Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings

With less than 10 ingredients, you can make the best Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings just like grandma used to make. This is a guaranteed favorite dinner recipe that’s so comforting for any time of the year.

Let me begin by saying, I’m a true expert when it comes to Chicken and Dumplings in the Dutch oven. The recipe in my family has been passed down for three generations and counting! That means this recipe has been made more times than I can even count.

No matter what time of year it is, we always say you can’t go wrong with making chicken and dumplings. I learned to make this from my grandma and the best part is, it’s truly so simple. In fact, it uses less than 10 ingredients, many of which are already in your pantry!

If you want to wow your family and friends, nothing shows your love or pro chef skills more than whipping up this recipe! If you’re looking to make more comfort food recipes, we also love our Chicken and Swiss Casserole, Slow Cooker Country Ribs, and French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Heartwarming family favorite. This truly is a recipe the whole family will love and you’ll make countless times over the year.
• Less than 10 ingredients. We keep it simple with having an affordable and easy grocery list of ingredients. Many of these are already found in your pantry at home!
• Foolproof recipe for beginner cooks. If you’re looking for a recipe with restaurant-quality flavor that you can make at home, then this is the recipe for you! It’s so easy to make.

Laura Ashley’s Secret Tip: Now the key to making our recipe so dang good, is we use a whole chicken. There are a lot of recipes out there that don’t do this, but we find it enhances the richness of flavor in the broth and creates the most tender, moist meat.

Ingredients

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

We keep it easy for you! The ingredient list is short and sweet, just as it should be!

For the Chicken:

• Whole chicken: Yes, this is the best option and usually the most affordable too! Look for one that’s 5-6-pounds.
• Regular or low-sodium chicken broth: Whichever you prefer, we will also season the dish as we cook too.
• Garlic powder: Infuses the broth with garlic sweetness.
• Flaky poultry seasoning: Buy this and you’ll use it all the time. It’s your go-to spice mix to season chicken and take the flavor up a notch.

For the Dumplings:

• Self-rising flour: Part of the base of the dumpling dough. This is flour that already has baking powder and salt in it. If you don’t have it, for every 1 cup a recipe calls for, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt.
• All-purpose flour: Also used in the base of the dumplings to balance the leaving agent in the self rising flour.
• Salted butter: The fat that binds the dumpling dough together.
• Milk: The liquid that hydrates the dumpling dough and also gives it a rich flavor.
• Cornmeal: This is optional, but used to dust on top of the dumplings before they’re cooked in the broth. It adds a nice texture as well as hint of sweet corn flavor.

Tools You’ll Need

• Stockpot or Dutch Oven with Lid
• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cups
• Baker’s Mat, optional
• Rolling Pin, optional
• Pastry Cutter, optional

How to Make Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings

1. To a large stockpot on medium-high heat, add chicken, broth, water, and seasonings. Add enough water to nearly cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to medium-low. Cover and simmer 1 hour. 

2. Carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl. 
3. For the dumplings, in a bowl, whisk together the flours.
4. Grate butter into the flour and toss until coated.

5. Make a well in the center and add milk. Fold the ingredients until it forms a cohesive dough ball. If it seems too dry and won’t combine, add additional milk.

6. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Roll to an 1/4 inch thickness.

7. Using a butter knife or pizza cutter, cut into your desired size squares. Optional step, sprinkle cornmeal on top of the dough and gently pat.

8. Bring the broth back to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one-by-one. Once they’ve all been added, bring the mixture back to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer until the dumplings have cooked and the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. 

9. Pull apart the chicken, and add your desired amount to the pot. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. See “Pro Tips” for thickening suggestions, if desired.

Pro Tips

• Use a whole chicken. This is the classic Southern way (coming from a true Southern cook). Poaching the whole chicken makes the broth an even richer flavor and also yields the most tender, juicy meat.
• Make your own self-rising flour. If you don’t have this at home, it’s simple to make!
  • For every 1 cup self-rising flour a recipe calls for, you can combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt.
• Keep the butter cold. Just like biscuits, you will want to grate the butter on a cheese grater. This will yield the most tender dumplings out there!
• Don’t over knead the dumpling dough. Just mix until the dough nicely comes together. If you over knead the dough, then this will result in tough and chewy dumplings.
• Use cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking. If you make your dumplings in advance, be sure to sprinkle them with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then refrigerate the dumplings laying flat on a baking sheet in the fridge and loosely covered in plastic wrap until ready to cook.
• If you want to thicken chicken chicken and dumplings, you can:
  • Use a Slurry: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour with 1-2 tablespoons cold water and stir it into the simmering broth.
  • Add Cream: Stir in some heavy cream to give the dish a thicker consistency.
  • Mash Some Dumplings: Break apart a few dumplings and stir them into the broth to naturally thicken it.

Storage & Make Ahead Instructions

Chicken and dumplings is best served immediately. If you want to store leftovers in the fridge, we recommend that you cool to room temperature and store up to 5 days. When you’re ready to reheat, you can stir in additional chicken broth to thin out the mixture, if needed. Reheat in a saucepan slowly on the stovetop or stirring in short intervals in the microwave.

It’s easy to make grandma’s chicken and dumplings in advance too. Simply make the chicken soup mixture and store in the fridge. Assemble the dumplings and place the raw dumplings on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them loosely in plastic and refrigerate until ready to make and serve.

Substitutions and Variations

• Add some dried or fresh herbs. If you want to jazz up the flavors, simply add fresh or dried thyme as well as rosemary. Parsley and even a hint of oregano would be delicious too. We’ve also made a version with smoked paprika for a fun twist.
• Use some veggies. You can add chopped onion, celery, and carrot to the chicken and dumplings. Frozen corn or peas would be wonderful too.
• Swap the whole chicken for a cut up chicken. If you would rather have the chicken already cut into pieces, you can buy a broken down chicken at the store. It works just the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
• Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Copycat)
• Crockpot Chicken and Noodles
• Baked Fried Chicken