The Best Southern Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Did you know you can have a pot of Southern chicken and dumplings ready for dinner in less than one hour? Yep! Use my shortcut tips, and you’ll be making this Southern comfort food every week for dinner.

We’ll teach you how to make delicious, from-scratch dumplings as well as a secret, easier way to make dumplings.

You will love these Southern homemade chicken and dumplings

My Mama has always made the best chicken and dumplings, so this recipe is as close to hers as I can get. And I’ve made it easy for you to follow along and learn how to make real, homemade dumplings—or cheat a little with my secret, time-saving shortcut!

For easy homemade dumplings, you’ll start with self-rising flour and work in a little butter, then some ice water. That’s it! You’ll knead the dough, then roll and cut.

And the SECRET – for a real timesaver, use canned biscuits! All you have to do is roll the biscuits out flat on a floured surface and cut into strips. Easy peasy!

Southern chicken and dumplings ingredients

Quick and easy version:

• Chopped rotisserie chicken – using rotisserie chicken adds so much flavor and saves TIME
• Canned biscuits – the dough is already made for you!
• Flour – either self-rising or plain is fine
• Chicken stock – use a high-quality, low-sodium stock
• Cream of chicken soup (optional) – this adds additional flavor
• Chicken bouillon cube or chicken base (optional) – deepens the flavor
• Corn starch (optional) – thickens your broth
• Butter – don’t we always need more butter?!!

How to make Southern-style chicken and dumplings

Quick and easy version:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit to about 1/8″ thick. Cut into 2-inch strips. Drop the strips into a bowl of flour in layers, sprinkling each layer with a little flour so each strip is lightly coated.
2. Add stock to a large pot and heat on medium-high. Stir in the cream of chicken soup. If you like a thicker broth, go ahead and add a cornstarch slurry (use two tablespoons of cornstarch and three tablespoons of cold water) and bring the stock to a boil to activate the cornstarch. You can also add some chicken bouillon at this point. Turn down to simmer before adding the dumplings.
3. Drop in the floured biscuit strips, one at a time. Press the strips down into the liquid gently, but don’t stir, as this may dissolve the dumplings. You do periodically need to stir just to make sure your dumplings aren’t sticking to the pot, but do so gently and infrequently.
4. Gently stir in the cooked chicken and butter. Cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the dumplings are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

From scratch version:

1. Add a whole chicken to a large stockpot and cover with water. Heat on medium-high. Stir in the cream of chicken soup. If you like a thicker broth, go ahead and add a cornstarch slurry (use two tablespoons of cornstarch and three tablespoons of cold water) and bring the stock to a boil to activate the cornstarch. You can also add some chicken bouillon at this point. Turn down to simmer before adding the dumplings. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the chicken is done and tender.
2. While the chicken is cooking, make your dumplings. Place flour in a bowl and cut in butter until well mixed. Stir in ice water. Add more flour until consistency of dough, usually about 1/2 cup additional flour.
3. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth, then roll out to about 1/8″ thick. Cut into 2-inch strips. Add extra flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Remove chicken from pot, allow to cool a little, then pull it apart from the bones and shred or chop. Set aside.
5. Drop dumplings one by one into simmering broth and cook until plump and tender, about 20 minutes. Stir gently to keep the dumplings from sticking.
6. Add chicken back to the pot along with butter and cook about 20 minutes until heated and broth is thickened.

Southern chicken and dumplings recipe tips

How to thicken chicken and dumplings

You can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth more if you need to. Usually, the flour on the dumplings is sufficient.

To make a cornstarch slurry, add cornstarch to cold water. I would start with two tablespoons of corn starch and three tablespoons of cold water, mix together until cornstarch is dissolved, then stir into the pot. You must bring the liquid to a boil to activate the cornstarch, but then turn it down and don’t let it boil again.

What to serve with the best Southern chicken and dumplings recipe ever

Note: My mother always serves her homemade Plum Sauce with these Southern Chicken and Dumplings. This recipe is the closest I could find for Homemade Plum Sauce.

Since a bowl of chicken and dumplings is a meal all by itself, we don’t usually add anything else to the menu. Except dessert. Don’t you always need dessert?

You’ll never go wrong with Granny’s Chocolate Sheet Cake or a classic Lemon Icebox Pie. Or brownies. Or chocolate chip cookies!

How to store Southern-style chicken and dumplings

Store the chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I always have a stack of these containers on hand—they are perfect for refrigerator or freezer storage!

Can you freeze chicken and dumplings?

To freeze chicken and dumplings, allow to rest until cool, then spoon into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 4 months.

Southern chicken and dumplings recipe FAQs

Why are my chicken and dumplings not fluffy?

You may be looking for drop biscuit dumplings instead of rolled dumplings. Drop biscuit dumplings are fluffier and thicker and use a different technique than this recipe.

Are dumplings supposed to float in chicken and dumplings?

The dumplings will float a bit when you first add them. Be sure you don’t stir too much!

Why are my chicken and dumplings gummy?

Just like biscuits, if you overwork the dough, then your dumplings may turn out tough and/or gummy.

Why do my dumplings in chicken and dumplings fall apart?

If you place the dumplings in boiling water or broth, or if you stir too much, the dumplings will likely dissolve and fall apart. Keep the broth to a simmer.