Simple Chicken and Dumplings (Easy Stovetop Recipe)
Updated Apr 09, 2026, Published Jan 10, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This simple chicken and dumplings recipe is the kind of cozy, no-fuss comfort food you can make any night of the week. Tender chicken, fluffy dumplings, and a rich, creamy broth come together on the stovetop in one easy, satisfying meal.
Looking for more cozy chicken dishes? You’re going to love my Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, Shredded Chicken Sandwiches, Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, and my date night-favorite Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken!
Why You’ll Love This Simple Chicken and Dumplings
- It’s cozy, classic comfort food – Creamy chicken and fluffy dumplings makes the most comforting soup with familiar flavors the whole family will love. It’s a classic for a reason!
- It’s truly simple and made on the stovetop – This is a one-pot, no-fuss recipe that comes together in under an hour—no special equipment or complicated steps required.
- It uses everyday ingredients – Made with simple pantry staples and a few fresh veggies, this recipe keeps things easy while still delivering big flavor.
- Easy to customize – Keep it classic or add extras like celery, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms to make it your own or use up extra veggies in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Minced garlic: Or 1 fresh minced garlic clove per 1 tsp.
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs: Using chicken thighs instead of breasts makes sure the chicken stays moist not dry. You can use rotisserie chicken here to made this chicken and dumpling recipe even more of a no-brainer!
- Biscuits: I’m teaching you how to make them from scratch (so dang easy) for ultimate flavor and flaky texture, but you can absolutely take a little shortcut and use store-bought canned biscuits here instead.
- Low sodium chicken broth: Adjust the amount of salt if you can’t find a low sodium variety.
- Heavy cream or half and half: Choose depending on how rich you want the soup to be.
How to Make Simple Chicken and Dumplings (Stovetop)
- Cook the vegetables: Heat the butter and the oil together in a large, lidded saucepan or Dutch oven over a medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the carrots, onion, celery and salt. Gently fry for 8-10 minutes until soft, and just starting to color. (photos 1-2)
- Add the chicken: Stir in the garlic, and cook for a further 2 minutes until aromatic before adding the chicken, the thyme and the bay leaves. (photo 3)
- Thicken the broth: Add the flour, stirring so that the flour coats everything in the pot. Cook for a further 2 minutes. (photos 4-5)
- Add the broth: Gradually pour the chicken broth into the pan, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the heavy cream or half and half, and reduce the heat to a simmer, leaving to cook uncovered for 15 minutes. (photos 6-8)
- Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and shred on a cutting board with two forks. (photo 9)
- Make the dumplings: Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt with a fork. Add the heavy cream and melted butter, and bring together into a sticky yet uniform dough. (photos 10-12)
- Shape the dumplings: Return the chicken to the soup and stir it in. (photo 13) Spoon the dumpling mixture into the soup, allowing for 2 dumplings per person. Cover, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. (photo 14-16)
- Add the peas: Add the frozen peas, and stir gently to turn over the dumplings so they cook through. Cook for a further 5 minutes. (photo 17)
- Season to taste: Season to taste with black pepper and more soup if needed before serving. (photo 18)
Expert Tips and Tricks for Perfect Dumplings
- Make sure you use cold cream: If the cream is not refrigerator-cold when you add it to the dumpling mix they will become too sticky to shape. They also won’t be as light and tender!
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Mix just until combined to keep dumplings light and tender.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer: Avoid boiling—too much heat can make dumplings fall apart.
- Cover and don’t peek: Let the dumplings steam with the lid on so they cook through evenly.
- Keep them evenly sized: Use a spoon or scoop so they cook at the same rate (a large cookie scoop works great here if you have one!)
- Check for doneness: Cut one open—no raw dough in the center means they’re ready!
- Don’t microwave the dumplings: Heat leftovers through in the soup on the stovetop instead to stop them turning chewy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will leftovers keep?
This soup will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can I use chicken breasts for this chicken and dumplings recipe instead?
You can use 2 large chicken breasts, but you’ll need to quarter them to make sure they cook through evenly in the soup. But, chicken thighs will produce a better flavor.
