Easy Chicken and Dumplings With Biscuits
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When considering traditional Southern cuisine, chicken and dumplings are surely among the top choices. This straightforward recipe is delightful, delectable, and bursting with an abundance of taste.
Easy chicken and dumplings, a beloved dish in the South, consists of a rich and velvety chicken stew accompanied by soft and fluffy dumplings. Similar to many comfort foods from the South, this dish originated from a need for practicality. In the past, chicken was considered a luxury and not readily accessible. When it was available, it was usually of meager proportions.
Fortunately, nowadays chicken is a fundamental element in the culinary habits of numerous individuals. Therefore, for your upcoming poultry feast, why not experiment with this homemade formula for chicken dumplings accompanied by biscuits? A beloved choice among families, this recipe may be uncomplicated, yet it is also delectable and serves as an excellent creamy dish for a warm and comforting winter meal (or as comforting as it can be in this vicinity).
If you’re in a dumpling mood, make sure you check out these other delectable dumplings from scratch recipes too: sweet potato dumplings and apple dumplings.
What You Need To Make Chicken and Dumplings
- Chicken
- One can of Pillsbury flaky layers biscuits
- Flour (self-rising or plain, doesn’t matter)
- Chicken broth
- Cream of chicken soup – here is a homemade recipe for cream of chicken soup if you prefer.
- salt and pepper
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings
Normally, I cook a whole chicken, but today I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts since that’s what I had. You can add some chicken bouillon cubes to your water instead of broth if you want.
I like to prepare chicken in different ways. Sometimes I use a slow cooker, other times I cook it in broth, and occasionally I use chicken thighs. There are even times when I just buy a cooked rotisserie chicken. It’s up to you and what you feel like doing! The important thing is to make sure your chicken is cooked, and then set it aside.
Pour your broth into a pot.
Add cream of chicken soup.
Stir and let it come to a very gentle boil while you prepare the dumplings.
To prepare the dumplings, put a little bit of flour (about a cup) in a large bowl. Add some salt and pepper – about 1/2 a teaspoon each or whatever you prefer. Stir that up a bit.
Take all of your biscuits out of the can and set them on a plate.
Now, we’re going to take each canned biscuit and tear it into three layers like this.
This is what they should look like when they are all separated into 3 layers.
Dip each layer into your flour mixture, and make sure you coat both sides until they look like this.
Pay close attention to this step. If you skip it, your dumplings might disappear in the broth. That’s exactly what happened to me the first time I tried making chicken and dumplings. I wound up with a tasty soup that had a dumpling flavor!
Now, take each layer and tear it into three pieces.
Reduce heat so that your chicken stock is just barely barely barely boiling and drop dumpling pieces in one at a time.
It is important that you DO NOT STIR. We are not going to stir these as we don’t want our dumplings cooking up. If you do stir, you will basically cause your dumplings to dissolve.
Instead of stirring, we’re going to gently press the dumplings down into the chicken stock as they cook. This will take about ten minutes. You’ll notice the dumplings starting to take shape and they’ll stop looking doughy as they firm up a bit.
Put your shredded chicken into the dumplings and give it a very gentle mix. I mostly just press it down a bit like I did with the dumplings. Just remember to be gentle.
And there you go y’all! You just make an old-fashioned chicken and dumpling recipe your family will LOVE!
How Do You Store Chicken and Dumplings?
- Store your chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. They’re even better the next day as the dumplings continue to soak up the broth. You can reheat the dish either on the stove or in the microwave.
- You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to five months.
Can I Add Vegetables To Chicken and Dumplings?
If you want to add some vegetables to this recipe, you can add a can of carrot and peas to the broth when you add the chicken. Another option is to add some sauteed onion.
Can I Make Homemade Dough?
If you prefer to make homemade dumplings with homemade biscuit dough, check out my recipes here and here.
Can I Add More Seasoning?
If you’d like to add some seasoning, cook the in , , or .
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with chicken and dumplings?
