Try This One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe When You Need a Comforting Dinner Fast (2024)

Our quick chicken and dumplings recipe makes it easy to enjoy this classic comfort food on a weeknight. Though the dish tastes like it simmered long and slow, it starts with cooked chicken and store-bought stock to streamline the prep. The rich chicken stew is packed with vegetables and crowned with fluffy drop dumplings, so it's a complete meal. And those dumplings; they are a magical combination of pantry ingredients; flour, baking powder, butter, and milk is transformed into tender dumplings.

Best of all, this cozy, nostalgic dinner comes together in about 45 minutes and uses one pot, so break out that Dutch oven—and be prepared to field weekly requests for this hearty meal.

Try This One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe When You Need a Comforting Dinner Fast (1)

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The Secrets to Fluffy Dumplings

Light, tender drop dumplings are easy to make, as long as you follow our recipe and keep these tips in mind:

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough

Just like when you make pancakes, mix the dumpling dough just until it comes together. First use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, cut in the butter and stir in the milk just until there are no patches of dry flour. It's okay if the dough looks a little lumpy.

Mixing the dough more than this is called overworking and will result in tough dumplings.

Cook the Dumplings With the Lid On

Drop heaping spoonfuls of the dumpling dough over the simmering chicken mixture and they will steam—as long as you put the lid on the pot. Putting the lid on means that the moisture that the stew creates stays in the pot and steams the dumplings. Steaming is key to producing light, airy dumplings; without the lid, dumplings are drier and harder. Let the dumplings steam for 12 minutes—no peeking.

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Directions

  1. Cook vegetables:

    In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.

  2. Add flour, then broth and simmer:

    Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

  3. Stir in chicken and beans:

    Stir in chicken and green beans and season with salt and pepper.

  4. Make dumplings:

    Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 2 tablespoons parsley.

  5. Add butter and milk:

    Cut in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk.

  6. Drop batter over chicken mixture:

    Drop heaping spoonfuls batter on top of chicken mixture.

  7. Cook dumplings:

    Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve topped with additional chopped parsley.

Try This One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe When You Need a Comforting Dinner Fast (2)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my chicken and dumplings watery?

If you follow our One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe, the liquid for the chicken and dumplings should be rich and comforting, not watery. Adding too much liquid, whether that is water or broth, is the main reason the dish would be watery. You can thicken it by mixing a teaspoon or 2 of flour, or cornstarch with cold water, and then stirring in some liquid from the stew, then adding the slurry to the stew and heating it through until it thickens to the consistency you want.


Why are my chicken and dumplings hard?

There are two main reasons that the dumplings in chicken and dumplings turn out hard. One is the cooking; the dumplings will be hard if they are cooked too long or if they are cooked with the lid off so they simmer rather than steam and do not get the moisture from the stew as they cook.

The other reason for dry dumplings is overmixing the dough so that it doesn't rise as well, and the dumplings are dense not airy and will seem dry.


What goes with chicken and dumplings?

We think chicken and dumplings is a one-dish dinner, you really don't need to serve anything else with it. There's no need for bread or a starch because there are dumplings. If you want to add another vegetable, try sautéed broccoli or braised kale or go with roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes.

Other Stew and Dumpling Recipes to Try:

  • Test Kitchen's Favorite Chicken and Dumplings
  • Mushroom-and-Dill Chicken and Dumplings
  • Green-Chile Chicken and Dumplings
  • Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
  • Cornmeal Dumpling Dough for Chicken and Dumplings
Try This One-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe When You Need a Comforting Dinner Fast (2024)

FAQs

What to eat with chicken and dumplings for dinner? ›

Elevate your meal with sides that complement, not overshadow, the creaminess of chicken and dumplings. Opt for classic sides like mashed potatoes and cornbread for maximum sauce-sopping potential. Balance out the richness with lighter vegetable sides like green beans or Brussels sprouts.

What makes chicken and dumplings tough? ›

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough

Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

How to thicken chicken and dumplings? ›

How can I thicken stove top chicken and dumplings? You can thicken this dish by adding more flour, or even cornstarch. Create a slurry with either of these ingredients and milk or water, then stir into your broth base until you get your desired consistency.

What to eat with dumplings? ›

The best side dishes to serve with Asian dumplings (East Asia) are ramen, tomato and egg stir fry, fried greens, chilli miso steamed aubergine, pork belly fried rice, cucumber salad (Oi Muchim), tahini miso noodles, and claypot tofu.

What to make with dumplings for dinner? ›

The best side dishes to serve with dumplings are chicken noodle soup, beef and broccoli, ramen, bok choy, egg roll in a bowl, orange chicken, Chinese curry sauce, fried rice, hot and sour soup, kung pao chicken, cucumber salad, bao buns, stir-fried vegetables, sesame noodles, spring rolls, and crispy tofu.

Can you eat dumplings as a meal? ›

Whether you just want to have them as a standalone meal with your dumpling dipping sauce of choice or with multiple sides, there are endless choices for what to serve with soup dumplings. Here are just a few of our personal favorites.

What to add to bland chicken and dumplings? ›

Add celery, carrots and onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Dump in butter and flour and whisk well for 1 minute. Pour in Broth and Seasonings: Stir in chicken broth and bouillon, scraping up anything on the bottom. Add thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

How do you keep dumplings from falling apart in chicken and dumplings? ›

The steam that builds up by covering the pot is what cooks the dumplings. Don't boil or stir the dumplings. Vigorous boiling and stirring will cause the dumplings to fall apart.

Should I cook dumplings covered or uncovered? ›

It's best to have your lid ready: Immediately add about 3 tablespoons of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then cover and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until the water has evaporated. Lift the lid and allow the dumpling to cook for another 30 seconds, to allow the bottoms to get extra crispy.

Can I use water instead of chicken broth for chicken and dumplings? ›

Chicken Broth Substitute: Salted Butter + Water

If you don't have broth on hand and want a little more flavor than just plain water, try subbing in 1 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon of butter for every cup of chicken broth in your recipe. The butter will help create a richer flavor than just water alone.

How do you thicken chicken and noodle broth? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

How to make dumplings more juicy? ›

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

What is the best sauce to have with dumplings? ›

Many Chinese restaurants serve pan-fried dumplings with a soy-ginger sauce, which is easy to recreate at home with only four ingredients needed. You simply combine soy sauce, minced ginger, sesame oil, and a little white pepper. It can also be used to marinate seafood or to flavor cooked white rice or noodles.

What main dish goes well with dumplings? ›

Any kind of stewed meat and vegetables. Beef, lamb, pork or chicken, even a good root vegetable stew goes good with dumplings.

What is the best way to cook dumplings? ›

The Two Easiest Ways to Cook: Boiling and Steaming

To boil dumplings, fill a large pot two-thirds of the way with water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot and cook them until they float. Let them cook an additional two to three minutes.

Where do people eat chicken and dumplings? ›

Although chicken and dumplings is most commonly attributed to the South, it can also be found in the Midwest and may have even originated from a similar French Canadian dish that appeared in the Great Depression (says Wikipedia).

What to eat with stew and dumplings? ›

To serve, place a spoonful of mashed potato onto each of four serving plates and top with the stew and dumplings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

References

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