Super Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Eat at Home (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken homemade chicken and dumplings? ›

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.

So that they cook perfectly, the dumplings need to steam, so cover the pot with its lid. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer when cooking the dumplings. An aggressive simmer or boiling will break them apart. Keep the heat low and cover the pot so that they steam.

Place cornstarch and cold water or milk in mason jar. Shake until well combined and then add to boiling chicken and dumplings to thicken.

Absolutely wonderful, I added a few of my own extra seasoning (garlic, onion, parsley, rosemary.), a little half and half, and about a teaspoon of butter.

Add a roux: Make a roux by melting equal parts of butter and flour in a separate pan. Stir until it forms a smooth paste, and then whisk it into your chicken and dumpling mixture. This will thicken the broth.

Yes, you can use water instead of the chicken stock. While the stock will give the chicken and dumplings more flavor, you can still make them without it. However, I recommend using all of the broth made from cooking the chicken to add as much flavor as you can.

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.

You want a gentle boil that won't disturb your dumplings as they steam. Make sure you cover them! This allows for as much steam as possible so that your dumplings can definitely get cooked.

Don't overmix the dough. Overmixing will develop the gluten in the Bisquick, which will make the dumplings tough. Instead, stir the dough just until the ingredients are combined. Let the dough rest for a few minutes before dropping it into the broth.

Remove cover from the soup pot and stir well. Drop dumplings into the soup one tablespoon at a time, use a 1 tablespoon scoop to make it even easier. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Why isn t my chicken and dumplings thick? ›

Adding too much stock, broth, or half-and-half to chicken and dumplings can make its liquid too thin, and you ideally want a soup that's thick, glossy, and creamy. It's not as simple as just simmering it for longer to reduce it, either: If you do that, both your chicken and your dumplings will become tough.

A little citrus zest also makes a great addition. Lemon zest is a good all-rounder, but orange would also work well, particularly for lamb or beef stews. A little mustard or horseradish will also add a hit of extra flavour to your dumplings – not too much though, as they also add moisture.

Seasonings to Add to the Chicken & Dumplings Soup

Poultry seasoning blends typically have spice and herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic and onion (and others!), so if you don't have a blend but have any of those individual spices- add them!

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt. But which flour you use depends on which dumpling you want to make.

Use cornstarch or flour slurry: Mix a few tablespoons of cornstarch or flour with cold water to create a slurry. Gradually add this slurry to the simmering chicken and dumplings while stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes until it thickens.

Nowadays I lightly dust the chicken pieces with seasoned flour before searing them. It adds just enough flour to thicken the sauce without making it too thick. Remember that as the dumplings cook the soup will thicken naturally, so keep it more like soup than gravy, then reduce it at the end if needed.

Since excess liquid can make for soggy dumplings, cheesecloth can help drain water from cabbage, fat from pork, or other moisture from the filling ingredients. Place the food in the center of the cheesecloth, wrap tightly, and squeeze until all the moisture is removed. It can be repeated as needed.

Remove as much liquid from vegetables as possible before adding to the mix. For greens like spinach, kale, or bok choy, blanch them first, then squeeze them tightly with your hands. If you find that your filling has too much liquid, I recommend draining the entire mixture in a colander.