Pair this Southern main dish with other great Southern side dishes, like cornbread, fresh green beans, and fried okra. You could also just serve it with a simple side salad or some roasted brussels sprouts.
What type of chicken can you use for this recipe?
You can use either a whole chicken, boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or even a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
Why is it important not to skip the step of pressing the dumplings into the broth?
Pressing the dumplings ensures that they cook properly and hold their shape. If you skip this step, the dumplings might dissolve in the broth.
How long does it take for the dumplings to cook?
It takes about ten minutes for the dumplings to cook. During this time, they will firm up and take on a proper dumpling texture.
What happens if you don’t handle the chicken and dumplings mixture gently when combining them?
If you’re too rough, the dumplings and chicken can break apart. It’s important to be gentle to keep the dish in good shape.
Can you use chicken bouillon cubes instead of broth?
Yes, you can use chicken bouillon cubes in place of broth if you prefer.
What can happen if you use doughy dumplings?
Doughy dumplings may not cook through properly and can result in an unpleasant texture in the final dish.
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
Yes, you can prepare the chicken and dumplings ahead of time. Just be sure to reheat it gently when you’re ready to serve.
You might also enjoy these other chicken recipes:
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts
- 32 oz chicken broth feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can Pilsbury layers biscuits 10 individual
- salt and pepper to taste
- flour
Instructions
- Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork-tender, about 45 minutes.3 or 4 chicken breasts
- Place broth in a medium to large-sized pot. Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.32 oz chicken broth, 1 can cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper to taste
- Pull biscuits apart into three layers. Dip each layer into the flour and then tear each layer into three pieces and drop into gently boiling broth mixture.1 can Pilsbury layers biscuits, flour
- Do not stir biscuits a lot or they will cook up. Only gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. Cook for about ten minutes after the last dumplings are added.
- Tear up the chicken and add it to the broth mixture. Turn to low until ready to serve.
Nutrition
I’m going to try these tonight. I have been making them with floured tortilla shells. They are yummy also.
These are the best I’ve ever had, I made them again last night, and the only thing I did different is add sauteed onions and celery!!!
OK, so do I ever have to tell anyone how easy it was to make this?? I am adventuresome in the kitchen but sometimes not very talented. I once tried to make homemade noodles and made a giant rubber band instead.
This was terrific!! Thank you so much.!! I added Lawry’s seasoned garlic salt, which I add to almost everything but my breakfast cereal, and at the very end stirred in some frozen corn and peas and carrots which I had rinsed in hot water first. I took some along to a friend as a thank you. I have had your book for several months now and I love it. Your corn casserole was the first thing I made and it was fabulous. Thank you so much for being you Christy. xoxojanet
this is sooooooooooooooooooooo yummy 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe – all others are junk – this does NOT TASTE like soup – this was great! I did add chopped carrots to broth while making dumplings part. I also added 2 cans of chicken broth and used 5 chicken breats. It was AWESOME!
So glad to hear you liked it!!!
Chicken and Dumpling’s is in the top 5 all-time best southern recipes and I’ve been making it the same way my grandmother did for the past 60 years. Here’s a little different slant on how to do it.
Forget the Cream of Chicken Soup – it gives the finished dish a little bit of an artificial taste and it’s loaded with sodium. Cook your chicken (thighs are better than breasts because they don’t dry out) in the purchased chicken broth to intensify the flavors of both the broth and the chicken (just buy some good broth – don’t do that chicken bouillon cube thing – best supermarket broth is Swanson’s Organic; second best is Campbells condensed). Now for the real time-saveig and fresher-tasting trick – use Mary B’s or Anne’s dumplings from the frozen food section instead of fooling with the biscuits, which taste okay but aren’t thin enough. Follow the directions on the dumpling package for how long to cook them, then put the bite-size pieces of chicken back in the pot to re-warm for about 10 minutes before serving. The broth should thicken up enough by itself, but if it doesn’t, mix a little flour with a little water and stir the slurry into the gravy a couple of minutes before serving.
the step by step pictures were great for a novice cook!! thank you!!!!!