Creamy Chicken and Dumplings (Best Easy Soup 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.
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 December 2023
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Made this tonight, waiting on fiance to get home. I got a little taste and I have determined that this is going to be the hardest wait of my life. Amazing, I love it.
We are so happy to hear that! I hope you didn't have to wait to long!
On the Slurry how much flour and how much milk do I use making it as we speak. Thank you !!!
How much flour and milk with the Slurry ?
Recipe for dumplings is there. Read again
Saw this on Facebook and made it tonight! It was sooo good… Only thing I didn't have was the poultry seasoning.. mightve helped..
We are so happy you enjoyed it Emma!
I just made this, and although I was raised on a completely different Chicken and Dumplings, I really like it. I used rotisserie chicken and followed someone else's advice about the dumplings and added some poultry seasoning, garlic powder and parsley. I also found the broth a bit bland, so I added about a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon to it and it is delicious! Really good recipe. I am sure I will make it again!
Bland, didn't like the consistency much thicker than I like it. I have made chicken and dumplings many times and many different ways but I never heard of making a slurry to thicken it. When I have made it in the past with drop dumplings, the dumplings alone helped thicken it to the consistency I prefer. In my opinion the slurry, flour mix is too much and is what makes this recipe a miss for me. I also used chicken thighs instead of breast.
This recipe was awesome. We have enough for 2 more meals. My husband loved it too. love your recipes.
Thanks so much Shery Sullivan!! We are so happy you enjoyed it!
Oh, thank you for this! It was just perfect for a mid-week, warm the family up on a cold wintery night meal. They loved it! I used fresh carrots and added the peas near the end so they would stay bright green. The way the dumplings plumped and doubled in size was just what I’d hoped for and the poached chicken was really tender. I felt funny shaking the slurry up, but it was such a great trick! Thank you! I have added this to my recipe app and I’m very picky!!! : ) I’ll check out your other recipes now too!
Thanks so much Skinnygirleats!! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Made this last night, it was easy and delicious. I cut dumplings in half when they were half cooked and they were much better I think. Kids and I loved it and we'll be making it again!! Thanks!!
Made my own broth but used your dumpling recipe. Yummmmm Nice and tender! I do it a bit different then you I saute my veggies-carrots,celery,onion & fresh garlic in butter before adding the broth (I Use bouilon) I also use different spices-thyme,tarragon & sage.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious. What’s the best way to reheat thiis without ruining the dumplings?
For those having trouble getting the dumplings to rise or cook completely, cook uncovered for 6 minutes, then cover and cook for an additional 6. My grandmother taught me how to make dumplings and I still use her recipe to this day. But hers are huge and light as air. This is a very good recipe, though. If it’s too bland for you, it might be the stock you are using. Some are much better than others, and you just can’t beat homemade! I make and use my own or use powdered soup base and season like a mad woman. Lol
What size Dutch oven do you recommend? And any tips for tripling the recipe? I have 3lbs of chicken breasts that I'd like to use and an 8qt Dutch oven. Wondering if I can make that work!
Can you make it in a crock pot? If anyones tried it how many hours do you cook it for?
Aw, you made me miss my childhood so much when my mother also cooked fully-hot pot for everyone whenever someone in my family gets sick. I even hope to get sick in order to eat it because my mom didn't want to take hours to cook it in normal days xD. Now I can be confident telling her I just need 30 minutes to complete the whole dish. – Natalie
About the dumplings. Once you drop them in the soup close the lid (glass if you have one) tight and do not open until the dumplings float. The trick to light fluffy dumplings is the steam generated without opening the lid!
You got me with "no cream of anything soup" I am definitely going to make this. I cannot abide anything made with cream of chicken soup!
I am weird with chicken because I dont want it to be under cooked, so I always boil my chicken before putting it in the broth.
I made this soup and it was awesome. I didn't have enough dumplings in my soup everyone wanted the dumpling and little soup. Making it again today
This recipe just found my saved box! I always change up how I cook things, but the broth and gravy on this tonight is a keeper. I used chicken breasts and cut up biscuits for dumplings. But yummm! I've been trying to achieve this flavor and thick sauce without soups for months. Thank you!
My husband as did I enjoyed this recipe emensely. I cut it in half because it is only the two of us and i still have leftovers. I don't like peas si i only added carrots but i sliced and steamed fresh organic carrots to add and they were great Thank you for this great easy recipe. Sherri
I have this recipe on bookmark and use it over and over. My dumplings were gummy but I learned to make the dumpling dough first to let it rest. Also I have experimented with different veggies and seasonings but it's a great base recipe! Thank you!
Delish! I substituted Old Bay for poultry seasoning because it's what we had and should've halved the recipe because I'll be eating this for a month, but it's worth it, lol.
It was very thick to me. If I make it again, I wouldn't put as much flour to make the slurry.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! 🙂
It needed a bit more salt than what was in the recipe but that's my own fault for not tasting as I go. I also added about a teaspoon of the poultry seasoning into the dumpling dough and I feel that elevated it a bit. Can't wait to try the leftovers tomorrow! Yummm!