30-Minute Creamy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe + Video
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My Chicken & Dumpling Recipe, made with tender chicken, colorful vegetables, and a creamy chicken broth base, is full of flavor and makes a delicious meal. This savory stew recipe is not only comforting, but also so simple! Watch the helpful video in this post to see how easily this one pot meal comes together.
This easy chicken recipe is one of the best! I’ve made this chicken dumpling soup recipe for years – and I’ve always had the best results. The pillowy dumplings with cooked chicken create an amazing comfort dish.
I literally dream about the tender dumplings – because they’re so soft and delicious! For the full instructions, check out the printable recipe card below!
Chicken & Dumpling Recipe
Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food, made with easy dumplings from scratch!
Every bite of this hearty stew oozes with thick, creamy goodness, and the added veggies take it to the next level.
If this is your first time making this dumpling soup recipe, get ready for the whole family to be hooked. It’s a southern staple in my house!
This stove top chicken & dumpling recipe is the perfect one pot meal for family dinner on a busy weeknight.
It’s literally the perfect comfort food that is easy peasy. You’ll love the creamy texture.
You’ll be amazed by how easy it is to prepare – ready in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a comforting meal on a chilly day.
For more delicious quick chicken meals, try my copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup or my easy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – If you prefer dark meat, boneless skinless chicken thighs are a great alternative.
This recipe also works well with turkey cutlets, or with rotisserie chicken if you’re in a hurry. Leftover shredded rotisserie chicken works great. - Chicken Broth – Chicken stock will work just fine too for this chicken & dumpling recipe.
- Milk – This will give your dish its creamy consistency. I recommend whole milk, but you can also use low-fat milk.
- Seasoning – Simple dried seasonings will bring the flavor out in this dish. This recipe uses salt, pepper, garlic, onion, basil, and parsley.
But you can certainly use fresh herbs, or add dried rosemary and sage if you have those on hand! - Vegetables – Feel free to add your favorite vegetables. I use frozen peas and carrots here, but spinach and celery would also make excellent additions.
- Dumpling Dough – Make easy homemade dumplings from scratch with just 5 ingredients — flour, softened butter, milk, baking powder, and salt.
If you don’t have time to make homemade dumplings for this easy recipe, you can use storebought biscuit dough as well.
Tips and Tricks for 30 Minute Chicken and Dumplings
- Create a Slurry. Combine flour and milk in a sealable container like a Mason Jar, and shake it up.
You’ll get a smooth flour mixture called a slurry, which will help to thicken your sauce.
This turns this recipe into more a a creamy chicken dumpling soup, loaded with flavor. - Don’t Overwork or Overcook Dumplings. Be careful not to overmix your dumpling dough or to cook it for too long in the pot, otherwise you might end up with dumplings that are too hard.
Perfectly cooked dumplings turn out light, fluffy, and tender. - Test with a Toothpick. When your stew is close to ready, poke a dumpling with a toothpick. Your dumplings will be ready once the toothpick comes out clean.
If there’s some residue on the toothpick, give them a few more minutes to finish cooking. - Try the Instant Pot. If you love this quick chicken and dumplings recipe, try my instant pot version next.
It’s just as tasty as the stove top version, but uses buttermilk biscuits for the dumplings instead! Either way, it will be a family favorite! - Add fresh seasonings. If you want to add a bit of fresh thyme to this dumplings recipe, it’s a great way to add more flavor.
Minced garlic is also a great choice, and even a few bay leaves can help bump up the taste.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
This quick chicken and dumplings recipe is freezer-friendly and easy to store if you have leftovers!
Allow leftovers to cool before transferring to an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you want to keep them longer, place a layer of plastic wrap over the dish, under the lid, before popping the container into the freezer.
This will help prevent freezer burn. You can store your leftovers for about 3-4 months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to enjoy this meal, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop on low heat.
You may need to add milk or cream to help loosen it up.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Dutch Oven – I love this set and use it all the time. It is perfect for roasts, and I especially love it for my one-pot meals.
- 1 Tablespoon Scoop – Use this to drop dumplings right into the pot!
Chicken & Dumpling Recipe FAQ
You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency.
Yes, you can use vegetable broth if you have that on hand. You’ll still get a ton of delicious flavor from the chicken itself, plus the variety of seasonings — including poultry seasoning!
Although this 30 minute chicken and dumplings recipe makes a hearty meal, you can easily pair this dish with a variety of other recipes to make your meal more complete!
Bake up some Olive Garden Breadsticks or my Sweet Southern Buttermilk Cornbread while everything simmers.
You’ll also love how this dish tastes with a side of Italian Green Beans or these tasty air fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon.
This recipe makes the fluffiest dumplings, and I’m obsessed with the texture. You’ll notice right away that delicious dumplings are light, with a little bit of chew. When you make biscuit dumplings, they add a soft texture to the soup, which means there is no need for any added side of bread. (although, if you wanted to add bread to this recipe, I’m not going to stop you!)
