was different. Probably too late for this batch though 😅.
Just sent it!
I used rotisserie chicken and had made a chicken stock from that to use in this recipe. Soooo good!!!
Can I get
We’re you looking for the flat dumpling recipe, Carolyn? If so, let me know and I’m happy to email it to you!
Great recipe
I’m also looking for the flat dumpling recipe. Could you email to me? Thanks!
Sending it now!
Delicious recipe that I keep coming back to. Simple comfort food at its finest.
We make this gluten-free and dairy-free using half and half millet and rice flour for the dumplings/thickener and coconut milk for the dairy. This is a favorite for sure.
Super quick and excellent comfort food