Fall went out in a blazing 67 degree day of glory a couple weeks ago, and I think it’s now safe to say that it’s officially the season that shall not be named in Iowa.
Flurries seem to be fluttering around at all hours of the of day, static is dominating my life, and all I want is warm carbs. Tonight, to combat the now constant, chilly temps, I made the warmest, most comforting dinner I could think of. A cozy, culinary hug, if you will. Homemade Chicken & Dumplings.
I am obsessed with this dish!!! It takes a little bit of time to make if you’re going the 100% homemade route like I did, but it is so worth the effort!
This ultimate comfort food recipe is broken into two parts:
1. The chicken
2. The dumplings
Surprise!
The Chicken:
First we start with the chicken which, after simmering low and slow with aromatic vegetables, produces a savory and luxurious stock, and juicy shredded chicken for the Chicken & Dumplings. You’ll want a 4-5lb fryer chicken for the recipe. Take it out of the wrapping and remove the giblets inside.
Next, chop up aromatic vegetables including onion, celery and carrot.
Place the chicken and veggies into the largest stock or soup pot you’ve got, and pour in enough water to completely cover the chicken.
Simmer the chicken low and slow for an hour, and you’ll be rewarded with this.
The most succulent, juicy, tender chicken you ever did see. Rest on a plate for now.
Turn your attention back to the pot which now contains cups and cups of ultra-flavorful, homemade chicken stock.
Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain the stock through it.
I got this cheesecloth from the regular grocery store in the disposable baking dishes and cooking utensils aisle, for about $2.50.
Discard the veggies, and you are left with pure, liquid GOLD my friends!
You should end up with around 12 cups of stock, 8 of which you’ll need for the Chicken & Dumplings.
FYI – after the stock cools, place it in the fridge and the fat will rise to the top and harden. Then you can just remove and discard.
After the chicken has cooled a bit, remove the meat from the bones, and shred it all up. You should get about 6-7 cups total from the chicken, but you’ll only need about 3 for the recipe.
The Dumplings:
Ok – part 1 = done. Time to turn our attention to part 2 – the dumplings! These puppies are pretty much foolproof. Start with flour, baking powder and salt, then cut in some butter.
You can use a pastry cutter, a fork – or go old school like me and use your fingers. Just squish the flour and butter between your fingers until it’s the texture of cornmeal.
Next, add in enough skim milk so that when you stir the dough with a fork, it comes together in a ball.
Place some of the dough onto a heavily floured surface. As in – no inch of the cutting board should be without a thick dusting of it.
Flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough pretty thin.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into approximately 2″ x 2″ squares – it doesn’t have to be perfect. I showed my inner Type A the doorwith this recipe in regards to the flour mess and imprecise dumpling cutting. I even made Ben come to the kitchen to watch and observe the craziness. He was impressed.
Continue rolling and cutting your dumplings, placing them on a platter. Add a heavy dusting of flour between each layer so they don’t stick together.
Bring the reserved chicken stock up to a boil and drop the dumplings in one by one, gently stirring so they won’t stick together. Don’t be afraid of getting too much flour into the broth – it’ll just make for that much more of a thick and creamy Chicken & Dumplings.
About 10 minutes later the dumplings should be plump and chewy. PERFECT! Stir in the reserved, shredded chicken, add more salt & pepper if necessary, then dish it on up!
Take THAT, winter!
I could NOT be more tickled with how well this dish turned out! The broth was thick and creamy, the dumplings were plump and chewy, and the chicken was tender and juicy.
You could totally make this dish in a snap by using store-bought chicken stock and chicken – but taking the time to slow cook the chicken and make your own stock is SO rewarding. A perfect Sunday afternoon activity!
Linda Martin 02.22.2023
This recipe sounds great, but could you please give the actual amounts of flour,baking powder, salt & butter for the dumplings? Thank
You in advance
Terri 01.24.2023
I hope I didn’t miss this in the blog, but what kind of flour do you use? This recipe is almost exactly the same as my grandmothers chicken and dumplings recipe and my family has been so sad to not have it since we all had to go gluten-free. I tried to substitute with king Arthur’s measure for measure, but the dumplings were terrible, and even the broth was almost flavorless when it creamed up. I want so badly to be able to put this back on the menu for our family!
