Drop dumplings recipe for chicken and dumplings

Q: What is the secret to good dumplings?

Dont Overwork the Dumpling Dough Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you dont see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but thats okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

Q: How do you keep Drop dumplings from dissolving?

How Do You Make Bisquick Dumplings That Dont Fall Apart? To stop biscuit dumplings from dissolving its important to drop the dough into boiling liquid, then immediately reduce the heat to low (if the low setting on your stove is really low, then you might need to use medium-low).

This chicken and dumplings recipe sits somewhere in the glorious space between soup and stew, with chunks of tender chicken, just the right amount of vegetables, and super fluffy dumplings.

Table of Contents Show

What Are Homemade Dumplings Made Of?
What Is the Secret to Good Dumplings?
How Long Should You Cook Dumplings?
Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Notes
What is the secret to good dumplings?
What kind of flour is best for dumplings?
How do you keep Drop dumplings from dissolving?
How do you make chicken and dumplings a little thick?

There are lots of shortcuts out there for easy chicken and dumplings—recipes that call for cream of chicken soup, Instant Pots, crockpots, Bisquick, rotisserie chicken, and the like—but making it from scratch gives you more control over the final dish and yields a deep, rich chicken flavor. One commenter declared that this recipe made her feel “as if I've never, truly, tasted chicken!”

Start by making the chicken broth in a large pot. Don’t be tempted to trade the bone-in chicken thighs and legs for skinless, boneless chicken breasts—cooked chicken breasts can dry out, becoming tough and stringy. We do encourage swapping out the vegetables cooked with the chicken for fresh ones you’ll sauté in schmaltz or melted butter so they’ll still have a bit of bite when the dish is ready. If it’s your first time making drop dumpling dough, don’t fret: The secret to this easy recipe is the right ratio of liquid (buttermilk), leaveners (baking powder and baking soda), and fat (schmaltz). You can sub whole milk and butter if needed. As they cook, resist the urge to lift the top of the pot and let the steam escape. Use the cooking time to make a salad—it’s the only accompaniment needed for a complete meal.

Kayla Hoang is a freelance recipe developer, writer, and baker. She is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University’s 4-year Baking and Pastry program and has training from Alain Ducasse’s Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie in Yssingeaux, France. Her love of food comes from her parents and their Bangladeshi and Vietnamese roots. In her free time, she can usually be found in the kitchen waiting for a fresh batch of cookies to come out of the oven or taking on a new baking project.

published Aug 30, 2022

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Credit: Kayla Hoang

Perhaps most recognizable in the context of chicken and dumplings, these simple drop-style dumplings come together quickly with only a handful of ingredients and transform any soup or stew into the comfiest of dishes.

A generous amount of butter and baking powder and just the right amount of milk ensures that the dumplings are easy to drop into the soup or stew and come out fluffy and tender rather than toothsome. The dumplings will take on color and flavor from the soup/stew it is cooked in, so if your liquid is on the paler side, don’t be alarmed by the color of the dumplings! Garnish the dumplings with freshly ground black pepper or fresh herbs for a meal sure to comfort and please.

What Are Homemade Dumplings Made Of?

Homemade drop dumplings only require a handful of ingredients.

Unsalted butter provides flavor and tenderness
All-purpose flour
Baking powder leavens the dumplings, making them puff
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper — an optional ingredient that can easily be omitted or swapped for another dry seasoning that pairs well with the soup or stew
Milk — whole milk is the best option in this case, but 1% also works in a pinch

Credit: Kayla Hoang

What Is the Secret to Good Dumplings?

Drop-style dumplings, like most dumplings, can be troublesome if you’re not familiar with making them. Although the method for making them is simple, a few thoughtful tricks and mental notes really help in ensuring they are fluffy, tender, and light every time.

