How To Make Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and Dumplings, like most southern food, evolved out of necessity and practicality. Back in the day, chicken was a treat and not something offered or even available on a regular basis. Whenever it was, the chicken was more often than not on the scrawny side.
So you have this woman who has a house full of kids to feed and likely a few guests after word has gotten out that chicken is on the menu, and one scrawny little chicken. This is where flour comes to the rescue yet again! Back in the old days, flour was an affordable staple and bought in twenty five pound sacks. Flour could easily be used to stretch a meager meal so that an entire family would leave the table feeling full and satisfied by making biscuits, dumplings, hoe cake, or an assortment of other improvisational breads and meal stretchers.
This recipe is dedicated to my sister in law’s trainer, Debbie (you owe me Stacey, I just made you sound so hip in that sentence). Debbie’s failed attempts to make dumplings have led her family to formally request that she stop attempting them altogether. Now I’m here to tell you that if Debbie can remain skinny and fit in the land of fried chicken, she can certainly make chicken and dumplings! Stacey has assured her that our family recipe is foolproof and I plan on proving it with this tutorial. I am also going to explain the two instances where Stacey and I managed to screw up this foolproof recipe in our earlier days of cooking so that you can avoid our mistakes and have your perfect pot of dumplings!
Gina, this is for you, too! Gina is a reader who has her hands full with summer heat and two toddlers. When I posted a teaser sentence “Anyone up for chicken and dumplings this week?” at the top of my site, Gina emailed within minutes telling me that she certainly was! Gina, I promise this will be quick and easy enough that you can manage to make it in between calls for “Mama”! After making it once, you won’t even need a recipe!
*I usually stew a whole chicken but today I had boneless skinless breasts and no chicken so this is what we got. Feel free to drop a few chicken bouillon cubes into your water in place of the broth.
Until it looks like this.Be sure you don’t skip this step! If you do, your dumplings will completely dissolve in the broth. That is exactly what I did the very first time I ever made chicken and dumplings after I had gotten married. Of course it didn’t help that I had bragged all day about how good my mama’s dumplings were! I ended up with a delicious dumpling flavored soup!
Lower your heat so that your broth is just barely barely barely boiling and drop these pieces in one at a time. It is important that you DO NOT STIR. We are not going to stir these as we don’t want our dumplings cooking up. If you do stir, you will basically cause your dumplings to dissolve. Stay tuned, I’m going to show you what we will do instead…
You want to keep it on a low boil.
See? Dumplings! Continue simmering it, pushing them down from time to time, while you shred your chicken.
Like this.
Drop your chicken into the dumplings and very gently stir that up. I really just push it down a bit like I did with the dumplings but you are past the point of them being able to cook up by this time anyway. Just be gentle.
Oh I wish you could smell these, I wish you could taste these, I wish you had dumplings on your stove right this very minute!
Remember the eighties Coca Cola commercials …”I’d like to buy the world a coke…”. Forget that! I’d like to feed the world chicken and dumplings! How about we start with you?
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts
- 32 oz Chicken Broth (feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1-10 count can Pilsbury layers biscuits
- salt and pepper to taste
- flour
Instructions
- Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Place broth in medium to large sized pot. Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pull biscuits apart into three layers. Dip each layer into flour and then tear each layer into three pieces and drop into gently boiling broth mixture. Do not stir biscuits a lot, or they will cook up, only gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. Cook about ten minutes after last dumplings are added. Add shredded chicken and turn on low until ready to serve. added, Tear up chicken, add to broth mixture.Turn to low until ready to serve.
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Ingredients
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts
- 32 oz Chicken Broth (feel free to use water with bouillon cubes added)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1-10 count can Pilsbury layers biscuits
- salt and pepper to taste
- flour
Instructions
- Cook chicken breasts in approx. 4 c. of water until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Place broth in medium to large sized pot. Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pull biscuits apart into three layers. Dip each layer into flour and then tear each layer into three pieces and drop into gently boiling broth mixture. Do not stir biscuits a lot, or they will cook up, only gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. Cook about ten minutes after last dumplings are added. Add shredded chicken and turn on low until ready to serve. added, Tear up chicken, add to broth mixture.Turn to low until ready to serve.
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jul 29 2008. Filed under Chicken, FEATURED Southern Favorites!, Main Course, Southern Classics.
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Is the cream of chicken soup condensed? If so, do you reconstitute, or use condensed? I can’t wait to try this… it looks fantastic!
Thank you for asking this great question!
Yes, the soup is condensed but you don’t reconstitute, just plop it right in the pot!
