You'll love this rich and easy Southern chicken 'n dumplings recipe, a velvety smooth stew that feels like a warm hug from a Southern grandma. Perfectly tender homemade dumplings for chicken and dumplings!
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15minutes
Cook Time 2hours
Total Time 2hours15minutes
Servings 4
Calories 1081kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
4poundsof chicken thighs(I prefer thighs, but you can mix it up)
4wholecarrotspeeled and cut into 1/2″ rounds
4wholecelery stalkscut into 1/2″ slices
2tablespoonsminced shallot
8cupswater
1largeeggbeaten
1tablespoonwarm water
1 1/2teaspoonssaltdivided
1teaspoonbuttermelted
1 1/3cupflourdivided, plus more for dusting
1wholebay leaf
1teaspoonfresh thyme leaves
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1/2cupheavy cream
More salt and pepperto taste
Freshly chopped parsleyfor garnish
Instructions
Place the chicken, carrots, celery, and shallots in a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour.
While the stock is cooking, whisk egg, 1 tablespoon warm water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and melted butter in a bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of flour, mixing until you've got a solid dough. Roll the dough out into a thick log and chill, wrapped in parchment, for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the chilled dough and set it on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and roll into a 1/4-inch thick roll, then slice into 1-inch segments. If your dumplings are too thick, they won’t cook through – so make sure they’re no more than 1/4-inch thick. Dust gently with more flour to give them a good coating.
After the stock has cooked for 1 hour, remove the chicken from the pot and shred into thick chunks with two forks. Add chicken back to stock.
Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat and add bay leaf, thyme, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. In a cup, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of flour with a few tablespoons of water, and mix with a fork until all flour is dissolved. Slowly pour the flour slurry into the stock, stirring constantly while adding.
Gently drop the dumplings into the liquid, one at a time. Stir after adding every few dumplings to prevent them from sticking together. When all of the dumplings have been added, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir every few minutes to keep the bottom from sticking and burning, which it will do if you’re not careful.
Just before serving, stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley for garnish.