Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
With mushrooms for big umami flavor and bright lemon zest in the dumpling dough, this is the best Homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe that you’ll want to make again and again!
Does old fashioned Chicken and Dumplings evoke a sense of nostalgia for you? I didn’t grow up eating it, but it was one of my first favorite things to cook when I started cooking as an adult.
While classic dish is great, I’ve put a few signature touches on it to make it my own. First of all, I add mushrooms! This isn’t traditional for most homemade chicken and dumplings recipes, but it adds so much flavor and umami.
And because I hate a bland dumpling, I spike mine with lemon zest. The bright citrusy flavor makes it so the dumplings really complement the rich, creamy stew in the best possible way.
Why you’ll love Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
- It’s kind of a one-pot wonder! I say that because you will need a bowl to stir together the dumpling batter, but beyond that, there’s very few dishes required, so there’s also minimal cleanup.
- The combination of savory broth, succulent chicken and fluffy dumplings truly feels like a hug in a bowl. Great for a cold day or an under-the-weather friend.
Ingredients for the Best Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- chicken thighs – the main protein for the stew.
- unsalted butter – used for sauteeing the chicken and vegetables.
- flour – used for creating the roux that will thicken the stew, as well as making the dumplings.
- button (white) mushrooms – adds an earthy and umami flavor.
- garlic – enhances the overall flavor profile of the stew.
- carrots – contribute sweetness and texture.
- celery – add a mild texture and subtle flavor the stew.
- onion – provides a sweet and savory base flavor for the stew.
- white wine – adds brightness and complexity.
- bay leaf – infuses a subtle herbal aroma.
- chicken stock – the main liquid of the stew, creating a rich and savory broth.
- salt and pepper – for seasoning the stew and dumplings.
- fresh thyme – adds a fresh herby flavor to the stew.
- baking powder -the leavening agent for the dumplings, giving them a light and fluffy texture.
- dried parsley – adds a mild herbal flavor and color to the dumplings.
- lemon zest – the bright citrusy flavor added to the dumplings complements how rich the stew is.
- cream – binds the dumpling ingredients together and adds richness to the stew.
Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Easy Substitutions
- CHICKEN – Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in place of thighs if you prefer.
- HERBS – You can use rosemary or sage in place of the thyme for the stew.
- MUSHROOMS – I use white button mushrooms here because they are the most affordable, but if you’d like to use something more exotic like cremini or shitake, you can!
How to make Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
1. CHICKEN. Cook the chicken in butter in a large Dutch oven until no obvious raw spots remain on the chicken, then transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. VEGGIES. Add the remaining butter to the pot and saute the mushrooms until they start to soften. Then, add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion and cook until all the vegetables are softened.
3. FLOUR. Add the flour and cook 30 seconds to form a roux.
4. LIQUID. Stir in the wine, then add the bay leaf, chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper, along with the chicken. Heat the mixture to boiling, then reduce the heat.
5. WHISK. While the stew simmers, prep the dumpling dough by whisking together the flour, baking powder, parsley, lemon zest and salt.
6. CREAM. While stirring, gradually add the cream until all the cream is incorporated into the dumpling dough.
7. DOLLOP. Spoon the dumpling dough over the surface of the stew in big dolllops.
8. SIMMER. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.
Home Chef Tips for making this recipe for Chicken and Dumplings
- Since the chicken stock makes up so much of this dish, by volume, choose a good quality brand for the best flavor. If you have homemade chicken stock, now’s the time to use it!
- Don’t overmix the dumpling batter to ensure a light and fluffy texture.
- When dropping spoonfuls of dumpling batter over the stew, try to maintain more or less uniform sizes so that the dumplings cook evenly.
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What to serve with Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Homemade chicken and dumplings are truly a complete meal on their own, but consider adding a green salad tossed with citrus vinaigrette for a light counterpoint to the rich main dish.
How to store this Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Allow any leftover chicken and dumplings to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container in the refrigerator. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
My favorite way to reheat old fashioned chicken and dumplings is to place it in a small baking dish, cover it with foil, and reheat it in a 350 degrees oven until it is warmed through.
It can also be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
No matter the reheating method, you may need to add some additional broth, as the stew will have thickened up quite a bit.
The Best Chicken and Dumplings Recipe FAQs
Dumplings typically consist of flour, fat, and a liquid. In the case of this recipe, heavy cream acts as both the fat and the liquid.
