Why are my dumplings gummy in the middle?

Almost always the lid. Dumplings cook in trapped steam, so lifting the lid drops the temperature and stops them setting. Cover the pot, simmer a full 15 minutes, and only then test with a toothpick.

Can I use canned biscuit dough instead?

Yes. Quarter the biscuits and drop them in the same way, simmering covered for about 15 minutes. The texture is denser and slightly sweeter than homemade drop dumplings, but it is a reliable shortcut.

Can I make chicken and dumplings with raw chicken?

Yes. Simmer 1.5 lb of boneless thighs or breasts in the broth for about 15 minutes before adding the cream, then shred and return them to the pot. It adds time but gives a richer broth.

How do I keep the stew from getting too thick?

The dumplings absorb liquid as they cook, so start looser than you think you need. If it tightens up, whisk in warm broth a half cup at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.

Home › Comfort Food › Chicken and Dumplings

Homemade chicken and dumplings

By Ami · August 27, 2026 · ★★★★★ 4.9 from 41 reviews · Jump to Recipe · Print

Chicken and dumplings is the comfort food recipe I make the first cold night of the year, and then roughly every other week until spring. Creamy chicken stew on the bottom, pillowy drop-biscuit dumplings steamed right on top, one pot from start to finish.

Homemade chicken and dumplings — a dutch oven of creamy chicken stew topped with fluffy golden drop biscuit dumplings and parsley, an easy one-pot comfort food recipe

This is the cozy dinner that makes itself while you set the table.

The dumplings cook on top of the stew. No rolling, no cutting, no separate pot of water. You drop spoonfuls of soft dough onto the simmering stew, put the lid on, and steam does the rest in fifteen minutes.
A roux makes it creamy without a can of soup. Butter, flour, and broth whisked together give you a silky stew that tastes homemade — the same technique behind our baked mac and cheese sauce.
It's more protein than it looks. A serving lands around 38g thanks to a generous amount of chicken — see what that means for your day on our protein calculator — which is why this comfort food actually holds you over.

Here's what you'll need.

Pantry staples plus a rotisserie chicken, which is my honest shortcut here — it saves twenty minutes and adds better flavor than poaching breasts.

Ingredients for chicken and dumplings in small bowls — shredded chicken, carrots, celery, onion, butter, flour, chicken broth, heavy cream, buttermilk, baking powder, parsley and thyme

Here's how it all comes together.

Step 1 — Soften the vegetables

Melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot, and celery for 6–8 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the carrots have lost their raw crunch.

Diced onion, carrot and celery softening in melted butter in a dutch oven for chicken and dumplings

Step 2 — Make the roux

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for a full 2 minutes. This cooks out the raw flour taste — skip it and the stew tastes pasty no matter how long it simmers.

Flour being stirred into buttery vegetables to form a roux in a dutch oven

Step 3 — Whisk in the broth

Add the broth a cup at a time, whisking smooth after each addition. Going slowly here is the whole trick to a lump-free stew. Bring it up to a gentle simmer.

Chicken broth being poured into a dutch oven and whisked into a creamy stew base with vegetables

Step 4 — Add the chicken and cream

Stir in the shredded chicken, cream, thyme, and a good amount of black pepper. Let it bubble quietly while you mix the dumplings — you want it actively simmering when the dough goes on.

Shredded chicken and cream being stirred into a simmering vegetable stew in a dutch oven

Step 5 — Mix the dumpling dough

Stir the dry ingredients together, then add the buttermilk and melted butter and mix just until it comes together into a shaggy dough. Overmixing makes tough dumplings — lumps are fine, they're the point.

Shaggy drop biscuit dumpling dough being mixed in a white bowl with a fork

Step 6 — Drop, cover, and steam

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough over the surface, leaving a little space between them — they'll double. Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid. That last part is not optional.

Spoonfuls of biscuit dumpling dough being dropped onto simmering creamy chicken stew in a dutch oven

A bowl of chicken and dumplings — creamy chicken stew with fluffy biscuit dumplings, parsley and cracked black pepper

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

Do not lift the lid. The dumplings cook in trapped steam. Every peek drops the temperature and gives you dense, gummy centers. Set a timer and walk away.
Keep it at a simmer, not a boil. A hard boil breaks the dumplings apart and can scorch the bottom of the stew. You want lazy bubbles around the edge.
Cold butter, cold buttermilk. Same rule as biscuits — cold fat creates steam pockets, which is what makes the dumplings fluffy instead of doughy.
Season the stew before the dumplings go on. Once the lid is on you can't taste and adjust. It should taste slightly too seasoned at that point, because the dumplings absorb liquid and mellow everything.

