Here’s a classic Grandma’s-style chicken and dumplings recipe: comforting, creamy, and made with simple ingredients.
Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
For the chicken soup:
- 2–3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs or breasts
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water (as needed)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the dumplings:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk (plus a little more if needed)
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Cook the chicken
- Add chicken, broth, water, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 35–45 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken, shred the meat, discard bones and skin, and return the chicken to the pot.
- Make the dumpling dough
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in milk and melted butter until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Cook the dumplings
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough into the broth.
- Cover and cook for 15–20 minutes without lifting the lid too often. The dumplings should be fluffy and cooked through.
- Finish and serve
- Remove bay leaves.
- Stir in parsley.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
Grandma’s tip: Let the soup sit for 10 minutes before serving—the dumplings soak up the savory broth and become even more flavorful.
