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?
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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I finally got the nerve up to make this. The only other times I have tried, it turned into mush. It came out perfectly and I honestly have never seen my family devour anything so quick or totally. I have 3 sons and it was like they had never seen food! Thanks for this recipe! I feel so accomplished now!
I am so glad to hear it turned out for you and was a hit!!!
Thank you for printing such an informative recipe! trying tonight!
Just made this and it was delicious! Chicken and dumplin’s was the last thing my mom and I made together. She never wrote it down so I found yours and it was exactly what she did (except she made her own dumplings but i did it your way and it was a lot easier!)
At the time, I didn’t understand why stood back and instructed me. She usually did the cooking and I would watch. She died about a week after that (after an extended illness). I’m sad to say I cried while I ate a bowl of this today but it is great comfort food and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Christy,
I just tried this recipe and it was my first time making them all by myself. It worked out well other than the cream of mushroom soup made it a little thicker and my family doesn’t like them thick so I had to add a extra cup of chicken broth and a little water so they would enjoy it. Overall great recipe if you like it a little thicker.
I am going to try this, it is a whole lot quicker than the way I do it now. Thanks a bunch.
I hope you enjoy them Tammy!!
This is the first time I’ve ever had chicken and dumplings turn out right! Wonderful recipe!!
Oh my goodness!! I am doing the happy dance for you Kerri!!! I am so glad they turned out good for you!!
Thank you so much for your clear, detailed instructions! I made these tonight, and they were delicious! These are the kind of dumplins the little old ladies bring to church functions, but I haven’t been able to duplicate. I never learned how from my grandmothers, and it wasn’t something my mother made often- although I live in the deep south.
I made homemade chicken stock using a whole chicken, and with the little bit of flour from the dumplins plus another tablespoon, we didn’t need the soup, although I’m sure it would have added even more deliciousness. Thanks again for the instructions and pics.
I am so glad that it turned out food for you and that it was a hit!!!
Will be making these tonight. Hubby has been requesting these for a while now. Hope mine will turn out as great as yours!
I just know they will Corinna!!
Your recipe was so infornative. Especially the step by step pictures! I apologize for posting a srcond time but I was just so pleased with the simplicity of the recipe and just how delicious it is! You my friend are a natural!! I am hoping to vome by one of YOUR recipes for chicken and rice. Keep doing what youre doing. I cannot say enough about how fantastic you are!!
Very sincerely,
Kerri bennett
I’ve never been a fan of chicken and dumplings mainly because my mom made hers using bisquick and the dumplings were usually gummy with a hard center. However, watching shows on the food network and seeing chicken and dumplings, I’ve developed a craving for them. Well, luckily I ran across your recipe early in my search and decided to try it and headed to the grocery store. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They were the cheapest and I figured if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t feel so bad throwing it in the garbage. I seasoned the chicken with salt, and pepper, put in a pot with water and seasoned the water with salt, pepper and a bit of poultry seasoning. Once I removed chicken, I put the can of cream of chicken in and a pat of butter. Got the soup to a low boil and worked on the buiscuits. I could not manage to get three layers, only two but I was able to tear into three pieces. The rest of the recipe I followed as stated. I found this to be a very easy, straight-foward recipe because of how you wrote it. The dish was good, however something was missing. The dumplings were done but lacked some flavor. Others added carrots and peas, but I am not a fan of either. Yes, I will make this again and add something until I can get the dumplings to taste better. Thank you for the recipe, very easy to follow and understand.
This recipe is great, especially for those with too little time! To Kim: The missing ingredient you may need for that “right” flavor is thyme. You should give it a try!
Kim> When you buy your chicken get it with the bone in and the skin on, at least with the skin on. It all can be remove easy after cooking. also make sure you season it with salt and pepper and (poultry seasoning) optional. Hope this works for you. Hope this works for you
Linda
The trick to having your dumpling to taste better is to season your flour before you coat the biscuits. I usually season mine with salt and pepper but you could use anything that suited your taste.
Did you add salt and pepper? It needs pepper as well.
You can certainly add pepper Carol, my family doesn’t like a lot of pepper is why I usually just leave it out.
These are so good my kids are eating hot dogs for dinner. I’m not sharing! I’m on my 2nd serving and want 3rds.
Kim, I put a trendy bit of salt n pepper on the dumplings before I cooked them. Try that, worked great for me.
Christy, these are the bomb! Thanks….