Don’t overmix the dumpling dough! Overmixing will further develop the gluten, making for a tough or rubbery dumpling.
Make sure your soup/stew is nice and hot. A too-cold base won’t provide the right environment for the dumplings to steam and puff.
Make sure the lid to the pot is tight-fitting. The steam that builds up by covering the pot is what cooks the dumplings.
Don’t boil or stir the dumplings. Vigorous boiling and stirring will cause the dumplings to fall apart.

How Long Should You Cook Dumplings?

The amount of time you cook drop-style dumplings depends on the size. These dumplings, dropped into the hot soup/stew in rounded tablespoons, need 10 to 13 minutes to cook through in simmering liquid covered tightly. Using a glass lid will allow you to see the dumplings puff and rise as they steam in the pot.

A toothpick coming out clean is a good indicator of a fully cooked dumpling, but the best way is to really just cut into a dumpling to make sure the center doesn’t look raw or doughy.

Take care to not overcook the dumplings, as overcooking can result in either heavy, dense dumplings or the dumplings will begin to break down.

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Dumplings Recipe

Print Recipe

Simple drop-style dumplings come together quickly with only a handful of ingredients and transform any soup or stew into the coziest of cold weather meals.

YieldServes 4 to 6, Makes about 12 dumplings

Prep time 11 minutes to 16 minutes

Cook time 10 minutes to 13 minutes

Show Nutrition

shellfish-free
kidney-friendly
fish-free
alcohol-free
low-potassium
vegetarian
peanut-free
pork-free
pescatarian
balanced
sugar-conscious
egg-free
soy-free
tree-nut-free
red-meat-free

Per serving, based on 6 servings. (% daily value)

Calories 151
Fat 4.7 g (7.2%)
Saturated 2.8 g (14.2%)
Carbs 23.1 g (7.7%)
Fiber 0.8 g (3.0%)
Sugars 1.6 g
Protein 3.9 g (7.8%)
Sodium 166.3 mg (6.9%)

Ingredients

Cooked soup or stew, such as chicken soup
2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups
all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
Pinch
freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving (optional)
2/3 cup
plus 1 tablespoon whole or 2% milk
Fresh herbs, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Add enough stew or soup to get up the sides of an 8-inch pot or small Dutch oven at least 3 inches. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, make the dumpling dough.
Place 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. Place 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper if using in a medium bowl and whisk with a fork to combine.
Add the melted butter to the flour mixture and use the fork to mix until just combined, small clumps form, and the mixture begins to resemble wet sand. Do not overmix.
Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole or 2% milk into the well. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the milk into the flour mixture until just combined with some dry bits remaining. Switching to a flexible spatula, give the bowl one good scrape to incorporate the last dry bits of the flour mixture. The mixture will look a little shaggy and lumpy. Do not overmix. Let the mixture rest for 5 to 10 minutes so that the flour can hydrate.
If the soup/stew is vigorously boiling, reduce the heat as needed to maintain a steady boil. Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, tablespoon, or two spoons, drop rounded tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into the soup/stew. For brothy soups, the dumplings will sink to the bottom and float back up.
Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until the dumlings puff up, are cooked through, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean, 10 to 13 minutes. Garnish with more freshly ground black pepper and fresh herbs, if desired.

Recipe Notes

General tips: In most cases, the dumplings will thicken the broth of your soup or stew slightly. Depending on your preference, you may want to consider adding a touch of extra liquid to your soup or stew to maintain its brothiness.

What is the secret to good dumplings?

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

What kind of flour is best for dumplings?

Grocery store All-purpose flour, with a moderate amount of gluten, such as Gold Medal brand, works exceptionally well. 1. To prepare the dough in a food processor, put the flour in the work bowl.

How do you keep Drop dumplings from dissolving?

How Do You Make Bisquick Dumplings That Don't Fall Apart? To stop biscuit dumplings from dissolving it's important to drop the dough into boiling liquid, then immediately reduce the heat to low (if the low setting on your stove is really low, then you might need to use medium-low).

How do you make chicken and dumplings a little thick?

Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings To give that a little thicker texture we're going to add 1 cup of cool water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir it up well. Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture.