Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Southern Chicken and Dumplings are a creamy comfort-filled stew of seasoned chicken and plump doughy homemade dumplings in a rich broth.

Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Southern chefs understand comfort foods and this recipe for chicken and dumplings is a creamy dish filled with tender pulled chicken and chunky dumplings. This meal warms tummies, hearts, and souls.

If there is one meal I associate synonymously with the south it’s definitely chicken and dumplings. There is just something heartwarming about this creamy stew-like dish. Just the other night I prepared a large batch, using a recipe almost identical to my great-grandmothers.

After a busy day of shuttling in between schools and errands, it was a comfort to sit down and enjoy this meal together as a family.

How to Poach Chicken

Using a large heavy-bottom skillet with a lid, heat about a ½ cup of broth and chicken over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, let simmer for 8 minutes before checking the internal temperature. Once the chicken has reached 165℉ remove it from the liquid and shred using two forks.

For this recipe, you can easily use pulled chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or make crockpot shredded chicken and even use this quick and easy instant pot shredded chicken.

How to Make the Dumplings

Prepare the dough:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Allow the butter to come to room temperature, almost. Therefore, the butter will be slightly malleable but not completely chilled. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture and use your hands to knead it together slightly.
3. Stir in the milk and knead the bread again until the dough is formed and flour mixed in completely.

Cut the Strips:

1. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ⅛ thickness.
2. Cut into strips using a pizza cutter or long knife. Slice in half if too long.
3. Gently drop the pieces into the boiling broth and let cook for about 20 minutes. Check the dumplings to make sure the dough is soft and cooked through.

Tips for Making Chicken and Dumplings

• Use a good quality broth: Traditional chicken and dumplings use homemade chicken broth, however, you can purchase a good quality broth and skip this step. Some brands I like are Imagine and Epic.
• If the broth isn’t thick enough: create a slurry using 1 tablespoon of warm water and 1 tablespoon of flour or use ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl and stir into the chicken and dumplings. Let simmer for an additional 5 minutes and the broth will thicken.
• If broth becomes too thick: add more chicken broth to the mixture to thin the sauce.
• Options for chicken: preparing the chicken at home will provide the most flavor, however, you can easily use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Other Delicious Southern Recipes

• Creamed Corn