Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (The Ultimate Version)

Why is this easy chicken and dumplings recipe the “ultimate” you ask? Well, since I’m making such a claim, I suppose I also owe you a decent explanation, so here goes … it’s really as simple as two little truths …

Chicken and Dumplings: The Best-In-Flavor Award Goes To …

The flavor in my easy chicken and dumplings recipe is out-of-this-world delicious. It really is – this stuff is just super savory and downright killer. This can largely be credited to a few key things we’re doing. Firstly, I make a point when I develop recipes to infuse flavor into every nook and cranny of a thing, at least insofar as is reasonable. In the case of my easy chicken and dumplings recipe, I do it via a LOT of garlic, some chicken stock concentrate, extra butter, the correct amount of salt, and loads of herbs.

This all adds up to something that will make you want to come back again and again. It’s delicious in the addictive sort of way. If this looks good to you, you should absolutely also peek at my Buffalo Chicken Soup and this Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili.

A Word on These Dumplings

Okay so. If you’re familiar with classic, traditional chicken and dumplin’s recipes, then you may be looking at these biscuity things and thinking that this isn’t it – that it isn’t right or correct. I get this. I, too, grew up with the Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplins (chicken and dumplings is lovingly referred to as such by many a Southerner, myself included) that employ the very traditional flat dumplings. That is a lovely way to do things, but I so very much prefer the drop dumplings, what with their pillowy, cloudlike stature and opportunity for so much flavor, that this is the method I’m sharing here on my site (because it’s my site, ha!).

These drop biscuits, when cooked in a covered pot on the stovetop like this (no oven required!) are really like an old-fashioned slump. I’ve got a great apple slump with vanilla-cayenne caramel recipe if you want to try a sweet version of this very simple method of cookery.

What is the difference between flat (rolled) and drop (puffy) dumplings?

We’re using drop dumplings, which are essentially drop biscuits that are gently set atop our flavorful chicken stew and allowed to essentially braise, partially submerged, in the cooking liquid. This style of dumpling is actually more common in the Midwest and Northeastern United States, whereas the flat dumplings are more common in the South, and in Appalachia (where I’m from).

But love is love, folks, and this universal truth applies to dumplings, too. I love the drop variety so my geographic roots just really don’t get the final say in this case. These biscuits come together quickly and easily and are leavened with baking powder and a pinch of baking soda. I use rich half and half or buttermilk in my biscuits and sour cream (Greek yogurt works as well) and butter also contribute their delicious flavors into the mix. These dumplings are basically baby versions of the Cathead Biscuits in my Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest cookbook.

But that said, flat dumplings – also referred to as, “slickers,” or “pastry dumplings,” are pretty great, too. You can’t go wrong in Dumplingland! That’s the good news. These are more noodle-like and dense, rolled out like pie dough and cut into strips or squares that simmer away deep inside the bubbling broth.

But for easy’s sake in this easy chicken and dumplings recipe of mine, we’re going with the drop kind, as they are faster and simpler to whip up.

Save Your Time, Save The World

Anybody remember that episode from Heroes or is this just too obscure a reference? Anyway, half of this recipe’s “ultimate” status can be attributed to the fact that I have worked to save you a lot of time. If you make a chicken and dumplings recipe from scratch (like, bird and all), then you’re looking at something that might creep into the whole, “labor of love” category of cooking.

I’m here to happily tell you that it simply isn’t necessary. I have a few rock solid moves I make when I bust out a fresh pot of chicken and dumplings, and they make up for the fact that no, we’re not going to boil a chicken and make fresh stock and whatnot.

The prep honestly will only take you about 10- 15-ish minutes total. I’m serious, people! Because I’m an advocate of saving you time whenever and wherever I can, this recipe shall be no exception. As such, we’ll employ the trusty services of our favorite rotisserie chicken (hey bestie!) and save ourselves HEAPS of time. And if your knee-jerk reaction is to mutter something about how fresh is best and it could never be as good as scratch–made well, you very well may be correct. But. BUT! The vast majority of home diners just won’t be able to discern a real difference guys, so I say go with the version that saves you your precious time.

Quick and Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Tricks

The aforementioned flavor-boosting tricks include the following:

1. A little extra butter. Do I have to explain or justify this to you? I’m assuming not …
2. A lot of extra dried herbs. I learned to about triple the amount of dried herbs that I use when cooking and let’s just say things have been coming up roses ever since, so far as the deliciousness of all of my cooking goes. This is a recipe that absolutely, positively is screaming for lots of savory flavor. So, I use a palmful of Italian seasoning + dried sage + chopped fresh thyme. Just loads of herbs.
3. Chicken stock concentrate. This is a move I make so often I’m confident you saw it coming. But if not, just know that this little product (or bouillon cubes are fine) carries its weight really well when it comes to tasty weeknight cooking. It will come in and infuse our stew liquid with a lot of “long cooked” and “scratch-made” depth of flavor. And for that we say, “THANK YOU.”
4. Cheese. This is optional and totally up to you but if you stir a little shredded white cheddar or even parmesan into those biscuits and them absolutely ravage them with freshly cracked black pepper, then you’re elevating things tremendously without hardly doing much work at all. We love this so very much.

What You’ll Need To Make This Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

For the Stew:

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 – 3 large carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning or dried sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate (such as Better Than Bouillon)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup half and half
• 1.5 cups frozen sweet peas

For the Drop Dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• ½ to ¾ cup half and half (plus more as needed)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

For Serving: Hot sauce, freshly chopped parsley, more sour cream (because why not)

How To Make This easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

1. Add the 5 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil to a large, deep pot set over medium heat. When melted/hot, add the onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning/sage, and fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
2. Add the chicken stock concentrate, Worcestershire sauce, and scatter the flour over everything. Stir to mix well, and let the flour cook for about a minute. 
3. Add the pulled chicken, the chicken stock, half and half, and stir. Add the peas and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Taste and make sure it’s got enough salt, add more as needed. Cover while you whip up the dumplings.
4. To make the dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine. Add the sour cream, half and half, and melted butter and stir just until everything is well combined and no dry bits remain. It should be easily scoopable so if it seems a little dry to you, just add a splash more half and half until it somewhat resembles a fluffy sugar cookie dough.
5. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, gently drop heaping tablespoons of the dumpling mixture in an even layer on top of the chicken stew (they will float). Cover the pot and, over low heat, simmer gently until the dumplings are done, about 20 – 25 minutes. 
6. Serve with hot sauce, freshly chopped parsley, and extra sour cream, if you like.

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