This classic Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipe features creamy broth, succulent chicken, sweet carrots, and light, fluffy dumplings. There is just something very comforting about chicken and dumplings. It will satisfy your longing for a good home-cooked meal.
My family loves this recipe; I feel great about its wholesome ingredients. It’s comfort food at its best, like biscuits and gravy, loaded potato soup, and beef tips and gravy.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Chicken and dumplings soup is comfort food at its best. It just does not get much better than this.
- This dish is so easy to make that even a novice chef can master it.
- Everyone loves this recipe, so you can’t go wrong here.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted. If using salted butter, cut back a little on any added salt.
- Seasonings: Fresh parsley and thyme, poultry seasoning, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper
- Chicken broth: Preferably low-sodium chicken broth.
- Chicken: I use ready-cooked rotisserie chicken, but any cooked chicken will work.
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but 2% will suffice.
How to Make Chicken Dumpling Soup
This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Cook the fresh vegetables in a little butter on the stovetop over medium heat. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, parsley, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Cook for a minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the chicken stock and bay leaves, and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper and add the cooked chicken.
- Mix the dumpling dough and drop it into the simmering stew. Cover and simmer.
Preparation Tips
- Use a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot with a tight-fitting or heavy lid.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup before eating. Their sharp edges could pose a choking hazard. I find it easier to remove it before making the dumplings.
- If you’re looking for an easy way to add chicken to this recipe, shredded rotisserie chicken can be a great option. Ready-cooked rotisserie chickens are available in almost every local grocery store, warehouse store, Walmart, and Target.
- While cooking the dumplings, keep the heat to a low simmer so as not to scorch the soup.
Store Some For Later
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, cool completely, spoon into a freezer-safe storage container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat over low heat on the stovetop or microwave at reduced power.
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Dumpling Soup
Sometimes I like to balance this dish with a simple salad like arugula salad or mandarin orange salad. Other healthy sides are green beans, almondine, or sautéed asparagus.
More Chicken Recipes
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ large onion chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 2 large carrots sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut in small cubes
- 1 cup frozen peas (optional)
Dumpling Recipe
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk 2% or whole
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion and celery are soft and fragrant, approximately 7-8 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add garlic, parsley, thyme, and poultry seasoning; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken stock and bay leaves; simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
- Remove the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and frozen peas (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. When crumbly, add milk and stir just until combined. Drop by small spoonfuls into the simmering soup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
Notes
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf, as they have sharp edges.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat your food, you can either use the stovetop on low heat or microwave it with reduced power.
- To freeze, first cool completely, then spoon into a freezer-safe storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
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Sharon Lieipert
I just made this today. It is delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Sharon!
Rose
This was a delicious recipe! I tweaked a few things to suit my family’s taste better, but overall I was blown away! I did mushrooms instead of celery, and added an additional three cups of broth for a larger batch. I did not add extra seasoning because my broth was homemade and was seasoned, but I did add more vegetables, meat, and dumplings.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it, Rose!
Julie
Beautiful soup. I added a roux for creamier consistency. Top of our family soup list for sure
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Julie! I am so glad that you liked it.
Christy
This soup was scrumptious! My hubby said it the best I’ve ever made. The blend of spices is spot on, and made the whole house smell delicious. I didn’t use all of the dumpling dough at first. The pot seemed rather full and it’s just two of us eating. What I did do was drop more small globs in after we’d served up dinner and let it simmer while we ate. The next day it was almost like chicken stew or pot pie. So yummy! The flavor was exceptional!
Beth Pierce
So happy that you and your husband loved it. Thanks for the tip. Believe it or not I have never thought of that. LOL!
Lois
Wow! The best soup I’ve ever made. This is something I’ll make again and again.
Thank you for sharing it.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Lois!
Diane
Awesome! Made my broth I made out of a roasted chicken.
Michele Benac
Very good
De
First time making chicken and dumpling soup. This is a fool-proof recipe! Family loved it, and went back for seconds.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, De!
Jane
I made this, added a couple more spices, but it was so delicious! I had 8 small chicken thighs, uncooked. I used that instead of cooked chicken. I simmered them in the chicken broth. It was so tasty.
The dumplings were awesome! I had mixed them up and scooped a teaspoon of it into the broth. My husband and I just loved this soup! I can’t wait to do it again.
Beth Pierce
So happy that you and your husband liked the soup! It is one of our favorites.
Deb Stuck
This recipe is so delicious! I added a little Old Bay to my dumpling mixture and I used 1 cup of oat milk because it was too dry. It came out perfect.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Deb!