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Quick Chicken Dumplings Recipe for Busy Weeknights

The ultimate comfort food classic—tender chicken, rich aromatic broth, and fluffy dumplings that come together in a soul-warming dish anyone can master.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Comfort Food
Cuisine: Southern
Calories: 485
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 –3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 –2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder optional
  • 1/2 tsp sugar optional
  • 3/4 cup cold milk or buttermilk
  • 4 tbsp melted butter

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven, season chicken, and brown for 4–5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add onions, carrots, and celery; sauté 5–7 minutes. Stir in garlic and dried herbs.
  3. Pour in broth, scrape up browned bits, return chicken, cover, and simmer 30–40 minutes.
  4. Remove chicken, shred, and strain broth if desired.
  5. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and optional seasonings; add cold milk and melted butter; fold gently into a shaggy dough.
  6. Return shredded chicken to broth with milk or half-and-half; bring to a gentle simmer.
  7. Drop golf-ball-sized dumplings onto the simmering broth, cover tightly, and cook 15–18 minutes without lifting the lid.

Notes

Keep broth at a gentle simmer, avoid overmixing dumpling dough, and never lift the lid while dumplings steam.