Easy Homemade Chicken and Drop Dumplings
Southern chicken and dumplings with tender, fluffy 2-ingredient drop dumplings made with self-rising flour and heavy cream.
I have a complicated history with chicken and dumplings.
For years, I remembered my Aunt Bessie's old-fashioned rolled dumplings with great affection. I finally got my hands on her handwritten recipe and couldn't wait to recreate them.
Unfortunately, my attempt didn't live up to the memory. Mine were thick, tough, and far heavier than I wanted them to be.
And somewhere in the middle of that experiment, I remembered something important: I had always preferred my mother's fluffy drop dumplings anyway.
The Easiest 2-Ingredient Drop Dumplings
For years I've made that style of dumpling using Bisquick. They were good, familiar, and comforting. But after recently making homemade biscuits with nothing more than self-rising flour and heavy cream, I started wondering: Could that same two-ingredient dough make a better dumpling?
Friends, I am so glad I tried it.
These were, without question, the best dumplings I've ever made.
They're light and fluffy inside, soft and silky on the outside, and they soak up all of that wonderful chicken broth as they cook. Better yet, the flour from the dumplings naturally thickens the broth until it's creamy and almost gravy-like.
No canned soup. No roux. No cream added to the broth. And no boxed baking mix.
Just chicken, broth, vegetables, seasonings, and the easiest homemade drop dumplings imaginable.
I'm so happy to share this one with you.
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Southern Chicken and Dumplings at a Glance
- Dumplings: Just 2 ingredients
- Dumpling style: Fluffy Southern drop dumplings
- Chicken: Cooked and shredded
- Broth: Thickens naturally as the dumplings cook
- Prep time: About 15 minutes
- Cook time: About 40 minutes
- Servings: 6–8
- Best for: Sunday supper, chilly evenings, family dinners, and old-fashioned comfort food cravings
Why You'll Love This Recipe
The dumplings are unquestionably the star of this recipe.
Self-rising flour already contains the leavening needed to give them lift, while heavy cream provides both the liquid and the fat. Mix the two together and you get a rough biscuit dough without cutting in butter or shortening.
Once little pieces of that dough hit the simmering broth, something wonderful happens. They puff into substantial, rustic dumplings with a tender, biscuit-like interior.
And while they're cooking, the dumplings do something equally important to the soup itself.
The broth starts out relatively thin and clear. As the dumplings simmer, a little flour from their surfaces works its way into the liquid, naturally thickening it. By the time the dumplings are done, the broth is silky, creamy-looking, and almost gravy-like.
There's no need to make a separate roux or add cream to the pot. The dumplings help create their own gravy.
A Note About the Chicken
I used about 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken for this recipe.
One of my favorite kitchen shortcuts is to cook chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, shred the meat, and keep portions on hand for recipes just like this one. It makes casseroles, soups, and quick comfort-food dinners so much easier.
If you don't have cooked chicken waiting for you, you can substitute shredded rotisserie chicken. You'll need approximately 3 cups.
Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick peek at what you're going to need to make these delicious dumplings. These are such simple ingredients you might already have on hand in your pantry or refrigerator.
For the Chicken and Broth
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup diced onion, about 1 medium onion
- 1 cup sliced or diced carrots
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Dried thyme, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
For the 2-Ingredient Drop Dumplings
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
How to Make Southern Chicken and Dumplings
Step 1: Build the Broth
Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and place over medium-high heat.
Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, and a small amount of salt.
Add the shredded chicken and stir everything together.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 25–30 minutes.
This isn't wasted time. The vegetables soften, the onion mellows, and the chicken and seasonings flavor the broth.
Taste the broth before adding the dumplings and adjust the seasonings as needed.
A word about salt: Chicken broth varies tremendously from brand to brand, so don't automatically add a large amount of salt at the beginning. Taste first and add more only if the broth needs it.
Step 2: Make the 2-Ingredient Dumpling Dough
Place the self-rising flour in a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the heavy whipping cream.
Stir just until the ingredients come together into a thick, shaggy biscuit dough. It may look a little rough and uneven. That's exactly what you want.
Don't keep stirring in an attempt to make it smooth. Overworking biscuit-style dough can make the finished dumplings less tender.
Step 3: Drop the Dumplings
Make sure the chicken mixture is at a gentle simmer. Using your fingers, pinch off pieces of dough and drop them over the surface of the broth.
Don't worry about making them perfectly round or identical. These are old-fashioned, rustic drop dumplings, and their irregular shapes are part of their charm.
Continue until you've added all of the dough.
The dumplings will begin puffing as they cook.
Avoid stirring the pot once the dumplings have been added. Instead, use a large spoon to gently ladle some of the hot broth over the exposed tops of the dumplings.
Step 4: Cover and Cook
Cover the pot and maintain a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and check one of the larger dumplings for doneness.
If needed, continue cooking uncovered for another minute or two.
How to Tell When Drop Dumplings Are Done
Don't judge these dumplings by their appearance alone.
Because they're cooking in broth, the outside stays moist, soft, and almost silky. That doesn't mean they're raw.
The best way to check is to break open one of the larger dumplings.
