Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a family favorite meal that is both comforting and delicious! This easy recipe is created from scratch including the tender dumplings and juicy chicken in an easy homemade broth.
This recipe starts with a whole chicken simmered to tender perfection with veggies and seasonings. Simple dumplings made with pantry ingredients are simmered in the broth until plump and tender. This is a family favorite that will be requested again and again!
Homemade Chicken and dumplings is good ol’ comfort food at its best. While I love quick and easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings, there is nothing quite like a meal that is completely homemade.
Making old fashioned chicken and dumplings from scratch is much easier than you’d think. Most of the time is spent letting the broth simmer until it is flavorful and the chicken is cooked to tender perfection.
This recipe starts with chicken, onion and carrots simmered on the stove. When making the broth I choose a large onion and leave the skin on to add extra color and flavor to the broth. Feel free to add in your favorite herbs such as bay leaf, a pinch of poultry seasoning and fresh parsley. Once the chicken is cooked, it is removed from the broth along with the vegetables.
We like to eat the veggies as a side dish but feel free to chop the carrots & celery and add them back into your broth.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make dumplings from scratch, you’ll love how easy they are! While some people like to make them with Bisquick, I find they’re just as easy to make with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry!
Don’t get too caught up in making your dumplings perfect, it doesn’t really matter how they’re cut. The only thing you’re going to want to be sure of is that your dough is rolled out to about 1/8” thick. This gives the dumplings the perfect consistency.
At the end of cooking, we like to thicken the broth with a little bit of cornstarch and water once the dumplings are cooked. Just mix equal amounts together and add a little bit at a time until the broth reaches the desired consistency. If you prefer a creamier broth, feel free to add a little bit of milk or heavy cream once the dumplings are cooked.
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 chicken cut into pieces
- 1 onion
- 3 large carrots cut into thirds
- 3 stalks celery cut into thirds
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- bay leaf or a pinch of poultry seasoning optional
Dumplings
- 1 ¾ cups flour plus extra for dusting
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
OTHER
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery in a large pot. Season to taste.
- Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. While broth is simmering, prepare dumplings below.
- Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Discard skin and bones and chop remaining chicken, set aside.
- Gently add dumplings to broth. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until tender.
- Stir chicken (and vegetables if desired) into broth and cook about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
DUMPLINGS
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt and shortening with a fork until shortening is mixed in.
- Add milk a little at a time and mix until combined (you may not need all of it, you want a soft but not sticky dough).
- Knead a few times on a floured surface until dough is smooth.
- Generously flour your surface and roll the dough out to ⅛″ thick. Cut dough into 1″ x 2″ strips. Flour generously to avoid sticking.
- Cook in broth as directed above.
TO THICKEN BROTH (OPTIONAL)
- In a small bowl combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons water.
- Add to boiling broth a little bit at a time stirring to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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This recipe is delicious! Added potatoes also. When it was finished, added some milk to the broth. ❤️
This was a hit with our family! I didn’t have cornstarch but had a pack of pepper gravy mix, so I mixed it with a little water and added it. My kids said it was better than Cracker Barrel!
Tonight was my second time making this and again, it was a hit! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
This was absolutely wonderful. I usually follow recipes pretty much as written but sometimes like to make it my own…depending on whether there are ingredients i do not prefer. Love celery, but was out and didn’t feel like running out to the store, I so used Celery Salt. I marinated Chicken tenders for a few hours in balsamic and soy before starting the cooking. I also used half & half vs milk for the dumplings. Will definitely make this again, and again!