( any other recipes? )
OMG…Me an my Family loved this recipe it was so quite in my house tonite thanks for this I followed your steps to a T… and it came out perfect my 2kids plus my husband ask me to make it again tomorrow thats how GOOD it was …I would really like other quick good recipe like this to make future meals for my loved ones…….Once again thanks for sharing this with us…..
Okay, I’m going to attempt this again with this recipe ! Thanks for the hope.
So close to my own recipe ……(taste wise) .This is a breeze . I will make them more often . Thank you !!
This is an amazing recipe! I cooked my chicken in broth and then continued with the recipe using that broth. Fantastic. Tasted so much like my grandmother’s. Big hit with the hubby as well.
I am so glad to hear it was a hit Jill!!!!
Is it okay to use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream/chicken?
You could Tammy but it would change the taste a good bit.
I tried this recipe and it came out perfect the first time. It’s most definitely a keeper. The only thing I did differently from you is that I poached the chicken breasts I had in the chicken broth rather than in a separate pot. That way, I didn’t lose any of the flavor or minerals. I used a large slotted spoon to pull them out and set aside on a plate while I made up everything else.
Like someone above stated, I also couldn’t get but about half the biscuits to separate into 3 layers. The others only made two, so I simply tore those apart into 4 pieces each as I dropped them into the pot. It all worked well.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m a single dad and always looking for new recipes. It’s become a new favorite for me and my daughter.
I am so glad to hear that you liked the recipe Tim!!!
Absolutely love recipe My husband is a big fan of chicken and dumplings and I could never quite figure out how to make but with your recipe I can always surprise him and he loves them thanks a bunch
Hi my family member! I wish to say that this article is amazing, nice written and include approximately all significant infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
This is hands down the VERY BEST recipe I have found online. YUM YUM YUM
Oh my goodness, thank you so much Jill! I am so glad to hear that it is a hit at your house!!
I’m going to try this tonight, wish me luck! Sounds easy & yummy!
I’ve been looking for a good chicken and dumpling recipe for a while and yours looks wonderful. I love your detailed instruction and pictures. You should write cook books (if you don’t already!)
I’m trying your recipe this weekend. Thanks so much!
Christine
Wish me luck. I didn’t have a mom that cooked much or a grandmother to learn from. So I’m doing this for the very FIRST time. My husband doesn’t know what i’m cooking up for the night, surprise. (will let you know)
Christy Thank you so much for this super simple recipe! the hardest part was pulling the biscuits apart and that wasn’t that bad, it is delicious and so easy! Taste just about like my grandma used to make when I was a little girl, but with a bunch more shortcuts! Thanks again!
[...] was searching for a doable Chicken and Dumplings recipe for this weekend and came across this one by Southern Plate – homemade chicken + ready-made biscuits = score! I also love to combine different recipes [...]
I made this tonight and loved it…… I have always loved chicken and dumplings and usually buy it in the store… this is the first time I have made it myself….. it is wonderful… thank you for sharing this great recipe with us.
I tried this recipe today as part of my Sunday dinner and I must say that my family loves it. Instead of chicken breast, I used leg quarters (I shredded them after cooking). Thank you for sharing this with me and I will be sure to pass this recipe on to my friends……YUMMY!!
The legs and thighs have more flavor and juice.
im a male who cooks in my life since the ball an chain doesnt know how? thats what i get for marrying a hott female model…in life….i hope it turns out ok? or good!!
I was craving this dish last night at about 3 o’clock in the morning lol……So I looked up how to make it and used what I had which was….Cresent rolls,ramen soup seasoning packets for homemade chicken broth,cream of chicken soup,flour,minus the shredded chicken (I justed baked some frozen chicken tenders and ate it with it on the side lol. Just thought I’d share how I impervised
I have never tried this recipe before, and while it sounds good, and the reviews are great, the food looks horrible, because of the lack of color. something, needs to be added to make it look more appetizing. I am not an imaginative person in the kitchen, so i scour the web for good home coooking recipes, i will make this, but other tham celery , or peas, carrots, what would be good?
thank you for the insight on the techniques used.
Have a great day.
Me & SIster tried your dumplings. We always got dumpling soup before ha ha. When we coated the biscuits with flour it worked so good,. But we need to know how do you get the biscuits to not stick at the bottom of the pan.
Use a rotisserie chicken and get dinner from grocery bag to table in less than 30 minutes.
How many servings are in this recipe?
How much broth do I need exactly?
i am planning on makeing these for my family. they sound really good. my only question is how many peole does it serve i need to serve 8.
The first time I made chicken and dumplings was a few months ago usuing your recipe and they turned out great! Very easy to understand and the pictures were very helpful. I have made this several times since and my 3 kids, who can be pretty picky eaters, love it! Thanks for sharing.
