Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings are pretty much a staple in southern cookbooks and homes! This recipe is the version that my Papa made when I was growing up.

Jump to Recipe

Pin this Recipe

When I first moved out on my own, I didn’t really know how to cook at all. I could figure out how to make boxed mac and cheese but that was about it.

I remember going over to my grandma’s house and asking her and my aunt to help me write out some of their favorite recipes so I could make them on my own. This was one of the recipes that came home with me.

This is how my Papa made chicken and dumplings. I remember him making these on the weekends when I would spend the night there and I loved them. It’s just the perfect southern comfort food.

I use refrigerated biscuits for this recipe but back then my Nana would make homemade biscuits for him to use in his chicken and dumplings recipe.

My husband grew up with chicken and dumplings that were made with cooked biscuits on top and that just isn’t chicken and dumplings for me. That’s chicken and biscuits haha. My husband agrees that this is how chicken and dumplings should be made haha.

Ingredients For Chicken and Dumplings:

chicken breasts
refrigerated biscuit dough
all purpose flour
butter
salt and pepper

Ingredient amounts and entire recipe directions in recipe card below with print option

Where Are The Vegetables In This Version Of Chicken And Dumplings?

I do not put vegetables in my chicken and dumplings! I know that some people use carrots and celery, onions and garlic but that is not how my Papa made this dish so that’s not how I like mine. You won’t find any veggies here.

What Seasonings Are We Using?

The only seasoning I use for this dish is salt and pepper. We’re using the flavor from the chicken broth and butter biscuits to add flavor. However you can use poultry seasoning, garlic power and onion power if you’d like. You can of course also add any other seasonings like thyme, parsley and and rosemary but you’ll have to adjust that to your taste.

Do I Have To Use Chicken Breasts?

You can also use chicken thighs or even a whole small chicken if you’d like. Just remove the bones and cook the chicken before adding it to the cooking dumpling dough in the pot.

You can also use a shredded rotisserie chicken for this recipe.

What Kind Of Chicken Broth Should I Use?

You can use any kind of chicken broth that you normally like to use.

Homemade chicken broth is great but you can also use canned chicken broth or boxed chicken broth. If you’re worried about salt and sodium, you can also use sodium free chicken broth.

How To Cook Papa’s Chicken and Dumplings:

Start by cooking the chicken. I normally just boil the chicken when I make chicken and dumplings but you can cook it however you want.
You could also use rotisserie chicken if you wanted.
Make sure the chicken it diced up into bite sized pieces.
Start simmering the chicken broth (which is going to be our base) in a large sauce pan or large pot.
Flour a cutting board and lay out the biscuit dough. I like to use the biscuits with the extra butter in them.
Flour each side of a biscuit and then flatten the raw biscuits out using the back of the spoon until they are as flat as you can get them.
Cut the flattened biscuits into stripes and then into cubes.
Sprinkle biscuits with a tablespoon or so of flour and toss to make sure everything is coated. Don’t add too much or the chicken and dumplings will get gooey and too thicken. You just want to lightly dust them to make sure all sides are covered in the flour.
Carefully, drop coated biscuits into the hot chicken broth. Turn chicken broth to medium heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Don’t go above medium-high heat when cooking because you don’t want it to turn into a boiling mess.
Stir mixture once or twice but that’s it. It will start to thicken up. Don’t stir it a lot, as we don’t want to break up the dumplings.
After about 15 minutes add the chicken and stir.
Add butter and stir slightly just long enough to melt butter.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

If the chicken and dumplings are too thick for your liking, add a bit more chicken broth and stir. Don’t stir roughly, be gentle as to not break up the dumplings.

Chicken and Dumplings are pretty much a staple in southern cookbooks and homes! This recipe is the version that my Papa made when I was growing up.

More Southern Recipes:

Great Side Dishes to Serve with Southern Chicken and Dumplings:

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to store chicken and dumpling leftovers:

Chicken and Dumplings will thicken as it cools. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a sauce pan on the stove. You may want to add a bit of chicken stock when reheating it if it has become too thick.

More Great Chicken Recipes: