This Southern Chicken and Dumplings recipe is like a warm hug. It’s the ultimate comfort food, made with juicy chicken thighs, veggies, a thick soup base, and biscuit-style dumplings. Southern dumplings use chicken fat to create a texture and flavor you won’t find anywhere else. Make the stew in advance and steam the dumplings in the pot right before you’re ready for dinner.

A bowl of hearty chicken and dumplings soup is shown. The bowl contains shredded chicken, vegetables like carrots, and two large, fluffy dumplings. The dish is garnished with chopped parsley and fresh ground black pepper, and a spoon rests on the side.

Southern Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe isn’t your average chicken and dumplings soup recipe that you’d find at your local Cracker Barrel. They use flat dumplings or strips of dough for theirs rather than true Southern homemade dumplings, which are more like drop biscuits. It’s kind of like my Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits but with more of a soup-like texture.

This recipe has a couple of steps solely dedicated to layering the flavor; otherwise, it can be quite bland. The first step is to create a flavorful stew which you do by first browning the chicken. We want the skin on the chicken thighs to become golden brown and crispy, but we’re not completely cooking the chicken. (You’ll save some of the magical chicken fat for the dumplings)

Next, you’ll cook the vegetables and add the broth. The chicken finishes cooking while simmering in the broth, and then you’ll take it out to shred it and return it to the pot.

While the stew is amazing, what everyone fights for are the steamed dumplings with their unique texture and flavor. You’ll make a biscuit dough using the leftover chicken fat from when you browned the chicken. Then drop them right into the steaming hot soup during the last 15 minutes of cooking. This prevents them from getting mushy but still gives them enough time to soak up the delicious broth from the chicken stew.

This Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings is one of those classic Southern meals like creamy oyster stew. The richness of the broth paired with the lightness of the fluffy dumplings makes this recipe a family favorite.

A close-up of a bowl of chicken and dumplings, featuring tender shredded chicken, chunks of carrots, and fluffy dumplings in a savory broth. The dish is garnished with freshly ground black pepper and chopped herbs. A spoon rests in the bowl, ready to serve.

You might not think the dumplings would stay together for leftovers, but they do. Once they’re cooled, they’ll retain their shape and texture even after freezing. Let me tell you, the leftovers are even better as the stew gets more flavorful as it sits in the fridge.

When making the dumplings, you can always double the recipe if your family likes them as much as mine. There’s always a fight over the dumplings.

Why you’ll love homemade Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Nostalgic Flavor: Browning the chicken, sautéing the veggies, and deglazing the pan adds so much flavor to this soup. These extra steps may seem over the top, but it’s worth it.
Southern-Style Comfort: The Southern style drop dumplings give this soup a down-home feel you won’t find in a can or at your local Cracker Barrel.
Easy to Make Ahead: While this may be a little more work than what you have on a weeknight, you can make the soup ahead of time and warm it up on the stove. Then just add the dumplings before you’re ready to eat.

Ingredients for Southern Chicken and Dumplings

A collection of ingredients on a countertop, including raw chicken parts on a plate, a bunch of celery, a bag of carrots, an onion, a bottle of white wine, a bag of all-purpose flour, a carton of whole milk, a jar of chicken bone broth, fresh parsley, a can of baking powder, and a jar of bay leaves.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Using bone-in chicken thighs adds more flavor to the soup than chicken breasts. You can use just the chicken thighs or use a thigh-drumstick combo.
Vegetable oil: This is for searing the chicken thighs and getting that nice crispy crust on the outside.
Butter: What’s a Southern dish without butter? The veggies are cooked in butter to add flavor. Use regular unsalted butter.
Vegetables: Many soups use a vegetable base called a mirepoix, which is a mix of carrots, celery, and onions. These three vegetables combined give the soup the iconic comforting flavor and aroma we all know and love.
Flour: Thickens up the savory broth.
Dry white wine: Deglazes the veggies and adds acidity to the soup to round out the flavors.
Chicken broth: This is the base for our broth and gives the soup that classic chicken noodle soup flavor.
Milk: Adds a little creaminess to the broth.
Herbs: For this recipe, I use a mix of fresh thyme, bay leaves, and fresh parsley. Using fresh herbs provides another layer of flavor compared to dried herbs, but you can use dried herbs if that’s what you have on hand.

Dumplings

Flour: This provides the structure for our drop-style dumplings. Use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the dumpling dough puff up and rise when steaming in the soup.
Salt: Adds a touch of flavor.
Whole milk and reserved chicken broth: The liquids used to create the dough. The milk adds a fluffy texutre, while the broth adds savory flavor and fat to the biscuits.

