While I didn’t grow up eating chicken & dumplings, it was my husband’s favorite. His grandmother made dumplings for him while he was growing up and his mother continued the tradition so you can imagine this brings back some yummy memories! While his grandmother has been gone for quite some time and I never got the opportunity to meet her, I hope she’s proud of how we continue to honor her dish!
Isn’t it great how food can create a sort of portal? I think we all have at least one meal which can bring us back! And who wouldn’t want to create memories worth coming back to!!
Jump to RecipeNow while I am the first to look for shortcuts to help out when possible, this isn’t a dish for that. Take the extra step and boil a whole chicken. You won’t necessarily use all of the meat but what isn’t used can be set aside for a yummy pizza, salad, or soup. Trust me, you’ll find a use for chicken meat!
So let’s get that bird started! If using a whole chicken, clean out the cavity without discarding the giblets, those will help flavor the broth. Whether you choose to cut up or leave the chicken whole, remove as much of the skin as possible. While the skin has a ton of flavor, it also has a whole lot of fat that you don’t want this time. Use a stockpot large enough to allow for a minimum 2″ of water above the meat. As long the water is kept as a low boil to simmer this should be an adequate amount of liquid for the boiling process.
I love to cook dishes where ingredients can have multiple uses. By adding onions, celery, and even carrots to the water while boiling the chicken not only starts the flavor profile but also gives the opportunity to impart flavor in the broth base itself. Once the chicken is cooked, remove some of the onions and celery then strain the liquid. Since those veggies have gained flavor from the chicken, why throw that away? Puree them and throw them back in the broth (after you’ve strained it of course).
While you’re waiting for the meat to cool, let’s get that broth base working. Pour the strained juice and pureed veggies back into the stockpot and bring back to a low boil. Add the seasonings and soup then let it cook for about an hour. This will give you enough time to get the meat deboned and the dumplings made.
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Once the meat is cooled, remove any remaining skin and debone (leave in large chunks). You more than likely won’t need all the meat unless you’re making a very large dish or just want a lot of meat, but that will be a personal preference.
Now onto the dumplings!! Just because they are easy to put together, don’t wait till the last minute. The best way to prevent them from sticking to each other when placed in the hot broth is to have them slightly frozen, so get them started. These can actually be made ahead of time and kept frozen for a later time.
I have found that using my stand mixer makes this process easier, faster, and a whole less messy. Unlike biscuits, the butter doesn’t need to be ice cold for this recipe, so let it soften then whip into the dry ingredients. Once the butter is well incorporated, slowly add in the ice cold milk/water mixture. The dough should be only slightly tacky to the touch.
Roll the dough onto a pastry sheet (or wax paper) that has been well dusted with flour. This recipe makes a good bit, so only work 1/2 at a time.
Using a good rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thickness or slightly thinner. Don’t go too thin but definitely not too thick, once they hit the broth, the dumplings will plump up at least twice as thick. Once the dough is rolled out, cut into strips roughly 1″ x 2″.
Just a few pointers for the perfect dumplings:
- Dust the dumplings with generous amounts of flour for two reasons – 1. They won’t stick to each other, 2. the flour will help thicken your broth.
- Using a scraper (dusted with flour) helps get the cut dumplings off the pastry mat.
- Place wax paper between each layer of dumplings.
- Once all dumplings are cut, put them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm them before putting in hot liquid.
While the dumplings are in the freezer, add the chicken meat back to the broth and allow to cook on a simmer.
When you’re ready to add the dumplings, bring the base to a good boil. While it’s an important step to semi-freeze the dumplings, them being cold drops the temperature of your broth FAST. DO NOT drop all the dumplings in at one time! This will give you a big clump of dough and not individual yummy dumplings! So drop them in one at a time. Another tidbit (I know, I know – lots of pointers in this one) – when you place the dumplings in, use a cooking spoon to pull the dumplings away from the wall of the pot as you add more. This will also help keep them from clumping up.
Finally, everything has come together in one pot! Remember to stir gently quite often to prevent sticking and let that cook for about 30 minutes until the dumplings are no longer “doughy”. When they are no longer floating, they are done!
Start 
Finish!
How you choose to enjoy a big bowl of chicken & dumplings is up to you. As for my family, it’s a house divided! My husband grew up with dumplings served over rice but I have to say, I haven’t been able to embrace this concept. We have sayings like “there’s never too much butter” or “bacon makes it better” … but I just can’t get on board with “pile on the starch”!!! So, he can have his rice and I’ll stick with my dumplings being uninterrupted! You choose your way and dig in!
Homemade Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 whole chicken (5 cups deboned chicken meat) white/dark
- 1 large onion quartered
- 2 stalks celery quartered
- 2 10.5 oz Cream of Chicken Soup
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp celery salt
- pinch of oregano
- small pinch of nutmeg
Dumplings
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp butter, softened
- ½ cup milk very cold
- ¼ cup water very cold
Instructions
- Remove as much skin as possible from the chicken. Place raw chicken in a large stockpot and cover with a minimum of 2" water. Add a large quartered onion and 2-3 celery stalks. Cover and boil for one hour.
- Remove some of the cooked onions and celery. Strain the broth and set the chicken aside for deboning.
- Return the strained broth to the stockpot, add all seasonings and cream soups, return to a low boil.Puree the cooked celery and onions and add to broth.
- After broth has cooked 30 minutes, add deboned chicken meat and continue to cook on a low boil for an additional 15 minutes.
- Bring broth to a hard boil and slowly drop in dumplings one at a time (see instructions below). NOTE: Dropping too quick will result in clumps of dough. The temperature of the broth will drop as you add dumplings, add them slowly to keep a boil going.
- Cook on a slow boil for an additional 30 minutes or until dough has firmed and no longer "doughy". Stir frequently to prevent dumplings from sticking but stir gently as to not break up dumplings before fully cooked. NOTE: The dumplings will drop in the broth as they cook.
Dumplings Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whip in softened butter until well incorporated.
- Combine water and milk then slowly pour into dry ingredients. Using a dough hook, combine until dough is formed and pulls away from the walls of mixing bowl.This can be done by hand, just mix until dough is not longer 'wet'.
- Cut dough in ½ for easier handling. Roll dough on a well floured pastry sheet (or wax paper) to a thickness of ¼".
- Using a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or knife – cut strips of dough roughly 1" x 2".
- Dust a sheet pan with flour and place dumplings without touching. Layer with wax paper and continue to keep a light dusting of flour between layers and on dumplings. (This flour will help thicken broth).
- Place cut dumplings in freezer for at least 30 minutes or until ready to add to broth.
We eat our dumplings over creamed potatoes, Sally. 😳
Oh girl! If I’m going to reconsider starch on starch, it just might have to be for potatoes!!! I LOVE ME SOME TATERS!