Description
Classic homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe featuring tender chicken simmered in a flavorful broth with hearty vegetable chunks and fluffy, soft dumplings made from scratch. This comforting dish is slow cooked on the stovetop, perfect for warming up on chilly days.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken and Broth
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into parts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Season the chicken: Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper to enhance flavor before cooking.
- Prepare the broth: In a large pot or Dutch oven, place the chicken parts and cover with 8 cups of chicken broth. Add the chopped onion, sliced carrots, celery, and minced garlic to the pot.
- Cook the chicken and vegetables: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook, uncovered, until the chicken becomes tender, approximately 45 minutes.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and allow it to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat, discarding skin and bones. Set the shredded chicken aside.
- Make the dumpling dough: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the cold butter pieces and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add buttermilk to dough: Stir in the buttermilk gently until just combined to form a soft dough. Take care not to overmix to keep dumplings tender.
- Return chicken to pot: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot with the broth and vegetables, bringing the soup back up to a simmer over medium heat.
- Form and cook dumplings: Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the dumpling dough evenly over the surface of the simmering soup. Cover the pot and allow the dumplings to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not uncover during this time to avoid dense dumplings.
- Garnish and serve: Once dumplings are cooked through and fluffy, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve the chicken and dumplings hot for a comforting meal.
Notes
- Use cold butter when making dumpling dough to achieve a light, fluffy texture.
- Do not uncover the pot during dumpling cooking to prevent them from becoming dense.
- Shredding the chicken after cooking ensures tender pieces without bones or skin.
- Feel free to add other vegetables like peas or potatoes for variation.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat gently to preserve dumpling texture.
