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 1/2 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 from liquid and shred using two forks.
For this recipe, you can easily used 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:
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- 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.
- Stir in the milk and knead the bread again until the dough is formed and flour mixed in completely.
Cut the Strips:
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 thickness.
- Cut into strips using a pizza cutter or long knife. Slice in half if too long.
- 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 1/2 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
Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Poached Chicken
- 3 lbs Chicken Breast about 4 breasts
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
Dumplings
- 4 cups Flour
- 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2/3 cup Butter
- 1 cup Milk
- 6 cups Broth
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika optional
Instructions
Poach Chicken
- Using a large heavy-bottom skillet with a lid, heat about a 1/2 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. Chicken is done once it reaches 165℉.
- Remove the chicken and shred using two forks.
Make Dumplings
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture, and then use your hands to knead the dough together. Pour the milk into the dough and again knead together to form a thick dough.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into strips using a pizza cutter or a knife and cut if half if strips are too long.
Chicken and Dumplings
- Bring the broth to a boil and gently place the dumplings into the liquid. Stir the pulled chicken and seasonings, in with the dumplings and cover with a lid. Set the temperature to low and let cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the dumpling dough is cooked through.
- If the stew is not thick enough you can add a slurry to thicken it. See notes below.