The flour that is added in Step 3 below forms a roux, which is the thickener for this chicken and dumplings recipe.
Overmixing the dumpling batter or cooking the dumplings too long can cause them to fall apart. Be gentle when stirring the batter, and cook the dumplings only until they are just fluffy and cooked through.
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
For the Chicken Stew:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped
- 8 ounces button mushrooms chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ½ large yellow onion chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Dumplings:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Chicken Stew:
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until no obvious raw spots remain on the outside of the chicken, stirring frequently (chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point). Transfer chicken to plate.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pot and lower heat to medium. Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes or until they start to soften, stirring frequently. Add garlic, carrots, celery and onion. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add flour and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in bay leaf, stock, thyme, salt, pepper and chicken. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Let simmer while you make dumplings.
Make the Dumplings:
- In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, parsley, lemon zest and salt until well combined.
- While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add cream until all cream is incorporated.
- Spoon dumpling dough in big 2 tablespoon-ish dollops over stew, covering the entire surface of the stew.
- Cover pot and simmer on medium-low 20 minutes or until dumplings are firm to the touch and cooked through.
Notes
- Since the chicken stock makes up so much of this dish, by volume, choose a good quality brand for the best flavor. If you have homemade chicken stock, now’s the time to use it!
- Don’t overmix the dumpling batter to ensure a light and fluffy texture.
- When dropping spoonfuls of dumpling batter over the stew, try to maintain more or less uniform sizes so that the dumplings cook evenly.
I guess all of that is true, Courtney 🙂 I mean, looking back on these photos now, they’re not THAT bad. I think I was just frustrated at the time because the light was like, GLARING in the windows! haha.
We are our own worst critics. I totally feel your pain on this, but trust me, you’re thinking these look way worse than anyone else does. This is a tough food to photograph and I think you did a really nice job. I understand though– I hate when photos are less than what I think they could be. But think of it this way, you’re only disappointed because you know you’re capable of taking freaking awesome photos–and that’s a great thing.
Lori, I love how you have committed to this series and yes everything is better with lemons! I know what you are saying about photos – I think you did a good job on this and some foods are harder to photograph than others. I struggle with pasta – I can never get it to look natural. I have this book also and have read it many times. I currently use PSE11 but thinking of getting lightroom… do you like that? PS – I’m guessing motor oil might be in the BA picture HA! Keep up the great work – you inspire me to do better!
Hi Deb – I agree, pasta is SO hard! Especially the long, twirly kinds like spaghetti and linguine, at least for me. I always end up fiddling with it too much and then it just looks unnatural. Haha.
I really like Lightroom, but I’ve never used PSE, so I can’t compare the two. I was able to get Lightroom at 50% off when B&H had a sale, so I think I’ve really gotten my money’s worth. I was able to teach myself the basics pretty quickly.
Is the author of that book related to Jean Dujardin? I assume that it a rather common french name. Either way, she has great ideas about photography and I can certainly see your improvement everyday.
Also, the actual food was delicious – the dumplings were perfectly fluffy.
Thanks Ice 🙂 You’re right, if I hadn’t said anything, nobody would have known. But then, I also wouldn’t have had a blog post, either. haha. I’m only about 1/3rd of the way through Plate to Pixel but I definitely recommend it. There’s so much to learn from it.
I think you are being too hard on yourself. I think your pictures are beautiful.
Had you not said anything I would have known your struggles. Oh no, actually I would have because I go through the same thing every time I picture food for my blog posts.
Either way, I am happy you learned so much.
I want to read Plate to Pixel too.
Oh my.. there is so much to read.. Crazy!! 🙂
Aw, thanks Cathleen!
I think you are being too hard on yourself because these photos turned out great. There is brown slop and then there is some nice looking chicken and dumplings. Going all white definitely helped and yes the light is a little bright is some parts these are far from horrific. Let’s always remember, how much you bet those mushrooms on the bon app cover were probably cooked separately to get that deep brown caramelized color and then strategically placed.
You’re right Susan, I’m my own worst critic, without a doubt 🙂 I bet Bon Appetit took their perfectly shaped mushrooms (that the probably got by picking through a huge box and then throwing away the not-so-perfect ones) and browned them, like, 3 at a time in a pan or something. Hahaha.
Droool! I’m always looking for chicken recipes. It’s breakfast time, and I’m hungry for some of this!