Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings is a family favorite meal that is both comforting and delicious! This easy recipe is created from scratch including the tender dumplings and juicy chicken in an easy homemade broth.
This recipe starts with a whole chicken simmered to tender perfection with veggies and seasonings. Simple dumplings made with pantry ingredients are simmered in the broth until plump and tender. This is a family favorite that will be requested again and again!
Homemade Chicken and dumplings is good ol’ comfort food at its best. While I love quick and easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings, there is nothing quite like a meal that is completely homemade.
Making old fashioned chicken and dumplings from scratch is much easier than you’d think. Most of the time is spent letting the broth simmer until it is flavorful and the chicken is cooked to tender perfection.
This recipe starts with chicken, onion and carrots simmered on the stove. When making the broth I choose a large onion and leave the skin on to add extra color and flavor to the broth. Feel free to add in your favorite herbs such as bay leaf, a pinch of poultry seasoning and fresh parsley. Once the chicken is cooked, it is removed from the broth along with the vegetables.
We like to eat the veggies as a side dish but feel free to chop the carrots & celery and add them back into your broth.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make dumplings from scratch, you’ll love how easy they are! While some people like to make them with Bisquick, I find they’re just as easy to make with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry!
Don’t get too caught up in making your dumplings perfect, it doesn’t really matter how they’re cut. The only thing you’re going to want to be sure of is that your dough is rolled out to about 1/8” thick. This gives the dumplings the perfect consistency.
At the end of cooking, we like to thicken the broth with a little bit of cornstarch and water once the dumplings are cooked. Just mix equal amounts together and add a little bit at a time until the broth reaches the desired consistency. If you prefer a creamier broth, feel free to add a little bit of milk or heavy cream once the dumplings are cooked.
Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 chicken cut into pieces
- 1 onion
- 3 large carrots cut into thirds
- 3 stalks celery cut into thirds
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- bay leaf or a pinch of poultry seasoning optional
Dumplings
- 1 ¾ cups flour plus extra for dusting
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
OTHER
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery in a large pot. Season to taste.
- Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. While broth is simmering, prepare dumplings below.
- Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Discard skin and bones and chop remaining chicken, set aside.
- Gently add dumplings to broth. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until tender.
- Stir chicken (and vegetables if desired) into broth and cook about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
DUMPLINGS
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt and shortening with a fork until shortening is mixed in.
- Add milk a little at a time and mix until combined (you may not need all of it, you want a soft but not sticky dough).
- Knead a few times on a floured surface until dough is smooth.
- Generously flour your surface and roll the dough out to ⅛″ thick. Cut dough into 1″ x 2″ strips. Flour generously to avoid sticking.
- Cook in broth as directed above.
TO THICKEN BROTH (OPTIONAL)
- In a small bowl combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons water.
- Add to boiling broth a little bit at a time stirring to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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Made these for my dad and his exact words where “just like mom used to make”!!! I must say this recipe is great!! I did go ahead and make a double batch of dumplings because there will be some leftovers for lunch the next day then!!
I tried this recipe because my husband loves chicken and dumplings and my past attempts over our 45 year marriage were, shall we say just better than horrible lol. I used lard, another of my hubby’s childhood memories and the fact that I was out of shortening and these dumplings were at 10 according to my husband.
I believe that my marriage is now safe for another 45 years. thanks from a grateful wife.
LOL this made my day Melissa! I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
Easy to follow recipe. And it was delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Love every bite.
Can this be done in a crockpot? I saw you had two recipes for chicken and dumplings this one is stove top the other is crockpot. I just wondered if this can be done in the crockpot too.
For a Crock Pot version I use this recipe Christina!
I love trying new stuff always looking for something
First time making dumplings and after reading many reviews, they turned out perfect. I used a Cuisinart to mix dry ingredients and frozen butter cut into small pieces. I also added a little poultry seasoning to mixture. Dough was perfect, pretty much 1/8th inch, and floured well. I had strained stock and had on a low simmer and they turned out perfect after about 17 minutes. I added veggies back, along with about 2 cups of frozen corn. I realize it may not be true dumplings by adding, but it was still great! Will certainly make again, thanks so much for the recipe!
Can I use softened butter instead of shortening in the dumplings? I’m out of shortening.
This recipe should still turn out with butter used in place of shortening. We would love to hear what you think Beth!
I made this recipe and had to improvise while preparing. First the author should probably recommend a weight for the chicken. The amount of dumplings was not enough for the amount of meat that was extracted from my chicken so I had to make the dumpling portion of the recipe twice to double the amount. Otherwise, it was great! I used much more than a pinch of poultry seasoning and I also used onion powder, garlic powder, Lawry’s seasoning salt and black pepper and 4 bay leaves to season the chicken boil. However, THE DUMPLING RECIPE was PERFECT! so easy and quick! Makes perfect dumplings! I did add a little bit more salt than instructed but I’m glad I did. My husband could not get enough of this dish! I also used normal chicken broth opposed to the recommended low sodium broth. I wanted full bold flavor just how I remembered my grandma making it. Comfort food at it’s best!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Mikahyiyl!
I use one whole chicken cut up, about 3-4lbs. I hope this helps!
TRUE chicken and dumplings have 2 ingredients…..CHICKEN and DUMPLINGS.
I suppose there’s no broth in your chicken and dumplins?
I can’t imagine chicken and dumplings without carrots and celery! But to each his own!
Can I freeze dumplings if pre made earlier in the day?
You can freeze the dumplings separate from the soup Destiny. Enjoy!
Destiny, I have been making chicken and dumplings for 54 years an I always freeze them together with no problem. they taste as good as freshly made when you thaw them
Do I use raw chicken when combining the ingredients on the first step?
Yes, the chicken pieces are raw.
Help! Do I add the cornstarch slurry before cooking the dumplings in the broth?
I add the cornstarch slurry at the very end. Enjoy Kim!
Finally a recipe close to my great-grandmothers and my great-aunt possibly the best dumpling maker in history. At her 100th birthday celebration all of us kids (in our 50s-70s)agreed that was one of strongest memories of her. Tried to replicate them she used broth as the liquid in the dumplings. Another aunt would break an egg into a 1 cup measure and fill it with milk and flour from there. Also one summer at girl scout camp they cooked a huge cauldron of cherry dumplings-rolled over a fire with tripod. We all still remember how wonderful they were over 60 years later. Just recommended your website to my daughter yesterday as one of the best I’ve come across. Thanks Holly.
What a wonderful compliment! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
The best dumplings – didn’t fall apart! Thank you so much for this recipe. I learned that I was putting too much baking powder in my dough. This is my new go-to dumpling recipe.
I used the recipe for the dumplings only. Loved them in my own broth/soup base. My dumplings were not working for me anymore so I set out to find a good recipe. I couldn’t find a recipe where the dumpling actually stayed together. It seems like the dumplings always disappear into the broth. These did not! I’m not sure if the recipe was meant to yield a chewy dumpling but that’s exactly how I like them and that’s how they came out for me. awesome texture and flavor! Where has this recipe been all my life? ☺️ Thank you for sharing.
Can I make this dough into balls instead of strips?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jennifer. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!