More Easy Comfort Food Recipes To Try
- Easy French Onion Chicken Breasts
- Ground Beef Stroganoff with Sour Cream
- Easy Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
- Easy Instant Pot Roast with Potatoes
- Baked Chicken and Potatoes with Dijon Cream Sauce
- Panera Bread cheddar Broccoli Soup
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Simple Chicken and Dumplings
This simple chicken and dumplings recipe is an easy, one-pot comfort food made with tender chicken, fluffy dumplings, and a creamy stovetop broth—ready in about 45 minutes.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Soup
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large brown or white onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large celery stick, diced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, see note
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- ⅔ cup frozen peas
- cracked black pepper, to taste
For the Dumplings
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tbsp melted butter, cooled
Instructions
- Heat the butter and the oil together in a large, lidded saucepan or Dutch oven over a medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the carrots, onion, celery and salt. Gently fry for 8-10 minutes until soft, and just starting to color.
- Stir in the garlic, and cook for a further 2 minutes until aromatic before adding the chicken, the thyme and the bay leaves.
- Add the flour, stirring so that the flour coats everything in the pot. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Gradually pour the chicken broth into the pan, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the heavy cream or half and half, and reduce the heat to a simmer, leaving to cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt with a fork. Add the heavy cream and melted butter, and bring together into a sticky yet uniform dough.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and shred on a cutting board with two forks. Return to the soup and stir.
- Spoon the dumpling mixture into the soup, allowing for 2 dumplings per person. Cover, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas, and stir gently to turn over the dumplings so they cook through. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Season to taste with black pepper and more soup if needed before serving.
Notes
- Make sure you use cold cream: If the cream is not refrigerator-cold when you add it to the dumpling mix they will become too sticky to shape. They also won’t be as light and tender!
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Mix just until combined to keep dumplings light and tender.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer: Avoid boiling—too much heat can make dumplings fall apart.
- Cover and don’t peek: Let the dumplings steam with the lid on so they cook through evenly.
- Keep them evenly sized: Use a spoon or scoop so they cook at the same rate (a large cookie scoop works great here if you have one!)
- Check for doneness: Cut one open—no raw dough in the center means they’re ready!
- Don’t microwave the dumplings: Heat leftovers through in the soup on the stovetop instead to stop them turning chewy.
Nutrition
Calories: 751kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 827mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6895IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this?Leave a star rating or comment below!
Great recipe! It brought back memories when my mum used to make it. Easy to follow recipe as well.
Soup was great, similar to the recipe I have made in the past. Maybe I messed up on the dumplings tho? They definitely did not come out right. The butter cooked out of my dumplings. Then again never used butter in my dumplings in the past. I just moved and couldn’t find my recipe box so I looked online to see if I could find a similar recipe. I made some tweaks to the soup and ultimately had to scoop out the dumplings since they never cooked and looked up a different dumpling recipe instead.
Has anyone tried this with gluten free 1:1 flour? Looks so good!
I made this tonight as a meal to share with someone who recently had surgery and is on a low sodium diet. I used unsalted broth, cut the salt in half, and it was delicious. I forgot to add the flour in with the vegetables, so I mixed a little water into the flour before adding it to the soup and it still thickened up nicely. My whole family loved it! I will definitely make it again soon and it will go into my rotation of meals to take to others.
Such a great recipe. Needed to add about another half liter of water though
This recipe is pure perfection!
Oh you’re so sweet! Thank you so much! 🙂
Will non-dairy heavy cream or a ND half and half substitute work in the dumplings instead of dairy heavy cream?
Dairy free substitutes haven’t been tested for this recipe but another reader has said that they subbed Silk non-dairy heavy whipping cream with success so I’m Sur either dairy free options would work!
I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC. I used half n half for the stock and whole milk for the dumplings b/c I didn’t have heavy cream and don’t use it anyway. Still plenty rich and flavorful. I’ve never had much luck making this from other recipes–the stock often comes out thin and not very flavorful, the dumplings have that paste flavor. But this worked and it only took like an hour! It’s bookmarked and will be made frequently this winter. Thanks!
Oh, that’s great to hear that it turned out so well! 🙂