This southern chicken and dumplings recipe is straight from granny's kitchen. Easy homemade flat dumplings and delicious cream of chicken soup from scratch make this the ultimate comfort food!
This southern-style chicken and dumplings recipe is a dinner favorite, especially here in the South. Our easy recipe is with homemade flat dumplings and the tastiest chicken broth! If you're looking for that truly southern chicken and dumplings recipe, you've come to the right place!
Southern Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Years ago a friend invited us for some good ol' southern cooking, as an introduction to our move to the South. She made us homemade chicken and dumplings along with a few southern sides. I remember the sides were great, but the chicken and dumplings blew me out of the water.
This is a slight adaptation from her grandmother's recipe. I'm sure her grandmother boiled an entire chicken and made her own homemade stock. You can very easily do that, too, if you want! Since I boil chicken breasts at least once a month, I do use homemade stock in my recipe. You can use store-bought broth and a rotisserie chicken instead. Either way, this recipe for homemade dumplings is very easy.
Ingredients for Chicken Dumplings
(full printable recipe at end of this post)
I like to focus on recipes with easy and accessible ingredients right from the grocery store or already in your pantry. Below are the ingredients to make this chicken and dumplings recipe.
What you need for the chicken soup:
- Chicken stock (or broth) -- Use your favorite store-bought brand or make it homemade. This is the base of the soup, so you want it tasty!
- Shredded chicken -- I make shredded chicken once a month and store it portioned out in my freezer so it's ready for a dish like this. You can boil chicken breasts or use the crock pot method. Super easy and you have shredded chicken for the month! Didn't plan ahead? Pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store instead. One rotisserie is perfect for this chicken and dumplings recipe.
- Lemon pepper -- It's optional, but it adds a depth of flavor like none other. Find it in the spice aisle and use it to sprinkle on other chicken dishes.
- Other dried spices -- We use basil leaves, bay leaves, garlic powder, salt and pepper. All of these can easily be adjusted to your taste. You can even add thyme or parsley.
What you need for the chicken dumplings:
- Flour -- Just the regular all-purpose kind.
- Salt -- Because salt makes everything better.
- Baking soda -- To puff them just a little. These are flat rolled dumplings, not fluffy and poofy like biscuits.
- Butter -- Some use shortening, but I like the taste of butter better.
- Buttermilk -- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, combine a splash of vinegar with regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
You can also thicken chicken and dumplings by combining a little buttermilk with cornstarch and stir it in at the end. I sometimes do, sometimes don't.
How To Make Dumplings from Scratch
The dumplings cook right in the pot. I like to use my Dutch oven. Don't shy away from the homemade dumplings, it is super simple! This is very similar to Cracker Barrel's dumplings. A quick floury mixture rolled out flat and sliced into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add wet ingredients. Stir in the melted butter and buttermilk.
- Form dough. Stir until a dough forms.
- Roll out dough. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and roll to about ⅛-inch thick with a rolling pin.
- Cut into pieces. Use a pizza cutter to slice dough into 2-inch pieces. Doesn't need to be perfect!
- Cook dumplings. Drop into hot pot of soup and boil for 15 minutes.
The prep time is quick so you'll have good ol' southern comfort food right in your bowl in no time!
Biscuits vs Dumplings vs Noodles
There are different types of chicken dumplings. Although this recipe calls for rolled dumplings, below are four different ways to make dumplings.
Rolled Dumplings: My recipe, and my preference, is rolling out the dumpling dough and slicing into bite sized pieces.
Refrigerated biscuits: Some chicken and dumplings recipes call for biscuit dough as the dumpling batter. I prefer the flat rolled dumplings, instead of biscuits, but you can make this recipe even faster by dropping refrigerated biscuits into the boiling broth instead. It just won't taste as homemade.
Drop biscuits: If you have a favorite homemade fluffy biscuit recipe, feel free to whip that up (or use Bisquick) then drop spoonfuls of the batter into the boiling soup. Simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
Noodles: You can boil noodles into the broth instead of biscuit dumplings, too. This will taste more like a chicken noodle soup.
Variations
Chicken: We typically use skinless chicken breasts for our shredded chicken, but you can use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
Vegetables: For a variation, add onions, carrots, and celery, or frozen peas to the soup. First cook onions, carrots and celery over medium-high heat before adding the chicken broth. Stir in peas with the shredded chicken.
Storage and Leftovers
Store: Leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Because this is not a cream based recipe, you can freeze this recipe well. Transfer to a freezer friendly container and freeze up to 1 month.
Thaw: Thaw frozen soup in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Reheat (thawed) soup in the microwave or simmer on the stovetop.
What to Serve with Chicken and Dumplings
Try these southern favorites with your chicken dumplings.
Made this recipe?
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This article was originally published on February 19, 2014 and most recently updated on March 2, 2022 with no changes to the recipe.
Recipe Card
Chicken and Dumplings Recipe {+VIDEO!}
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 10 cups chicken stock or broth
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
For the dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- ¾ cup buttermilk
For the thickener:
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
For the soup:
- Combine the chicken stock with the rest of the soup ingredients (minus the shredded chicken) in a large pot. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. (Meanwhile prepare dumplings dough as instructed below.)
For the dumplings:
- Prepare the dumplings dough while waiting for the stock to come to a boil. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and buttermilk until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface generously dusted with flour. Roll the dough to about ⅛-inch thick, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Drop dumplings into the boiling stock and allow to boil, while stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.
- Once the dumplings are cooked, add the shredded chicken to the soup and heat through while stirring. Discard the bay leaves and serve immediately.
For the thickener:
- If the soup needs to be thickened, mix together the ¼ cup buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly stir into the soup until desired consistency is reached.
Video
Notes
Variations
Chicken: We typically use skinless chicken breasts for our shredded chicken, but you can use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat. Vegetables: For a variation, add onions, carrots, and celery, or frozen peas to the soup. First cook onions, carrots and celery over medium-high heat before adding the chicken broth. Stir in peas with the shredded chicken.Storage and Leftovers
Store: Leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze: Because this is not a cream based recipe, you can freeze this recipe well. Transfer to a freezer friendly container and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw: Thaw frozen soup in the fridge overnight. Reheat: Reheat (thawed) soup in the microwave or simmer on the stovetop.Nutrition