Christy
Christy this is exactly how i make my chicken and dumplings Ü how funny we make it the same way. The only thing different is dipping the biscuit dough in flour. I will remember to do that next time. I am just so tickled that we have the exact recipe. Two great minds think alike.
Tina (Mommy’s Kitchen), WOW.
That is amazing! I swear, we just seem to have more and more in common! LOL
You sure we’re not related somehow?
Oh, and you *definitely* have a great mind! ~grins~
Christy
Thanks for sharing the recipe and directions for making Chicken and dumplings! I think I might be able to handle this:)
I love your site! Now I want chicken and dumplings. My recipe is my own creation since I grew up in the north, but it is very similar. I think I am going to try the biscuits next time. Usually, I just whip up some Bisquick dumplings, but these look like the ones I crave from Cracker Barrel!
L Johnson: Of course you can handle it, I bet yours will turn out better than mine!
hey, i can tell u really like these dumplings. I never have tried canned buscuits, so i’m going to try these. but have u ever hand homemade dumplings???
Bbro- Actually, that’s part of why we like these so much, because they are very much like Cracker Barrels! It is a somewhat tender dumpling, like what they produce, but still sturdy enough to maintain its shape and be filling.
You let me know how they turn out!
~Christy
C & D are my very favorite comfort food!
UGH It lost my comment! I made that chocolate gooey cake and it rocked and this is NOT my chicken and dumpling recipe I think I have a yankee recipe! LOL I have been told since i moved to the south I cook like a yankee! I will have to try this one!
Cynikell: YAY! Hope you like these!!! Thank you for visiting and come back often!
Pinky: Double Yay! Its hard not to eat a ton of chocolate cobbler, I’m so glad you liked it! There isn’t a thing wrong with yankee recipes, as long as it tastes good and your family likes it! There isn’t a thing wrong with trying something new either, though! LOL
I looked for you in Chattanooga! Would you believe I actually saw a girl at the aquarium with your color of hair??!! She was really young though, like barely a teen. Still, my eyes got big and for a second…
OMG LOL we thought of going to the Aquarium and did not because I was so beat! Next time! I will be sure to post here too! LOL
Or if you ever get up to Nashville /Murfreesboro give me a jingle
I love love love..chicken and dumplins!!!These look delish!!
Thanks for your comment on my Daring Bakers CAke!!
Also I am going to post about the award you gave me..life has been a bit hectic!!
Pinky: We just need to meet at Wolfgang Pucks for Pizza and creme brulee! Have you had it there? OMG!
Leslie: Thank you so much for commenting and reading!!!! I wish I could make these for ya!! I swear I’d have you all to dinner if I could!!
Don’t you worry about the award. We’ll all catch up sometime in the next…..oh lord..one of these days!!!
That cake was some serious ~looks around to make sure little eyes aren’t reading and then lowers her voice to a whisper~ *food porn*. It looked sooooooooooooo good. Thank god I have chocolate in the house today!
Hi Christy,
This looks delicious! I don’t have any canned biscuits on hand. Can I use the buttermilk biscuit recipe instead?
I made the Chocolate Gravy recipe for my daughter and she was singing my praises from the rooftops! I love your blog!
Thanks!
Heather
Hey Heather!
Yes, you can use the buttermilk biscuit recipe. Just pat them out and cut into strips, then dip each strip in a little additional flour just like you do the canned biscuits.
I don’t ever really buy canned biscuits except when I make this! =D
Thank you for letting me know about the chocolate cobbler! I hope to get more kid pleasers up soon!!!
Christy
These are almost exactly like MY mama's chicken & dumplings.
She never added the cream of chicken soup though. It does thicken up some just from the flour on the biscuits. I've got to tell her about your easier way of doing the biscuits though! She always rolled hers out and cut them up. This will make it so much easier when I make them next!
Hey Kingsqueen!!
Its amazing how many mothers use this same way of making dumplings! When I posted it, I was kind of afraid folks would think it was a bit strange! LOL
I am glad to hear she makes it without the cream of chicken soup! Next time I’m out of that and want dumplings, I’ll just leave it out, too!!!
Thank you for reading Southern Plate! Its so good to have you here!!!!
Christy
Ooo! I like to see pictures go along with the directions! Thanks for that.
Also thank you for submitting this post to the Homesteading Carnival.
In a couple of hours, the carnival will be visible here:
http://www.howtome.com/?p=312
Just made recipe for my Mom and Dad. She thought I went to Cracker Barrel for takeout. Thank you so much. Now I have to go take a nap until the Blackberry Cobbler is done.
