Ah, Chicken and Dumplings—the ultimate cozy, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Here’s a detailed, classic recipe for tender chicken, rich broth, and soft, pillowy dumplings:
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Broth:
- 2 lbs chicken (bone-in pieces like thighs or breasts)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp butter or oil
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken:
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté 5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Place chicken in the pot, pour in chicken broth, add salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30–40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Make the Dumplings:
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in milk and melted butter until a sticky dough forms.
- Shred the Chicken:
- Remove chicken from the pot, let cool slightly, and shred, discarding bones.
- Return shredded chicken to the pot.
- Cook the Dumplings:
- Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough onto the simmering broth and chicken.
- Cover pot and simmer 15–20 minutes without lifting the lid (this steams the dumplings).
- Serve:
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, scooping both chicken and dumplings with broth.
💡 Tips:
- For extra flavor, sauté the vegetables in a bit of bacon fat before adding broth.
- You can add peas or corn to the stew before dropping in dumplings for extra color and sweetness.
- Don’t lift the lid while dumplings are cooking—they need steam to puff up.
If you like, I can also give a shortcut one-pot version where you use store-bought biscuit dough for dumplings and still get tender, flavorful chicken in under 40 minutes.
Do you want me to give that version too?
