Last Updated on February 11, 2026
This chicken and dumplings recipe delivers classic comfort food with tender chicken, fluffy drop dumplings, and vegetables in a rich, thickened broth. The dumplings steam right on top of the soup for easy one-pot cooking. It’s the kind of meal that warms you up from the inside and tastes like home.
Quick Highlights
- Ready in 1 hour start to finish
- One-pot meal with protein and vegetables
- Fluffy drop dumplings steam right in the pot
Building the Best Broth Base
Fresh vs. rotisserie chicken: Fresh chicken creates more flavorful broth as it cooks. If using rotisserie, add it at the end and use high-quality store-bought broth since you won’t be building flavor from scratch.
Why dried thyme matters: Fresh thyme works, but dried thyme releases more concentrated flavor into the broth during the longer cooking time. Use 2 teaspoons dried or 2 tablespoons fresh.
Butter and cream are key: The butter helps thicken the broth and adds richness. Heavy cream (not milk) gives the soup that classic creamy texture without curdling.
Dumpling Success Secrets
Don’t peek while they steam: This is critical! Opening the lid releases steam and temperature, which prevents dumplings from cooking through. Keep that lid on for the full 17 minutes.
The batter should be thick: Dumpling batter is thicker than pancake batter-it should drop from a spoon, not pour. Too thin and they’ll dissolve into the soup.
Drop them gently: Use a tablespoon to drop dollops directly onto the simmering soup. They’ll puff up as they steam, so leave space between each one.
Make It Your Own
- Biscuit-style dumplings: Use refrigerated biscuit dough cut into quarters for a shortcut version
- Herb upgrade: Add fresh rosemary or sage along with the thyme
- Vegetable swap: Use green beans instead of peas, or add corn for sweetness
- Creamier version: Increase heavy cream to 1½ cups for extra richness
- Leftover turkey: Swap chicken for leftover Thanksgiving turkey
Make-Ahead & Storage Tips
Storage
Fridge: 3-4 days in an airtight container
Reheating
Stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to thin if needed. Microwave works but may make dumplings slightly chewy.
Make-Ahead Notes
Make the soup base up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bring to a simmer and add fresh dumpling batter to steam. Dumplings don’t store well once cooked-they get soggy.
📋 Recipe
Chicken and Dumplings
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs chicken chopped into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 TBL olive oil
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 TBL butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup frozen peas
- fresh parsley
For the Dumplings
- 2 cuos flour
- 4 TBL butter melted
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Chop vegetables. In a large pot with a lid, place olive oil and heat.
- Sear chicken in batches then set aside.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add flour, stir to coat veggies and cook until lightly browned. Then add thyme.
- Add chicken broth and stir to incorporate the flour and broth. Bring to a boil then add chicken back to the pot.
- Reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to allow the soup to thicken.
- Make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the melted butter and cream and mix until completely incorporated.
- Once the soup is thickened, add the frozen peas. Stir.
- Drop dumplings, 1 tablespoon at a time into the simmering soup.
- Cover and cook for 17 minutes.
- Very important: do not open the lid until after the 17 minutes! The dumplings will steam with the cover on the pot.
- Once the dumplings are cooked, serve hot and with fresh parsley for garnish.