Just recently started watching your site! Being a Southern girl here in Seattle I’ve had to learn how to cook all of my favorites and this was one that I had never attempted. Dumplings can be so darn hit or miss – these seemed great.
The only comment that I would make about this recipe is that the biscuits are easier to tear apart (splitting into the layers) when they are really cold. I had one heck of a time so I put mine into the freezer for a few minutes.
Very good!
PS – My Mama uses tortillas for her dumplins!
We had this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. I’m a transplanted New England girl who loves southern cooking. I’ve had this dish, but never knew how to make it. Now that I know it’s this easy and this good, it’s got a permanent place in our Comfort Food list! Thanks!!!
I made this for dinner the other night – SOOO easy and SOOO yummy!
Love the website!!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. My daughter wants to help me so she can learn how to make the dumplings and impress her boyfriend and friends.
I love receiving your recipe-o-grams!
Emma Peace
My husband and I found your website about two weeks ago when searching for a Chicken and Dumplings recipe. Yours stood out from the others with your step-by-step tutorial making it look so easy! We tried it and all six, yes I said six, kids loved it! Since that Tuesday evening I have been back many times for more dinner ideas. THANK YOU so much for having this website!!
I tried this recipe a few weeks back. I’m from the south, and chicken and dumplings have always been my favorite comfort food. I did not season the flour, and found the end result to be slightly too salty for my tastes. Next time, I’m going to try to use a sodium-free broth. Otherwise, it was great! I’ve always preferred bisquick dumplings, because of the yummy centers, but I’m definitely enjoying the ease of these!
Thanks for the recipe.
Xasora…instead of using boullion cubs, I boil a little cornish hen in the water to make the stock…my mother taught me to do that years ago and it is delicious — you know most prople use a large
hen to make their broth…but I prefer using the cornish hen. ALso I add a can of Cream of Celery Soup and Cream of Chicken Soup. I boil half chicken breasts and used the meat off the cornish hen…makes a wonderful pot of Chicken and Dumplings…using the biscuits.
I think you should come to London! I am so hungry now reading all these recipes and would love to come home to meals like this every day!!!
Leigh
When you stew a whole chicken, how long do you stew it for? My mama does the exact same recipe with the whole chicken, but she would spend all day cooking that chicken. I tried to make it once and it came our very watery and flavorless. im going to try it to your exact specs instead of my mama random measurements.
I made this for dinner last night and my family LOVED it! This recipe is a keeper for us.
I tried this recipe and it was scrumptious!!! The flour makes the difference with the dough and also not stirring. It doesn’t fall apart and are fluffier. Their so good I’m going to try them with some friends. Thank-You for such a good recipe.
I’m so happy to have found your site. This recipe is a winner! I’ve tried and tried to replicate my Momma’s chicken and dumplings. I always ended up with soup and now I know why. Who knew stirring had such a negative effect.
Chicken and dumplings are soooooo good and one my favorite meals of all time. Matter of fact I am making them this week I do pretty much the same thing but I use the frozen dumplings a bit more than the canned biscuits. Just depends on my mood.
This is a favorite at our house especially this time of year. I love the idea of using canned biscuits! I’ll try out your version next time. It looks delicious!
I have been married for 8 years and my husband has always bragged about “MOM’s Chicken and dumplings”. I have tried several times and aways came out with broth. This recipe works great!!! My husband approves. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I love the pictures for each step, I used them while cooking. YOu have to try this it is fool proof!!
Hi there,
I was just a little kid…didn’t know any better…lol.
I made this last night and it was my first attempt at ever making chicken and dumplings. My husband and I both loved it. My mother probably wasn’t too thrilled with the fact that I wanted use someone else’s recipe but yours seemed pretty easy so I thought…why not? I unintenionally as a child hurt my mother’s feelings when I told her I liked Sweet Sue’s Chicken and Dumplings better than hers
I’m curious about the broth. I like a little more broth than most people and wonder how doubling the broth and soup will hender it setting up properly. This will likely turn out like my batches of beef stew…they just keep getting bigger and bigger. At least folks like it so I don’t have any trouble getting rid of it.
Best,
Amber
HowToMe Oh you are so welcome! I like to have photos, too. I find that I very seldom try out any new recipe unless there are photos to look at! Thank you so very much!
Dreskir Oh honey thank you!!! That is so very sweet of you! I am thrilled they enjoyed it! Blackberry cobbler? You are singing my tune all around today, aren’t you? That is one of my all time favorites!
Emilywhitman Well welcome, welcome! Southerner in Seattle? Oh my you must be FREEZING! Lol. I find that our southern blood just doesn’t seem to acclimate very well, don’t you? Lol “It ain’t natural!”