Kristin 01.26.2023
Hi Terri! I have not adapted this recipe to be gluten free. For a similar type dish though, I HIGHLY recommend my Gluten Free Homestyle Chicken and Noodles! https://iowagirleats.com/gluten-free-homestyle-chicken-and-noodles/
Rachael Kelley 07.23.2022
I love this recipe! I’ve made many recipes on this site, and this is one of my favorites. All the kids love it, and I always feel accomplished when I make something from scratch. Thanks for sharing! :-)
Kristin 07.25.2022
I totally agree – no better feeling! So glad this is a family favorite – thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Cathy VELLIQUETTE 05.23.2022
I love this recipe for chewy dumplings….my favorite over fluffy. So delicious!!!
Kristin 05.27.2022
Me too, Cathy!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Lynette Hess 09.30.2020
Could you use 1 to 1 GF flour?
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Tracey 11.17.2016
Great recipe.
The dumplings are perfect!
Lisa 04.09.2016
Dear, dear, Kristin. Never in my life did I think I could make this dish. Dumplins? I mean, who has time to make broth, let alone dumplins, from scratch? A couple of years ago, YOUR recipe changed, no, BLEW my mind. Since then, I’ve adapted it a bit to suit my familiy’s taste and to cook it with the help of my slow cooker, but I ALWAYS, make scratch broth & dumplins from using your recipe. It’s become my family’s favorite dish. We don’t get many cold, wintery days in Phoenix, but I still make this recipe often. BTW, people ask me for the recipe all the time & almost always ask if they could make it quicker, using store bought broth & rotisserie chicken. “Sure.” I reply. But, they always come back wondering why it didn’t turn out as good as mine. Hmmm… I wonder? Thank you for such a fantastic recipe & your incredible pics that gave me the courage to try it!!
Kristin 04.10.2016
I’m so glad you decided to give it a go – even in toasty Pheonix! Isn’t it just the best recipe?!
Rachel 04.19.2015
This takes me right back to my uncles kitchen. He made his own stock and in the tiny town in North Carolina where my father and uncle were born and raised this is called Pie Bread. It’s comfort food at it’s best.
Alison 12.30.2014
This looks delicious! How long do you think it takes from start to finish?
Tammy 11.03.2013
Love the chicken stock part but the dumplings are too heavy. I usually do the bisquick route and add sage and poulter seasoning and my husband and neibours love it! When my grown daughters are sick it is the only thing they swear makes them well. Thanx for the stock canning recipe.
Angie 04.17.2013
So. I just subscribed to your site today and I mentioned the whole, “OMG, I can’t believe I found you. You visited a restaurant down the street from my house – thing” and now this… I did a google search for “chicken and dumplings” and I saw a link back to your site again, and I was like “Huh?” and to boot, you make it THE RIGHT WAY! (I’m sure I’d get a lot of slack for saying that…), KARMA!! but this is exactly the way my grandma used to make hers, only in North Carolina, they call it “chicken and pastry”. I’m soo gonna love your blog. Thanks again, Angie
Angela 02.11.2013
I grew up eating this but we call it “Chicken Pot Pie”. To make a super fast version you can use canned broth & a rotisserie chicken. Just simmer the chicken til hot to add flavor to the broth then proceed with your recipe. We also sometimes serve it over mashed potatoes…mmm…ultimate comfort from my sweet Granny!
Randy Taylor 12.18.2012
I cheat on the dumplings. I buy wop biscuits (cause you wop ’em on the counter to open ’em up) and tear them into quarters. 4 lb bird would work with 3 cans, anything larger, I go with 4.
Lisa 10.08.2012
A year or so ago, I decided I would try my hand at making chicken & “dumplins” and found a recipe just like this one. I had no idea how easy it was to make, even though it’s a bit time consuming making if completely from scratch. If you want the best, make must make your own stock! The only think I do differently is that I use my slow cooker, which is nice since you can put the chicken in the night before and you don’t have to babysit the pot. This is probably my family’s favorite comfort food. It never disappoints… unless I don’t make a double batch. :D
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treasa 07.05.2012
Love chicken and dumplings, making this right now, kids went to the denist and had work done and all they want to eat is dumplings cause it wont hurt their teeth, its the middle of summer here in Texas and making this for dinner lol. But what my babies want my babies get.
Carolina 07.05.2012
Where I come from (Kentucky) you must make chicken and dumplings with hen broth ONLY. Hen’s are female, of course, and carry more fat that makes for a richer dumpling broth.