This recipe for old fashioned, easy, homemade chicken and dumplings from scratch is so simple and delicious, it will instantly become a family favorite! It's the very definition of comfort food.
And there's nothing like a homemade meal of tender chicken, fluffy dumplings, and a hearty, creamy gravy. Using simple ingredients you'll find in your pantry, you'll be able to whip up a delicious dinner in no time.
But fair warning: Although this is a quick and easy dish, the tantalizing aroma of chicken and dumplings wafting through the house was almost too much for Erich to take...he kept asking me "Is it done yet? It smells sooooo good!"
🧾 Ingredients
Chicken, veggies, and sauce
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Vegetable oil
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Peas
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Parsley
- All purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Dumplings (makes 10)
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Heavy cream
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
🍲 Cooking
Lightly season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a deep saute pan over low-medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the chicken breasts and brown on each side, for a total of about 10 minutes. Then, remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same pan, saute onion, celery, and carrots for about five minutes, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. At this point, add melted butter and flour to the pan, whisk it together quickly, and then add the stock.
Add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peas, and cream. Add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
After 30 minutes, remove the chicken and using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the pan.
🥣 Dumplings
Time to make the dumplings! This is the easiest thing ever! In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Next, add in the heavy cream and melted butter. Mix everything together with a fork until it becomes a slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough with your hands on the countertop for about one minute.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of dough and form them into small meatball-sized balls. Drop the dumplings into the thick sauce in the pan, making sure they're not touching each other, as they'll puff up a bit while cooking.
Cook for an additional 30 minutes. At the end of cooking, before serving, don't forget to remove the bay leaves...they're not edible.
Serve in a deep pasta bowl, garnished with fresh parsley and thyme. Enjoy!
📖 Variation
If you don't have any heavy cream on hand, you can use sour cream instead!
Looking for more delicious and easy chicken dinner ideas? Check out a few more of our delicious recipes:
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Lemon Chicken
- Creamy Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms and Fresh Parsley
- Foolproof Cooking Method to Make the Juiciest Chicken Breast
- The Best, Crispy, Succulent, Umami-Flavored Chicken Thighs - In Less Than an Hour
- Deliciously Creamy One Pan Chicken and Beans
- Buffalo Chicken Dip - Enough Said
- Charcoal Grilled Chicken Wings You'll Go Wild For (and 5 sauces too!)
Did you make this Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch? Let us know in the comments below!
📝 Recipe
Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 ½ stalks celery, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 ½ cups peas
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Dumplings (makes 10)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a saute pan over low-medium heat.
- When the oil begins to sizzle, add the chicken breasts and brown on each side, for a total of about 10 minutes. Then, remove the chicken and set aside.
- In the same pan, saute onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- At this point, add butter and flour to the pan, whisk it together quickly, and then add the stock.
- Add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peas, and cream. Add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes.Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
- After 30 minutes, remove the chicken and using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the pan.
Dumplings
- In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).
- Next, add in the heavy cream and melted butter.
- Mix everything together with a fork until it becomes a slightly sticky dough.
- Knead the dough with your hands for about one minute.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of dough and form them into small meatball-sized balls.
- Drop the dumplings into the thick sauce in the pan, making sure they’re not touching each other, as they'll puff up a bit while cooking.
- Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve in a deep pasta bowl, garnished with some fresh parsley and thyme. Enjoy!
Notes
- Variation: If you don't have any heavy cream on hand, you can use sour cream instead!
Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
ODB
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times, so simple and full of flavor!
maplewoodroad
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Michelle Latinovich
This chicken and dumpling recipe looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing!
maplewoodroad
Thank you! Enjoy! 🙂
OdieB
We made this recipe tonight and it was fantastic, definitely will be adding this to the repertoire.
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Shannon
I made this over the weekend and my family loved it! Super easy to follow recipe and absolutely delicious. Definitely will be making again and again!
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much! So glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
Mark Simmons
My wife loved this dish! Great flavor. The texture of the dumplings melts in your mouth. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much Mark! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Alyse Stults
Looks amazing!!!
maplewoodroad
Thank you! 🙂
Ashley
Sooo delicious! Found recipe on Reddit and I can’t wait to make it again 😍
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Braghan
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it!
maplewoodroad
Thanks! Enjoy! 🙂
Alyssa Hixenbaugh
I love chicken and dumplings! This recipe looks comforting and delicious.
maplewoodroad
Thank you! 🙂
Lisa Alioto
I can't tell you how much I love dumplings - thank you for sharing this recipe. It looks delish!
maplewoodroad
Thanks! 🙂
Alexa
This was absolutely delicious! Easy to follow recipe that we’ll definitely be making again in the future. Thank you!
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Bryan Carey
I love chicken and dumplings and homemade is the best! The other nice thing is, since it is chicken, it is something the entire family can agree on
maplewoodroad
Good point! Thanks and enjoy! 🙂
Sarah B.
This looks SO good. I have always thought chicken and dumplings sounds amazing but thought it would be complicated to make. This, I think I can do!
maplewoodroad
It's really so easy and delicious! Hope you try our recipe! 🙂
ShyAnne
Loved this recipe! Only thing is I had to add 1/2 more broth to the gravy because it thickened up so fast it started to burn on the bottom. Also, next time I'll make the dumplings smaller so they go farther. We had none for leftovers.
maplewoodroad
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! 🙂
Cici
I LOVE chicken and dumplings! I can't wait to try out this new recipe the next time I make it! Thank you so much for sharing!
maplewoodroad
Thanks and enjoy! 🙂