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An overhead view of a white soup bowl that is filled with homemade chicken and dumplings including sautéed carrots and celery.

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Preparing Broth and Roasted Chicken: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 299kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
Homemade chicken and dumplings is about as comforting a soup as you will ever find. Make the chicken broth and roast the chicken in advance and then the soup comes together in about 30 to 40 minutes. Off-the-charts delicious!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Large pot, such as a Dutch oven

Ingredients

Do Ahead - Chicken Stock and Roasted Chicken

  • chicken broth
  • 2 large chicken breasts bone-in, skin on
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper

For the Soup

  • 7 cups chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped, about 1 cup
  • 2 stalks celery sliced, about 1 cup
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Dumplings

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish (if desired)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon butter unsalted, cut into small pieces and chilled
  • ½ cup milk whole
  • 1 egg lightly beaten

Instructions

Do Ahead

  • Prepare the chicken broth (link in Ingredients). Chill in the fridge, preferably overnight. The next morning, use a spoon to remove the congealed fat on the surface of the broth.
    chicken broth
  • To roast the chicken, preheat your oven to 350°F.
  • Brush the breasts with olive oil, and then liberally season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack. Roast in the oven until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Remove from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.
    2 large chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Remove the skin from the breasts and then use your fingers to pull the meat from the bones. Roughly chop the chicken and set aside until ready to use.

Prepare the Soup

  • Heat the chicken broth in a pot (or stock pan) until heated through.
    7 cups chicken broth
  • Melt the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or pot.
    4 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring often until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
    1 medium onion, 2 stalks celery, 2 medium carrots
  • Add the flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • Add the heated chicken broth and stir until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted chicken and season with salt (1½ tsp) and pepper (½ tsp).
    1½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Let simmer gently as you make the dumplings.

Make the Dumplings

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, parsley, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
    1½ cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Add the cubed butter, and, using a pastry cutter, or the ends of two forks, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture has the texture of small peas.
    2 tablespoon butter
  • Add the milk and egg, and then use a fork to incorporate until a batter just comes together. Use the heel of your hands to gently knead the dough until a soft ball is formed.
    ½ cup milk, 1 egg
  • Drop heaping spoonfuls (roughly the size of a golf ball) of the dough into the simmering soup.
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings are fluffy...about 15 minutes. Serve at once, or cover, and serve within 30 minutes. Garnish with additional chopped parsley, if desired.

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 
Though it's not as deeply flavorful as the homemade chicken stock, you can place a whole chicken in a stock pan and cover it with water. Add a large quartered onion, a peeled and roughly chopped carrot, and roughly chopped two stalks of celery. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low for about 2 to 2½ hours. Let cool. You can use the broth for the stock and shred the chicken for the chicken meat. 
Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat until heated through. 
The finished soup can be frozen for up to two months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 1468mg | Potassium: 562mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3016IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 2mg