I agree completely with the cold biscuit advice. I don’t ever mess with those little suckers unless they are straight from the fridge! Thank you for letting everyone know! I appreciate it so much as well as you taking the time to comment!!
Joan How wonderful!! Thank YOU so much!!! Making me grin from ear to ear! I could live on this stuff, couldn’t you?
Kelly Thank you, I am so glad you liked it!!!! ~GRINS~ I LOVE that you take the time out of your busy day to read the website!!! Every reader is like a winning lottery ticket! I just can’t get over y’all reading all my ramblings and then to have you trying my recipes to boot? It doesn’t get any better than this.
Anonymous Thank you so much, Emma!! I hope your daughter enjoyed them. Oh yes, I impressed my husband quite a bit with dumplings!
Sounds like your gal there has the savvy for world domination!
Matthews ~blinks~ To hear that any recipe pleased all of six children is something, to hear that it was one of mine that managed this feat is STUNNING!! WOW
I feel like I need a trophy! Lol Just kidding! My kids are SO picky, it is a rare thing to have both of them eat a single meal but wow…I have to believe it has a lot to do with their mother being such a great cook, too!! Your kids know they got a good thing!
Xasora oh yay! I am so glad you liked them!
You know, once I got some self rising flour (I use whatever flour I have on hand for these, it doesn’t really matter) and I noticed that the flour itself was exceptionally salty, but it was just that one bag. I am rambling but …yeah…so anyway my point was Thank you so much and I am so glad you liked them! Lol
Anonymous Oh honey, I AM THERE!! I actually have London on the top of my list of places I REALLY want to see before I die. I’ll just drop by with a selection of my family’s favorites!! Could you have some Earl Grey tea on for me?
Factory In the blog switchover, your name was lost and this comment ended up looking like the author of this blog made it, how odd! I stew my chickens for about an hour but you can stew it for longer and it only gets better. Whenever I make chicken noodle soup (recipe on this site), I stew my chicken for SEVERAL hours. This helps break down the bones and gets all of the flavor out in addition to providing gelatin (which occurs naturally from boiling bones) and that really makes a wonderful thickener for your soup or stew the next day. If you are having problems with your broth not being rich enough, either stew your chicken longer or add a few bouillon cubes to the brother to flavor it up a bit. I add bouillon cubes a LOT, lol. To just make it a bit richer, add two or three. It really helps.
Michele Oh wonderful! Thank you so much!!!!!
Jennifer lol, well it was you and me both , but now we know better, huh? Lol
I am telling you, that chicken dumpling flavored soup was awfully good though! I am so glad this helped and you liked it!
Micha I tried the frozen dumplings once but I just tend to keep canned biscuits on hand more so I use them. My kids LOVE making monkey bread with them (recipe on this site) and they also come in handy for quick breakfasts on school mornings and as a dinner bread for cozy evenings. Gosh, I am lazy…. I am like you though, much in this world depends on my mood! Lol
JMom Oh thank you so much, you are so sweet! Let me know if you get to try it and how it turns out!
Amber LOL Your poor mother! I used to eat Sweet Sue chicken and dumplings too! I was broken of that when I worked for the credit union that they banked with. All of the sweet sue people would come in every other Friday to get their checks cashed. They were so tired and …oh my the raw chicken smell caused me to forego chicken for some time. I still can’t see a sweet sue product without remembering the overwhelming smell of raw chicken. You just don’t know what it is like until it is concentrated! Lol
You are JUST LIKE ME! I double, then I triple, then it just grows and grows. You’d swear I was feeding an army every time I cook! Double it, double the broth and the soup and it will be just fine! I like a lot of the liquid in mine, too, but the old husband doesn’t.
This will do JUST FINE though if you double it. If you want it to be a bit thicker, just sprinkle in a tablespoon of the flour you dredged your biscuits in while it cooks and you’re good to go!!
Thank you all so very much!
Gratefully,
Christy
Wow…..this is a great recipe. I had the stomach flu over Christmas for about 3 days…..when I was feeling better I was craving something light and creamy on the stomach and I came across this recipe and had all the ingredients on hand so I tried it. It came out perfect and was Oh so good. The pictures really helped as well as the previous mistakes made because I would of been the type to stir them. I just used the bottom end of the fork and gently pushed on them. I just used the boneless chicken breast and then shredded them. My boyfriend and daughter also loved them. I took a small bowl to work on Monday morning for breakfast….LOL I had everyone hovering over me because I had microwaved them and the smell was just so good. I would of never thought of using biscuits. I have the ingredients ready to make a double recipe this weekend.
