Simple Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

This chicken and dumplings recipe is so easy and fast and yet so delicious. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

It’s chilly, so you know I’m all about the comfort food. These chicken and dumplings are some of our favorites, and this time I took the even easier route and used a rotisserie chicken.

Why haven’t I done this before? The entire meal was ready in a half hour, perfect for busy weeknights – which is all I have now!

I’ve made this recipe for years, and it used to be good for at least two meals for my family. I now have teenagers, and while my son had a small bowl leftover for lunch, no one else got any leftovers.

In fact, the night I made this, my son had three huge servings. Can I tell you they let me take no photos outside of a few I snapped with my phone? This just disappears – which is a good thing, right?

This is one and only recipe I requested from my mother-in-law. I asked for it one weekend when my husband wasn’t feeling too well, and you know what they say about chicken soup!

Of course, I didn’t leave the recipe alone and had fun tweaking it. Shhh don’t tell her, but my kids insisted this week that mine tastes so much better than their grandmother’s.

They didn’t believe me when I told them it was her recipe originally! Or partly anyway. She cooks with bouillon cubes, so that was my first swap. And the day I accidentally added butter to the dish?

Well lets just say that accident was quite serendipitous. If only every time I dropped thing it worked out that well, right?

Whether you make your own chicken stock or not, definitely use chicken stock versus bouillon cubes. My chicken stock recipe is so super easy – and perfect if you ever buy rotisserie chicken.

Shhhh I used to not know what chicken and dumplings were

Do you want to know my little secret? Before I confess, know that I never spent time in the south growing up. I’d never had chicken and dumplings before. You know what they say about assumptions….

My mother in law made them when my husband and I were engaged and visiting his family one weekend. I thought that they were supposed to be a soup.

When my MIL put them on the table, let’s just say everyone laughed at me when I expressed my surprise. Have I mentioned before that my mom didn’t cook much when I was growing up?

In any case, they were great, and I’ve been a huge fan since. They’re pretty easy to make, and they’re a huge hit with everyone, including the wee ones — and those are the best kinds of recipes!

When I make these, I often add extra broth to make them a bit more like a soup. They taste great either way!

Simple Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a heavy pot. Add the chicken breasts and turn down to a simmer.

Cook 20 to 25 minutes and remove the chicken. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

Alternatively, use  rotisserie chicken to save time. Remove the meat from the chicken and cut into pieces. You need half to three-quarters of the rotisserie chicken, so save it for another meal like chicken pot pie or a Greek salad.

Add butter to the still hot broth and let melt. Turn off the heat once you add the butter.

Beat four egg yolks until fluffy with a whisk – they will change color and turn a very light yellow. This will take about 2 minutes.

Add one cup of the broth with butter to the eggs, being sure to temper the eggs. You want to add a bit of broth at a time and stir well to bring the eggs up in temperature without scrambling them.

Add pepper and flour one cup at a time. Mix with a fork until it forms a dough that is just slightly sticky but not dry. Depending on humidity, it will be between two and three cups.

Roll out dough on lightly floured counter until about 1/4″ thick. Use a bench scraper to cut into strips which will form your noodles (they can be as thin or thick and long or short as you choose).

Drop them into broth that you have brought back to a boil a few at a time to avoid clumping. Cook until all dumplings have risen to the surface, then simmer a few minutes.

Add cut up chicken, stir and let the broth reduce until it’s at a consistency you prefer. Sometime I reduce nearly all the broth, while other times I leave it like a soup.

Have you ever made homemade chicken and dumplings?

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