How to Make this Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Step One: Brown the Chicken

Add oil to a large Dutch oven and when hot, add chicken thighs in 2 batches. Cook until golden brown on both sides then transfer to a plate and pour off the chicken broth for later use. Once it’s slightly cooled, you can remove the skin.

Step Two: Sauté the Veggies

Add butter to the empty Dutch oven. Then, add carrots, onions, and celery and cook until they have softened.

A cutting board with chopped vegetables: julienned carrots, diced celery, and finely chopped onions, arranged in neat piles. The background is a blue-gray textured surface. — Chop the veggies.

A large pot with red handles sits on a gray surface, filled with sautéed vegetables. The mix includes orange carrot sticks, chopped celery, and diced onions, all cooking and slightly caramelized. The vegetables are spread evenly across the bottom of the pot. — Chop the veggies.

Step Three: Assemble the Soup

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the wine, scraping up any brown bits. Add the chicken broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves.

A large red pot on a blue countertop contains sautéed vegetables, including orange carrots and chopped celery. A whisk with a wooden handle rests inside the pot. A bottle of white wine sits next to the pot on the countertop. — Deglaze the pot.

A large pot of creamy beige soup with visible chunks of vegetables. The soup is garnished with two bay leaves and a small sprinkling of finely chopped herbs in the center. The interior of the pot is off-white, contrasting with the soup's color. — Deglaze the pot.

Step Four: Add the Chicken to the Broth

Add the browned chicken to the broth and cover simmering for about an hour until the chicken is tender. A meat thermometer should be at least 170ºF, and the chicken should easily come off the bone. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.

A red pot holds several pieces of partially cooked chicken in a light, creamy broth. The chicken pieces appear slightly browned around the edges, and the broth features visible herbs and seasonings. The container is situated on a blueish-gray surface.

Step Four: Shred the Chicken

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with 2 forks into bite-size pieces.

A red-handled pot filled with chicken pieces, carrots, and a golden broth, resting on a blue-grey surface. The contents are stewing, with visible herbs and spices in the liquid, indicating a flavorful cooking process. — Remove the chicken

A cutting board piled with shredded cooked chicken, with two forks used for shredding placed alongside. The background is a blue-gray surface. — Remove the chicken

Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and season and add parsley and bring to a simmer.

A large pot filled with a hearty chicken soup featuring shredded chicken, carrot chunks, and an array of herbs in a flavorful broth. The pot rests on a grey-blue surface, and the soup looks warm and comforting.

Step Five: Make the Dumplings

Add the reserved chicken fat to a microwave-safe bowl with a cup of milk and microwave until warm for about 1 minute. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the milk mixture and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined.

Three measuring cups are placed on a blue-gray surface. The large cup holds flour with a whisk inside it, the medium cup contains a brown liquid, and the small cup has a white liquid, likely milk. All measuring cups are made of clear Pyrex glass. — Heat up the milk and fat.

A glass mixing bowl filled with chunky, off-white dough sits on a gray countertop. A wooden spoon, partially covered in dough, rests in the bowl. Baking flour is lightly scattered on the inner sides of the bowl. — Heat up the milk and fat.

Step Six: Add Dumplings to the Soup

Use an ice cream scooper to form golf ball-sized balls of dough and place them in the hot chicken broth. You should have about 12-15. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until they have doubled in size.

A beige plate holds twelve evenly spaced scoops of raw, round dough. A metal ice cream scoop is resting on the plate, suggesting that it was used to form the dough balls. The background is a textured blue surface. — Form the drop biscuits.

A large pot filled with a hearty soup containing several dumplings, vegetables, and herbs. The broth appears rich and flavorful, and the dumplings are light in color, floating on top. The pot has a red handle and sits on a gray surface. — Form the drop biscuits.

A few Recipe Notes

If you want a creamier soup, feel free to swap the milk for heavy cream.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, a large pot will work just fine.
For a richer soup base, try using bone broth.

How To Store Chicken and Dumplings

Store leftover chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can even freeze it.

To reheat, remove the dumplings to a plate and heat the soup on the stove or in the microwave. Once the soup is hot add the dumplings back and cover with plastic wrap if microwaving, and cook for about 30 seconds. If heating on the stove, cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes for the dumplings to heat through.

A pot of chicken and dumplings with chunks of chicken, carrots, and herbs in a flavorful broth. A ladle is lifting a dumpling and some chicken out of the pot, showcasing the hearty comfort food.

More Comforting Chicken Soup Recipes To Try

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

Explore Recipes

Chicken Chicken Casseroles Soups & Chilis Stovetop

Comments

5 from 1 vote

Southern Chicken and Dumplings with Steamed Biscuits

Southern Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Why you’ll love homemade Southern Chicken and Dumplings