Thanks for sharing……it’s now one of my favorites.
Theresa
i had always watched my mom make chicken and dumplings but never made it. my mom passed away 3 yrs ago and we havent have them since then. I saw the recipe and thought i would try making it. My mom would be proud of me it turned out just like hers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting this recipe on the net. I wish she could try it and wish you could try it. Thank you, Kelly Cozad
If I was you i would make this it is so good and my son said you rock and you are a good cook. Please make this again
I made these the other night and they were DEVINE!!! The leftovers were even better the next day. My husband says he is really liking this Southern Plate stuff, lol ;o)
Ok, so it took me a few months to make these, but I didn’t want to be standing over a pot in southern summer. Now that it is chillier, I finally made these. OMG! They were so GOOD! I have some for lunch today and had to stop myself from packing them for breakfast, too. I did have some trouble separating out the layers, but it all still worked out…..Man, now I wish I DID have them for breakfast!! This is so going in the cookbook at home.
WOW. Thanks for such an amazing and simple recipe. I’m yankee transplanted in Virginia, and my husband is a southerner by birth. He couldn’t stop raving about this meal tonight (first time I’ve made it) And our daughter literally danced thru the house chanting “I LOVE DUMPLINGS!” She had so much fun helping me tear the dough and dip in the flour. Then she discovered the “snow” covering her fingers and had a blast sprinkling flour on the floor LOL. Loved the pictures, they were very helpful. Thanks again.
I love this recipe! I make it all the time and my fiance loves it. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate this site and how much it has REALLY helped me in the kitchen. My mom never did much cooking growing up and now Im a 24 y.o. gettin’ ready to get marriend and don’t know much about cookin’ at all. The photos have really helped me and I notice my techniques are getting better and better. Thanks so much! Keep up the great work!!
Just discovered your website tonite and I absolutely love it – want to try everything! Born in raised in La and I love dumplings – just never learned how to make them, so I’ve always used the tortillas. But after reading this, I have a pot of yours cooking now. Also, wanted to add that after the dumplings are done cooking, turn heat off and pour about a small can of evaporated milk over the dumplings, using a fork or something to lightly poke a way for the milk to drizzle down into the dumplings – oh so yummy. Let them ‘sit’ for a few minutes and they’re great. Got this tip from a lady about 30 yrs ago – that made her dumplings from scratch. Thanks again for this great website and don’t stop…..
This sounds Yummmm…
We are on our way to the store right now to get everything!
Can wait to try it
thanks so much!
So many times, I have tried unsuccessfully to duplicate the chicken and dumplings my grandma and mom used to make from scratch. I have tried their recipe, and several other recipes I found on the internet.
Today is Valentine’s Day. I told my husband this would be the LAST try, and I started boiling the chicken late morning, because I wanted us to have time to go out to dinner if this didn’t work. I even kept the shredded chicken separate until we did the first taste test because I didn’t want to waste another whole chicken on more failed attempts.
Well, I am happy to report that these were really easy and SOOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!! Thank you for the recipe and the demo – I really enjoy the site!
Annie
Okay, I can’t believe this was on your website the whole time, and I didn’t see it!!!! I’ve been looking for a “good” Southern chicken and dumplings for a month now and, believe it or not, I didn’t think to check here. I feel real stupid right now. (I used the word “real” there to make me sound stupid too.) Okay, I’ll be making THIS recipe in the week ahead. I’ll have to update you on the outcome.
I just made this today, and let me tell you – IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! Absolutely delicious and exactly the way chicken and dumplings should taste. Thank you for posting this recipe!
I am excited about making this recipe. I remember my Mom cooking it with Bisquick, but it was always hit or miss on how good the dumplings came out. I have so much rooled pie crust dough that I keep in the freezer. What’s your thought on using it instead of the biscuits. Are there any adjustments I would need to make? I wanna go downstairs and cook this right now!
I am a Canadian RN, and spent 10 years in North Carolina enjoying Southern people and food! I actually craved Cracker Barrel’s chicken and dumplings when I was pregnant with my son, and my husband would make the 40 minute drive to get them for me…yummm.
Well, I have tried unsuccessfully until now to duplicate their recipe. My son and I absolutely LOVE this recipe, and it is soooo easy to make. Thanks for the pics and tips. They are perfect everytime I make them. My Canadian co-workers always comment on how good they smell when I bring them for lunch,(leftovers heat up great)! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Kat Brinson
I have always been a “homemade” kind of cook, and have resisted using canned biscuits for my dumplings. But these really look like the “real” thing! Gonna try this recipes this week. Thank you!