No southerner would use boxed chicken broth, when you boil the chicken use the broth that comes off of it.. Just saying.
Busted again – I’m really a Yankee
Well, I’m southern and I’m using boxed chicken broth right now. Times have changed – full-time job, husband, kids, etc. More sodium than it should be but with time restraints that’s what it is.
Lisa, if ever get kicked out of the south maybe we can form our own colony!
There are some chicken broths and some soups that ae low sodium. Check for them. I really try my best to find them as the sodium is our enemy. Swells up our ankles. Good luck in finding that lower sodium or no sodium soup and broth.
My grandmother and mother always made the dumplings by rolling them out. Grandma used flour and made them like into a bisquit but rolled it out and then cut them. mom sometimes used Bisquick mix. In later life she used bisquits as it was faster and easier but I didn’t think tasted as good, but she didn’t put them in the extra flour either. They neither used soups and their dumplings were very white. They were so good. But perhaps these would be good for a cook like me who likes to make difficult things seem easy. I try to cut back on sodium, too, so I’ll look for low sodium soup and broth.
My grandmother taught me to add boiled eggs to my chicken and dumplings. Everyone always acts surprised to find them in the pot, but they are good in it.
That sounds good with it! Would’ve never thought of it though! Smart granny!
Do you have to use chicken breast??
I am making chicken and dumplings for the first time tonight and I was wondering how many it serves. I can’t find a yield on this page.
Made this a few weeks ago, it was AWESOME! Family favorite! I’ve been asked to make it for our post holiday celebration, has anybody tried to freeze it? Does it freeze well or should I make the soup (separate the chicken) and then make the dumplings upon thawing? Trying to make life easier around these busy days!
I think your idea of freezing the chicken/soup part and making the dumplings fresh would work brilliantly!
This was a big hit for dinner. No leftovers!!!
I am so glad it was a hit!! And of course I just love your name
I absolutely loved this recipe! It was very good an i got many compliments, i am starting to realy get into cookin an i was very nervous about tryin this but it was very easy with ur recipe an step by step pics! So good i cooked it for dinner this sunday an the pot was wiped clean an made it again for news years meal! I also made the chocolate cobbler an oh my was it good….look forward to tryin many more recipes!!
I am so glad to hear that it was a hit Courtney!!! Happy New Year!!
Question… I have a larger can of the cream of chicken can i use that or do I need the small can.. This will be my first time making it.
What size is the larger can? I think it would be ok but if you are concerned just use about 14 ounces or so of it.
I also created dumpling flavored soup the first time I tried to make it with biscuits! I put the biscuits in whole and stirred them into the broth, covered them and turned down the heat and went back after 10 minutes to find them GONE!!! I laughed so hard but I ate it anyway. I took the leftovers to work and told my story so we all had a good laugh at the Southern Girl who destroyed the dumplings.
I plan to try your method soon. I will let you know how they turn out. My Aunt, who makes hers from scratch, says that lots of pepper in the dumplings is the secret so I will pepper the flour. Thanks for the simple recipe!
LOL, I love that you were a trooper and ate them anyway…and then shared them! Life sure is fun sometimes isn’t it?!
I used to live in Texas for a year and this is one of the things I miss the most! Now that I’m back in Europe, I want to cook it for my family to show them some southern cuisine. Only problem, we don’t have Pillsbury or canned biscuits over here. Any suggestions with what I could replace that ingredient?
Greetings from Belgium
Not knowing what you do have, I would suggest making your own biscuits or dumplings.
Just made the Southern Chicken and Dumpings recipe!!! It turned out perfect & delicious!
Thanks!
I am so glad to hear that you liked it Deanna!!
After seeing your reviews on-line I decided to visit. I am a Southern cook. A real one. My true test for judging a southern cook is to look at their chicken and dumpling recipe. Yours my dear is a insult. Canned biscuits!!! Really. Nothing southern about it. Try again
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Wishing you all the best, Ann. Life is wonderful and if you let it, it gets even better
My son was asking for chicken and dumplings for lunch yesterday. I’m not a good dumpling maker (I use the dropped bisquik type) and they always stayed doughy. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe tonight and I appreciate the pictures and step-by-step instructions. I have one question though…I only have “grands” biscuits on hand. Can I use them instead? If so, how many pieces should I tear each one into? Thanks!
You sure can! I’d still tear into three layers, then tear each layer into four pieces.
hint: it’s easier to tear them if they’re good and cold.
Hope he likes ‘em!