Easy Southern Chicken and Dumplings

This old-fashioned Chicken and Dumplings recipe is an all-time favorite. It’s Southern comfort food at its best. This dish is made by preparing a simple chicken soup and adding homemade flat or drop dumplings.

If you love comfort food dishes like this one, try our delicious Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy or Chicken and Noodles.

Why You’ll Love This Classic Dish

This dish is made with simple ingredients and is very easy to put together.  Chicken and dumplings are very popular in the South and are often served for a Sunday dinner. It’s incredible comfort food. Many people are intimidated by homemade dumplings, but they are actually very easy to prepare.

What are dumplings?

A dumpling is basically cooked dough. Two basic homemade dumplings are used in chicken and dumplings:

Which Dumpling Do You Prefer?

This is always a question we receive, and we never have a definite answer! My Grandmother loved to make the flat dumplings because she was raised on them, and sometimes we love a really fluffy dumpling, so we make the drop style.

Tip

Make sure you have the lid on the pot. I know many people have issues with their dumplings not being cooked through. The lid will contain the heat and ensure that the dumplings cook evenly. To check if your dumplings are cooked, take one out and cut it open. Also, stirring your dumplings will cause them to fall apart. Use a wooden spoon to push them under the broth gently; do not stir. If you don’t have self rising flour you can make your own. If you dumplings are tough, you more than likely over worked our dough.

How To Store Leftovers

Chicken and dumplings are best served immediately. However, this recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. You can reheat this dish on the stove. Gently stir over medium heat to break up the soup. You may need to add a bit of chicken broth to it. If you want to use your microwave, warm it up in 20-30 second bursts until warmed through. Of course, the dumplings will change a bit when rewarmed because they will have soaked up the soup. Their texture will be different, but their flavor will be the same!

Freezing Leftovers

You can freeze them, but again the texture of this dish will change. The flavor will remain the same. They should keep frozen for up to 3 months. 

Other Delicious Recipes with Dumplings:

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Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Judy Yeager

Nothing says comfort food like homemade Southern chicken and dumplings. Tender chicken, homemade dumplings, and rich broth make this family favorite

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Chicken/Broth

• 4 cups chopped chicken or turkey cooked
• 1 cup chopped celery
• one 10.5 ounce can of cream of chicken soup I use Campbell’s soup and broth
• two 10.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
• 3 of the 10.5 ounce cans filled with water

Dumpling Ingredients

• 2 cups Self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup shortening

Dumpling Instructions

• Pour 2 cups self-rising flour into a large bowl, cut in 1/4 cup shortening with a pastry blender or fork, add 3/4 cup boiling water a little at a time until you can shape the mixture into a ball. Roll out to about 1/8 inch of thickness on a floured board. Cut into strips, then squares

• Remove lid on pot and add several squares at a time to the boiling broth replacing lid each time for about 30 seconds until you have added all the dumplings. Once all the dumplings are added lower heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For Drop Dumplings

• If you want drop dumplings, just don’t roll the dough out but pinch off pieces and drop them into the broth just like you dropped the flat dumplings. Try to make each pinch uniform so your dumplings will cook through simultaneously.

Keyword Chicken and Dumplings, Easy

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