How to Make the Ultimate Chicken and Dumplings

The combination of chicken and dumplings is an American classic. Made with a thick chicken broth packed with vegetables, shredded chicken, and light, fluffy dumplings, this dish is comforting and nourishing, and one I make when I need a cozy meal to warm me up. As with many popular recipes, there are many variations on chicken and dumplings, with different cooks adding their own spins.  

In my research, I came across plenty of recipes that call for shortcuts like using canned cream of chicken soup, a rotisserie chicken, or ready-made buttermilk biscuits cooked right on top of the broth. While these shortcuts are convenient, they don’t necessarily guarantee the most delicious version of chicken and dumplings. Canned soup is often heavily salted, which means you can’t entirely control the seasoning of the dish, and ready-made biscuits tend to disintegrate during the cooking and reheating process. I wanted chicken and dumplings with a rich, flavorful broth and dumplings that were fluffy, but still had some heft to them. My recipe below is my ideal version, and one I make for myself and my family when we need a warm, comforting meal.

How to Make the Most Flavorful Chicken and Dumplings

If possible, make your own broth. While good-quality store-bought broth is an option, I prefer to make my own, as it allows me to better control the flavor and texture of the base. My homemade broth is packed with aromatics, including carrots, celery, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, and also includes an entire chicken. The meat gives the broth a robust poultry flavor, while the gelatin-rich bones add body. Plus: Using a whole chicken is the most practical route here, as it allows you to incorporate the cooked meat into the final dish.

Use a whole chicken, but separate the parts. While some cooks like to chuck a whole chicken into the pot, because white meat cooks much faster than dark meat and dries out easily, I remove the breast and legs from the rest of the carcass and then remove each part from the simmering broth when it finishes cooking. Cooking the chicken in parts ensures that both the white and dark meat stay tender and succulent.

Thicken the soup with flour. To help thicken the base, I coat the aromatics in flour, then add the broth, evaporated milk, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. As the mixture simmers, the starch granules swell, thickening the soup.

Use evaporated milk. Though many cooks use heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half, I like to reach for evaporated milk—which is not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk. To make evaporated milk, manufacturers cook fresh milk until about 60% of the water has been removed, thickening it and concentrating its flavor. It adds richness and body to whatever it’s used in, and here, it gives the base of my chicken and dumplings a pleasant velvety texture. Pro tip: Stick to a gentle simmer and avoid boiling the soup once you’ve added the dairy, otherwise the fat will split. 

Let Worcestershire work its magic. A dash of Worcestershire sauce—which contains malt vinegar, molasses, sugar, anchovies, onions, and tamarind—is an incredibly easy way to add a deep savoriness to the dish.

For the fluffiest dumplings, incorporate baking soda and sour cream. Baking soda and sour cream help leaven the biscuits: The baking soda reacts with sour cream’s acidity, producing airy dumplings while also creating an alkaline environment that weakens gluten, making for more tender dumplings. It’s still crucial, however, that you handle the dough lightly. Overworking the dough can develop too much gluten, resulting in chewy, thick dumplings. I cook the dumplings straight in the soup, which allows them to absorb the flavorful broth. The dumpling’s starches also help thicken the soup further, resulting in a rich, hearty meal. 

For the Chicken Broth: Using a sharp knife, cut chicken breasts from breastbone and detach legs (drumstick with leg attached) from carcass. In a 7-quart pot or Dutch oven, combine the detached chicken breasts, legs, chicken carcass, celery, carrots, black peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook uncovered until chicken breasts register 160℉ (71ºC) with a digital thermometer, about 35 minutes, skimming any scum that rises to the surface.

Using tongs, remove chicken breasts and transfer to a cutting board. Continue simmering the chicken legs until the thighs and drumsticks are cooked and register 175℉ (80ºC) on an instant-read thermometer, another 15 minutes. Using tongs, remove thighs and drumsticks and transfer to cutting board. Simmer broth with remaining carcass until slightly reduced and broth develops a rich flavor, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let broth cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

Using tongs, remove chicken carcass and transfer to cutting board with breast and legs and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain broth into a large bowl or heat-proof container and discard solids; measure out 6 cups broth and set aside. Wipe pot clean. Cool and reserve the remaining broth for another use. (See notes.)

Using 2 large forks, shred breast, thigh, and drumstick meat, and any remaining meat from the chicken carcass into bite-size pieces. Transfer shredded meat to a bowl and discard bones and skin.

For the Soup: In now-empty pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add onion, carrot, celery, thyme, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are evenly coated and flour begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the chicken stock, evaporated milk, salt, and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed. Reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer while preparing the dumplings.

For the Dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, pepper, and thyme. Using a flexible spatula, incorporate sour cream, butter, and milk, stirring until fully combined. (Avoid overmixing, which will result in tough dumplings.)

Stir the shredded chicken into the soup. Using 2 large spoons, work quickly to gently drop golf ball–size portions of dumpling dough into simmering soup; you should have about 15 dumplings. Some dumplings may dissolve slightly into the soup. This is OK as it will further thicken the soup. Cover and gently simmer until dumplings are fluffy, cooked through, and have doubled in size, about 10 minutes. Top with parsley and serve.

Special Equipment

8- to 10-quart pot or Dutch oven, tongs, fine-mesh strainer, whisk

Make-Ahead and Storage

The stock can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container or frozen for 3 to 4 months. The chicken can be shredded and stored separately in an airtight container.

Once cooled, the soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Keep in mind that the dumplings may absorb more liquid as they sit, resulting in a thicker soup.

The soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Do not freeze the dumplings, as they will lose their delicate texture.