The center should look light, fluffy, and biscuit-like, without a wet or gummy streak of raw dough in the middle. You can also insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out without wet dough attached.
Once you see that fluffy interior, they're ready.
Look at That Broth!
One of my favorite things about this recipe is what happens to the broth while the dumplings cook.
There's no cream in the soup itself, yet by the time the dumplings are finished, the broth looks rich and creamy.
That's because a little flour from the dumplings works its way into the broth as they simmer, thickening it naturally.
The result falls somewhere between a soup and a thin chicken gravy—which is exactly what I want with chicken and dumplings.
Janice's Tips for the Best Chicken and Dumplings
Don't overwork the dumpling dough. Stir the flour and cream only until a shaggy dough forms. There's no need to knead it or make it smooth.
Keep the simmer gentle. You want enough heat to cook and steam the dumplings, but there's no need for an aggressive rolling boil.
Don't stir after adding the dumplings. They're tender while they're cooking. Ladle broth over the tops instead.
Taste before adding salt. Packaged chicken broth can range from fairly mild to extremely salty. Season the finished broth according to what you're actually tasting.
Don't expect perfect little dumpling balls. Pinching off the dough gives them different shapes and sizes. That's part of the appeal.
Check the inside of one. The fluffy interior is the best indication that they're finished.
Variations
Add Peas
Stir frozen peas into the chicken mixture shortly before adding the dumplings so they have time to heat through without becoming mushy.
Add Corn
A little corn adds sweetness and color. Frozen or drained canned corn will both work.
Add Fresh Herbs
Fresh parsley makes a nice finishing touch. You can also adjust the thyme to suit your taste.
Make It Extra Peppery
Chicken and dumplings can handle plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add it at the table if you're serving people with different preferences.
Use Rotisserie Chicken
For an even quicker version, substitute approximately 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken for the homemade cooked chicken.
What to Serve with Chicken and Dumplings
Honestly, chicken and dumplings are pretty much a meal in a bowl.
You've got chicken, vegetables, dumplings, and that lovely thickened broth all in one pot.
If you're feeding a crowd, you could add a simple green salad, green beans, or another vegetable on the side. But don't feel as though this meal needs much accompaniment.
It's hearty comfort food all by itself.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The dumplings will continue to absorb some of the broth as they sit, so don't be surprised if the mixture is considerably thicker the next day.
When reheating, warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. If necessary, add a little additional chicken broth to loosen the consistency.
Cook's note: I'll be paying particular attention to the texture of the leftover dumplings. Fresh from the pot, these were exceptionally tender and fluffy, but dumplings can change as they sit in broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Bisquick drop dumplings are the version I made for years, and they're certainly convenient. But after making these with self-rising flour and heavy cream, I much prefer the flavor and texture of the homemade version. And considering that the dumplings require only two ingredients, they aren't much more work.
Self-rising flour contains flour, salt, and leavening. That built-in leavening gives these dumplings their fluffy, biscuit-like interior without requiring you to measure baking powder separately.
Not as a direct substitute in this particular two-ingredient formula. The leavening in the self-rising flour is what allows the dumplings to rise. If you're using all-purpose flour, you'll need to add the appropriate amounts of baking powder and salt to turn it into a self-rising flour substitute.
Yes. Use approximately 3 cups of shredded meat.
That's supposed to happen! Some of the flour from the surface of the dumplings works into the broth as they cook. It acts as a natural thickener and gives chicken and dumplings that characteristic silky consistency.
Because they're dumplings! They're cooking directly in liquid, so the exterior isn't going to resemble a baked biscuit. The outside should be moist and tender while the center should be fluffy and completely cooked.
You can prepare the chicken-and-vegetable broth ahead of time and refrigerate it. Reheat it to a simmer and make the dumplings shortly before you plan to serve the meal.
From Bisquick to Homemade
I think this might be my favorite part of the whole experiment.
I grew up preferring fluffy drop dumplings, and for years Bisquick was my go-to way to make them. I knew what to expect, and they were good.
Then I tried the same two-ingredient formula I use for homemade biscuits: self-rising flour and heavy cream.
The difference surprised me! I hadn't realized how much of that familiar boxed-mix flavor I was tasting until it wasn't there anymore. These dumplings tasted clean and homemade, and because the dough itself is so simple, the flavor of the chicken broth really came through.
But it was the texture that won me over. I broke open one of those dumplings and found exactly what I'd been hoping for: a soft, fluffy, biscuit-like center surrounded by a silky exterior that had soaked up the chicken broth.
I stood over that pot and said these were the best dumplings I'd ever made. And. . .I meant it.
Sometimes an old family recipe leads you right back to the food you remember. And sometimes it sends you in another direction entirely.
Either way, I'm glad Aunt Bessie's recipe got me thinking about chicken and dumplings again.
Because it eventually led me here.
And this is the chicken and dumplings recipe I'll be making from now on.
Love cozy chicken dinners? Try the Easy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup for another warm, comforting meal.
And if you want to see where these dumplings got their start, check out the Cast Iron 2-Ingredient Biscuits. They're made from the same simple combination of self-rising flour and heavy cream.
Thanks for Stopping By!
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