Make it ahead, feed a crowd.

The stew keeps beautifully. Make the base up to two days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat to a simmer, then mix and drop fresh dumplings — they're best made the day you eat them.
It doubles cleanly in a wide pot. Just make sure the dumplings sit in a single layer so they steam rather than stack.
One pot feeds six generously, which makes it the cheapest crowd dinner in our rotation next to slow cooker beef stew.

Here's what I'd serve with this.

Honestly, just a green salad — the dumplings are the starch. More ideas in the comfort food section.
Another cozy pot to rotate through the week: white chicken chili, creamy and ready in 30 minutes.
For a set-and-forget Sunday, crockpot pot roast covers the same craving with zero attention.
Using up the rest of that rotisserie chicken? Honey garlic chicken bowls turn it into next-day lunches.
Want something bright and creamy instead tonight? Today's other new recipe, creamy Tuscan salmon, is 30 minutes in one skillet.

Just in case you have leftovers.

Storing: refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. The dumplings keep absorbing liquid overnight, so the stew thickens considerably — that's expected, not a mistake. You can freeze the stew base alone for up to 3 months, but I don't recommend freezing the dumplings; they turn spongy.

Reheating: warm gently in a covered pot over medium-low with a splash of broth or milk to loosen the stew, about 8 minutes. The lid matters here too — it re-steams the dumplings back to soft. In the microwave, cover the bowl and use 70% power in 90-second bursts.

More easy comfort food recipes...

Crockpot pot roast — set-and-forget comfort food

White chicken chili — creamy, 30 minutes

Baked mac and cheese — the creamy classic

Slow cooker beef stew — hands-off and hearty

Homemade chicken and dumplings

★★★★★ 4.9 from 41 reviews — creamy one-pot chicken stew topped with fluffy drop-biscuit dumplings. Real comfort food in 50 minutes, 38g protein a serving.

Prep 15 min · Cook 35 min · Total 50 min · Serves 6 · Category: Comfort Food · Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the stew:
4 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, to finish
For the dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
4 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions

Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery 6–8 minutes until softened.
Make the roux. Sprinkle over the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw taste.
Whisk in the broth. Add the broth one cup at a time, whisking smooth after each addition. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Add chicken and cream. Stir in the shredded chicken, cream, thyme, salt, and pepper. Keep at an active simmer and taste for seasoning.
Mix the dumplings. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then stir in the cold buttermilk and melted butter just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
Drop, cover, steam. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough over the surface, leaving space between them. Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and a toothpick comes out clean. Finish with parsley.

Notes: No buttermilk? Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup whole milk and let it sit 5 minutes. For a lighter version, use whole milk instead of cream and add an extra tablespoon of flour to the roux. Frozen peas stirred in at the end are a good, traditional addition.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated): 610 calories · 38g protein · 46g carbs · 30g fat

Cozy dinners without the all-day cooking? That's the whole idea behind our Ninja Crispi cookbook.

If chicken and dumplings is your kind of dinner but you want more weeknight-fast versions of it, our Ninja Crispi Cookbook is full of tested one-container meals — crispy chicken, roasted vegetables, and hearty mains that come together while the table gets set.

Get the cookbook on Amazon

FAQ

Why are my dumplings gummy in the middle?: Almost always the lid. Dumplings cook in trapped steam, so lifting the lid to check drops the temperature and stops them setting. Cover the pot, simmer a full 15 minutes, and only then test with a toothpick.
Can I use canned biscuit dough instead?: You can — quarter the biscuits and drop them in the same way, simmering covered for about 15 minutes. The texture is denser and a bit sweeter than homemade drop dumplings, but it's a reliable shortcut on a busy night.
Can I make chicken and dumplings with raw chicken?: Yes. Simmer 1.5 lb of boneless thighs or breasts in the broth for about 15 minutes before you add the cream, then shred them and return them to the pot. It adds time but gives you an even richer broth.
How do I keep the stew from getting too thick?: The dumplings absorb liquid as they cook, so start looser than you think you need. If it tightens up, whisk in warm broth a half cup at a time until it's the consistency you want.