Southern Chicken and Dumplings are made with flour and butter, chicken, and broth, and that's it! This is a classic, simple dish and it's the ultimate comfort food!
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Servings: 10
Calories: 335kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer
Ingredients
Quick and easy version using canned biscuits:
1canlarge canned biscuits, such as Grand'suse regular buttermilk flavor
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.
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.
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.
Gently stir in cooked chicken and 1/2 stick butter. Cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the dumplings are done. Salt and pepper to taste.
From scratch version:
Fill a large stockpot 3/4 full with water (about 3 quarts of water). 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). You can also add some chicken bouillon at this point. Place the whole chicken in the pot and bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes until chicken is done and tender.
While chicken is cooking, make dumplings. Place 2 cups flour in a bowl and cut in 1 stick butter until well-mixed. Stir in ice water. Add 1/2 cup flour and mix until dough is not sticky.
Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth, then roll out to about 1/8" thick. Sprinkle more flour over dough. Cut into 2-inch strips. Add extra flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Remove chicken from pot, allow to cool a little, then pull it apart from the bones and shred or chop. Set aside.
Dredge dumplings in flour and drop dumplings one by one into simmering broth. Press dumplings down lightly with a wooden spoon but try not to stir much as that can cause the dumplings to dissolve. Cook until dumplings are plump and tender, about 20 minutes. Stir gently every few minutes to keep the dumplings from sticking.
Add chicken back to pot along with 1/2 stick butter and cook 20 minutes until heated and broth is thickened.
Notes
Alternatives and Tips
Use a rotisserie chicken and store-bought broth.
To freeze chicken and dumplings, allow to rest until cool, then spoon into a freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 4 months.