These perfectly fluffy dumplings take on the flavor of the creamy soup really well, which helps round out the texture of this great recipe.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Amazing Soup Recipes
30-Minute Creamy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or large wide pot, over medium heat, add chicken broth, water, butter and all seasonings (poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parsley, basil, and pepper). Cover and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, cut chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Add to the pot. Stir to combine and cover.
- In a sealable container (such as a large mason jar) combine flour and milk. Seal tightly and shake vigorously to combine well. You will create a smooth flour mixture for thickening your sauce called a slurry. Slowly pour the slurry into the pot, stirring constantly. Add frozen vegetables and cover.
- Meanwhile combine dumpling ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well with a fork. Remove cover from the soup pot and stir well.
- Drop dumplings into the soup one tablespoon at a time, use a 1 tablespoon scoop to make it even easier. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2012, updated and republished November 2024
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Hello,
I'm Jackson, I'm a chef who loves food, I'm always interested in new foods. Chicken and Dumplings Recipe is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
My son is lactose intolerant. How would this be using Crisco instead of butter in the dumpling part?
I use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter and it turns out just fine.
That’s great to hear, Lisa! Thanks for letting us know.
TSRI Team member,
Becca
This recipe for Chicken and Dumplings is my go to every time. Best ever and the perfect comfort food. Turns out perfect every time I make it.
This has a good flavor profile and was certainly easy to make, but I, like others, had very doughy dumplings at the end of 10 minutes. And since I used a 1 tablespoon scoop, the size/measurement was not the problem. I will definitely be making this again, but I will plan on 30 minutes for the dumplings to cook. Of course you could always turn the soup up above a steamer which would make the dumplings cook quicker, but you would also be running the risk of scorching the soup. You could also use a different dumpling recipe as well. I’ll have to experiment with that.
Hi Linda,
Without being there with you, it’s difficult to know what the problem might be. If you used a 1-tablespoon scoop, then you’re right, size isn’t the issue. If the dry ingredients weren’t measured properly (by spooning the flour into the measuring cup), the dumplings may have had too much flour, which would cause them to be very dense. I hope you will try the recipe again and see if it works for you.
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Just a thought maybe sifting the flour might make a difference.
Extremely easy and good! I will make again!
Hi Kathy,
We are so happy you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Possibly it’s not necessarily the doneness, but rather the style of dumpling that is the problem…dumplings come in a couple different textures, a large fluffy type that is drier on the I side, and the doughier German syle that is firmer on the outside and chewy on the inside…growing up our family experienced both varieties due to having German relatives, and southern relative ( who liked the fluffy variety…
So maybe a different dumpling would be better for those individuals who found the dumplings too doughy…just a thought 😀
My mother did not scoop the dumplings instead she rolled them out some and cut them. Thicker than noodles and wider cuts. They were pillowy and very good.
That is a different dumpling, is used a lot in the South. I love then both.
we had your recipe tonight. Very good and easy. Again I agree, the dumplings needed a bit more time. 5 to 10 more min. We used rotisserie chicken and it too was delicious. Thank U
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jim. Thank you for your feedback about the cook time for the dumplings!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
It turned out great! Made extra to freeze as well. Very good flavor.
I love this recipe!! Although, sometimes when I make the dumplings they come out the perfect consistency. Other times, they are so sticky, I can’t even form them into dumplings. I do the exact same thing every time.
Any tips or suggestions?
They are supposed to be sticky. I suggest using a metal spoon and fork to break it up. They’re drop dumping so their not supposed to keep their shape when you “drop” them into the soup.
So glad to have finally found a recipe for chicken and dumplings with the dumplings being doughy!!!! I don’t want them fluffy like a biscuit. So excited to have kept on searching and finally finding exactly what I have been wanting for a very long time. Thank you!
Is the chicken breast supposed to be cooked before you make this recipe?
I recommend cooking it before, but it’s not necessary.
If you’re planning to freeze this recipe would it be better to add dumplings when reheating after thawing?
Or do the dumplings still have the right texture if they are frozen in the soup?
Hi Claire!
They should retain a good texture for 2-3 months. I don’t advise freezing longer than that.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Ok, so I’m Cuban engaged to a typical American Oklahoma country boy (the love of my life) and I decided to try this recipe as a suprise for him. Of course I had to spice it up a little differently, but I have to say this came out AMAZING! My roommate is also a country boy and he kept saying that I did very well. I added large cut onions and celery as well as the peas and carrots. The celery gave it a little bit of variety in texture. I also seasoned the dumpling mixture a little with adobo and pepper. This recipe is super easy to follow and extremely tasty. It’s the type of meal that puts you to bed. A 10 out of 10!
Hi Tiffany!
That’s awesome! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn