Homemade chicken and dumplings are one of my go-to easy chicken dinner recipes that I just adore. It’s basically the food equivalent of a hug from home on a cold dreary day (or a warm sunny afternoon, for that matter).
My great grandmother owned a restaurant before my time, but legend has it that she was famous for her Tuesday Special: Chicken & Dumplings. People came from all over town to have her dumplings on Tuesdays.
I’m pretty sure her recipe has been passed down and is the recipe my mom always made from scratch. It involved making funky-looking biscuits from flour and boiling a whole pack of raw chicken.
But my tired and stressed-out mama ways have given me some shortcuts over the years for those times when I need a bit of comfort and honestly don’t have the time to whip up some homemade biscuits and cook a chicken.
So, in case you’re like I am some days and just need something homey to throw on the table quick and easy (without a ton of fresh ingredients on hand), this little recipe is your guy.
I’ve even been told that this recipe is every bit as good or better than my great grandmother’s. Shhh. Don’t say that too loud. She’d probably roll over in her grave!
The Easiest Chicken And Dumplings Recipe For a Fast Easy Chicken Dinner
Click here if you want to skip all the tips and tricks and just go straight to the recipe.
So you’re going to need these 3 really hard to get, super fresh and expensive ingredients.
Just kidding. These 3 are super cheap and really shelf (or freezer) stable power players.
The first thing I like to do is get out some biscuits and thaw them in the microwave. You want to thaw them until they’re just soft enough to chop in half. It’s okay if they’re still a little frozen or kinda smushy. Or even a mix. But smushy sticky biscuits are hard to chop in half.
I usually only zap them for a minute for about 6-7 biscuits.
Then you want to just chop them in half. Remember, it’s okay if they’re still a little hard. Just get them to half size before you throw ’em in the pot.
I get my medium/large saucepan on the stove, fill it with the chicken stock (or broth is cool if that’s what you have). Then I sprinkle in some salt and pepper because it makes me feel more chef-y.
After you get your chef on (or not), you just drop those little biscuit pieces into the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.
The biscuits will start to puff up and stick together. My mom always used the back of the spoon to kind of dunk the dumplings every now and then. It keeps them from sticking together and keeps the tops moist while they cook.
You also want to dump the can of chicken in right about now. Any time is fine (you’re just heating it up), but this is about when I do it.
I know. This looks like a total dumpling disaster, right? These babies are almost ready. Keep dunking them. Very gently.
You’ll know they’re ready when the dumplings are fluffy on the inside (like a biscuit). If they’re doughy at all, keep them cooking.
I always love a glass of hot iced tea with my dumplings. Sometimes we serve them with green beans, pickled beets and sliced garden tomatoes (my great grandma’s go-to dumpling sides). My husband thinks they pair great with StoveTop Stuffing?? Go figure? Bread + bread = winner!
Easy Healthy Can Chicken Dinner Recipe
Pin this now to save it for when you need a hug from home!
