Chicken and Dumplings Classic (Printable)

Tender stewed chicken in creamy broth with fluffy dumplings, a classic comforting dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken Stew

01 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into large chunks
02 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 3 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
14 - 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
15 - 1 cup frozen peas
16 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish

→ Dumplings

17 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
18 - 1 tbsp baking powder
19 - 1 tsp salt
20 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
21 - 3/4 cup whole milk

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
04 - Gradually pour in chicken broth while stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
05 - Add chicken pieces, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through.
06 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in milk or cream, frozen peas, and chopped parsley. Allow to simmer uncovered while preparing dumplings.
07 - In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in melted butter and milk until just combined; do not overmix.
08 - Drop spoonfuls of dough, approximately 2 tablespoons each, onto the surface of the simmering stew, spacing them evenly.
09 - Cover pot tightly and simmer on low heat without lifting the lid for 15 minutes until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
10 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or black pepper if needed. Ladle stew and dumplings into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • One pot, one meal, no fussing—just pure, honest cooking that feeds people and souls alike.
  • The dumplings are impossibly fluffy because they're not dense bread but light clouds that soak up every drop of flavor.
  • This recipe forgives imperfect timing; it actually gets better the longer it simmers gently on your stove.
02 -
  • Never lift that dumpling pot lid while they're cooking—the temperature drop makes them collapse like deflated balloons, and there's no fixing it once it happens.
  • The flour-thickened broth should coat the back of a spoon; if it's too thin after the dumplings absorb liquid, mix a little butter and flour together off heat and stir it in before serving.
  • Room-temperature dough drops more evenly onto the hot stew than cold dough, which seizes up and spreads unevenly.
03 -
  • Cut your chicken into large chunks, not small pieces—they stay juicier and more tender as they simmer.
  • If dumplings sink instead of floating, your broth might be too cool; bring it back to a visible gentle simmer before dropping them in.
Go Back