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Easy Creamy Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

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A lighter, creamy chicken and dumplings recipe that delivers all the cozy satisfaction of the classic dish without the heavy cream and butter. Ready in about 45 minutes, it’s perfect for weeknight comfort food.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup 2% milk (or whole milk for extra creaminess)
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for dumplings)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup 2% milk

Instructions

  1. Sauté the vegetables: Melt the butter in your Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables start to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Make the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the cooked vegetables and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. This cooks the raw flour taste out and helps thicken the broth. The mixture will look like a thick paste coating the vegetables.
  3. Build the broth: Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring continuously. Add it in about 1 cup increments, stirring well after each addition to prevent lumps. Once all the broth is in, add the milk and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
  4. Season and add chicken: Stir in the dried thyme, rosemary, shredded chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The broth should thicken slightly and become velvety. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Prepare the dumpling dough: While the soup simmers, make the dumplings. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Add the cold butter pieces and use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Pour in the milk and stir with a fork just until a soft dough forms. Don’t overmix.
  6. Drop the dumplings: Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the simmering soup. Space them out evenly—they’ll expand as they cook. You should get about 12-14 dumplings. Don’t stir the soup after adding the dumplings.
  7. Cook the dumplings: Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let the dumplings cook for 15-18 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time! After 15 minutes, check one dumpling by inserting a toothpick—it should come out clean.
  8. Finish and serve: Once the dumplings are cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Ladle into bowls, making sure each serving gets a few dumplings and plenty of vegetables and chicken.

Notes

If broth seems too thin after simmering, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then stir it in. If too thick, add a splash more broth or milk. The dumplings will absorb some liquid as they sit, so the soup will thicken naturally over time. For best results, keep butter cold for dumplings and resist lifting the lid while they cook.

Nutrition

Keywords: creamy chicken and dumplings, chicken and dumplings from scratch, easy chicken dumplings, comfort food, weeknight dinner, lighter chicken dumplings

Find it online: https://cookluma.com/easy-creamy-chicken-and-dumplings-from-scratch/