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Wholesome Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

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This wholesome chicken and dumplings recipe features tender chicken, a silky broth, and fluffy dumplings made from scratch. It’s a comforting, one-pot meal that’s perfect for cold weather and uses simple, wholesome ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • ¾ cup whole 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 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the carrots have started to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
  2. Brown the chicken. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pot. Place the chicken thighs in the center in a single layer. Let them cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side.
  3. Build the broth. Pour in the chicken broth and water. Add the dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Shred the chicken. After 20 minutes, use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board. Shred the meat with two forks and set it aside. Discard the bay leaf from the pot.
  5. Make the dumpling dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add the cold butter cubes. 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 shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Return the chicken and add the dumplings. Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot. Using two spoons or a small cookie scoop, drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough directly onto the surface of the simmering broth. You should have about 12-14 dumplings. Don’t submerge them.
  7. Cook the dumplings. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. After 15 minutes, check one dumpling by inserting a toothpick—it should come out clean. If not, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  8. Finish and serve. Turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and half the chopped parsley. Taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup and dumplings into bowls, garnish with the remaining parsley, and serve immediately.

Notes

Don’t rush the mirepoix; it builds flavor. Use cold butter for the dumplings. Don’t lift the lid during dumpling cooking time. If dumplings are too thick, add a splash more milk. For a thicker broth, make a cornstarch slurry. Freeze the soup base without dumplings for best results.

Nutrition

Keywords: chicken and dumplings, homemade dumplings, comfort food, one-pot meal, chicken soup, easy dinner, wholesome recipe

Find it online: https://zorbmeal.com/wholesome-chicken-and-dumplings-from-scratch-easy-homemade-recipe/