Chicken and Dumplings is an easy comfort food dinner made with tender chicken thighs, carrots, celery, peas and fluffy drop dumplings. Because everything simmers in one Dutch oven in about an hour, this quick recipe suits weeknight dinners, Sunday supper or a cozy fall family gathering.
The dumplings steam rather than boil, so the lid has to stay on for the full ten to fifteen minutes. Lifting it releases the trapped steam, which collapses the dough and leaves you with dense, gummy centers.
This version deglazes with a full cup of white wine before the flour goes in, which gives the sauce real depth. Garlic salt in the dumpling dough seasons them from the inside, so they taste like more than plain biscuits.
Chicken and Dumplings
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes40
minutes575
kcalCarrots, celery and onion soften in a Dutch oven before white wine, butter, flour and stock build a creamy base. Chicken thighs simmer until cooked through, then ten scoops of dough steam under a lid into puffed dumplings.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced ½ inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced ½ inch thick
1 medium onion, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole milk
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
4½ cups homemade chicken stock (or low-sodium broth)
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for serving
1 cup frozen peas
- For the Dumplings:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
Directions
- Soften the vegetables:Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots, celery, onion, ½ teaspoon salt and about 10 grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to soften without taking on color, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Cook down the wine:Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until completely evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Build the base:Stir in the butter until melted. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until a sandy paste forms. Pour in the milk and stir until smooth.
- Simmer the chicken:Add the chicken and stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley and peas, then remove from the heat.
- Mix the dumplings:Whisk the flour, baking powder, garlic salt, ½ teaspoon salt and about 10 grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter until just combined, then add the milk and stir until a ball of dough forms.
- Steam the dumplings:Scoop 10 balls of dough into the pot, about 2 tablespoons each. Cover and simmer over medium low until the dumplings puff and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve: Divide among bowls and sprinkle with more parsley.
FAQs
Why does the wine have to simmer until completely evaporated?
Raw alcohol tastes harsh, and four or five minutes of simmering burns it off while the grape flavor stays behind. The pot also needs to be nearly dry before the flour goes in, since flour cannot absorb a cup of liquid. Add flour to a wet pan and you get lumps instead of the smooth sandy paste the recipe describes.
Why chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Thighs hold far more fat and connective tissue, so twenty minutes of simmering makes them tender rather than stringy. Breast meat dries out in the same window, which is why it turns chalky in most chicken stews. Use breasts if you prefer, though cut them larger and add them for only the last ten minutes of simmering.
Why are these dumplings dropped rather than rolled and cut into strips?
Dropped dumplings use a wet, loose dough that puffs into biscuits, while rolled dumplings stay flat and noodle like. The baking powder here only works if the dough stays soft enough to expand, so it cannot be rolled out. Dropped dumplings also come together in about two minutes, which is part of why this version takes an hour.
What can you use instead of the dry white wine?
Swap in an equal amount of chicken stock with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar for the missing acidity. Dry vermouth works straight across, since it carries the same herbal edge and keeps for months once opened. Skipping the liquid entirely is fine too, though the sauce loses the brightness that cuts through all that butter richness.
How do you store and reheat leftovers?
Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days, dumplings and sauce together. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of stock, because the dumplings soak up sauce as they sit. Freezing works poorly here, since the dumplings turn spongy and the flour thickened sauce separates as it thaws
