Here’s a classic Chicken and Dumplings recipe 🍗🥣—comforting, hearty, and perfect for a cozy meal.
Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
For the Chicken Stew
- 1–2 lbs chicken (breasts, thighs, or a mix; bone-in adds more flavor)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for thickening, optional)
For the Dumplings
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
1. Cook the Chicken Stew
- In a large pot, combine chicken, broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 25–30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken, let cool slightly, then shred or cut into bite-sized pieces. Return to pot.
- Optional: To thicken, melt butter in a small pan, whisk in flour, and stir into the stew.
2. Make the Dumplings
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in milk and melted butter until just combined (do not overmix).
3. Cook the Dumplings
- Bring the chicken stew to a gentle simmer.
- Drop dumpling batter by spoonfuls onto the simmering stew.
- Cover and cook 12–15 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are fluffy and cooked through.
4. Serve
- Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Serve hot, garnished with parsley if desired.
Tips & Variations
- 🥕 Add peas or corn for extra veggies.
- 🧄 Add a dash of garlic powder or onion powder to the dumpling batter for flavor.
- 🍗 For richer flavor, use bone-in chicken thighs.
- 🥣 Make it creamy: stir in ½ cup heavy cream at the end.
I can also give a quick weeknight shortcut version that uses pre-cooked chicken and refrigerated biscuit dough for dumplings if you want.
Do you want me to do that?
