Southern chicken and dumplings should be rich, comforting, and full of flavor, not thin soup with strips of dough. This recipe uses bone-in chicken thighs, fresh vegetables, and a thick, savory broth, then finishes with biscuit-style dumplings steamed right in the pot. Made with rendered chicken fat for extra flavor, it’s a true Southern classic that can be prepped ahead and finished just before dinner.
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 homemade drop biscuits. It’s kind of like my chicken pot pie made with biscuits but with more of a soup-like texture.
This recipe includes a few extra steps purely to build flavor, because chicken and dumplings without depth can be 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.
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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 pot during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Steaming instead of boiling is what keeps them fluffy instead of falling apart.
This Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings is one of those classic Southern meals that your grandmother might have made. The richness of the broth paired with the lightness of the fluffy dumplings makes this recipe a family favorite.
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.
Ingredients for Southern Chicken and Dumplings
- 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.
- Dry white wine: Deglazes the veggies and adds acidity to the soup to round out the flavors.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings From Scratch
Step One: Brown the Chicken
Step Two: Sauté the Veggies
Step Three: Assemble the Soup
Step Four: Cook & Shred the Chicken
Cover and simmer 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.
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.
Step Six: Add Dumplings to the Soup
This chicken and dumplings made from scratch is pure comfort in a bowl. With a rich, flavorful broth and soft biscuit-style dumplings steamed right in the pot, it’s the kind of meal that brings everyone to the table.
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.
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Southern Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuit-Style Dumplings
Ingredients
- 5 lbs bone-in skin on chicken thighs
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil divided
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 carrots peeled and cut into 3 inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons reserved chicken juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to a large dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken thighs in 2 batches. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and pour off the chicken juice and fat to be used later. Cook the second batch using the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Remove the chicken to a plate, reserving the juice and fat from the second batch. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard the skin.
- Add butter to the empty Dutch oven and when melted add carrot strips that are about ¼ inch thick, along with the diced onions and celery, season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onions and celery have softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- 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. Add the chicken to the broth and cover. Turn the heat to low and cook for an hour until the chicken is tender. A meat thermometer should be at least 170º and the chicken should easily come off the bone. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks into bite size pieces. Skim off any fast that may have accumulated on the top of the broth. Add the chicken back to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and bring to a simmer.
Dumplings
- Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved chicken fat to a microwave safe bowl with a cup of milk and microwave until warm, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the milk mixture mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, just until combined. Use an ice cream scooper to form golf sized balls of dough and place 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.
Barbara’s Tips + 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.
Nutrition
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Hana Monroe says
Is it 3 tablespoons of reserved chicken fat or chicken broth to be added to dumplings? Thank you.
Barbara Curry says
I can see how that was confusing, I reworded it in the recipe card. You will add 3 tablespoons of the fat and juices that you drained from the chicken. This will add fat and flavor to the dumplings.