Chicken and Dumplings
Servings: 4–6
Ingredients
For the Soup:
2 lbs chicken (bone-in pieces like thighs or breasts)
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp butter or oil
For the Dumplings:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, cold
½ cup milk
Instructions
Cook the chicken
In a large pot, heat butter or oil over medium heat.
Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté 5 minutes until softened.
Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add chicken, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 25–30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Shred chicken
Remove chicken from pot, let cool slightly, then shred meat, discarding bones and skin. Return shredded chicken to pot.
Make dumplings
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in milk until just combined.
Cook dumplings
Drop spoonfuls of dumpling batter onto simmering soup.
Cover pot and simmer 12–15 minutes without lifting the lid until dumplings are cooked through and fluffy.
Serve
Remove bay leaf. Ladle chicken, vegetables, and dumplings into bowls and serve hot.
Pro Tips
Richer broth: Use a mix of chicken thighs and breasts for more flavor.
Extra creamy: Stir in ½ cup heavy cream at the end for a richer soup.
Vegetable variations: Add peas, corn, or green beans for more color.
Make-ahead: Soup can be made a day in advance; add dumplings just before serving.
If you want, I can also provide an Instant Pot version that cooks the chicken and dumplings quickly and keeps the broth super flavorful.
Do you want me to do that?
