This Chicken and Dumplings recipe is SO EASY to make from scratch if you use rotisserie chicken and store-bought broth! It's a fast, easy comfort food to make on busy nights. The fresh thyme in the dumplings sets it over the edge.
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT30M
Rating
4.94 stars (545 reviews)
Keywords
Chicken and dumpings, chicken and dumplings from scratch, dumplings recipe, easy chicken and dumplings
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 carrots (diced small)
2 ribs celery plus their leaves (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (divided)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
1 cup whole milk (divided)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder ((see notes))
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried, plus more for garnish)
2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
extra salt and pepper
Categories
Soup
Cuisine
American
Steps
Sauté the carrots, celery, and onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium high heat until softened a bit and beginning to brown (about 3 minutes).
Add 1/4 cup flour, stir to coat.
Add chicken broth (4 cups) and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to simmer and add 1/2 cup milk and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, mix together the remaining 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, melted, until flour mixture is crumbly looking. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and stir until JUST combined. Do NOT over mix, or your dumplings may be dense.
Add spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture to the simmering pot- I recommend using a small cookie scoop for this (a tablespoon can also be used).
Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until dumplings are fluffy, cooked, and float to the top. No peeking!
Serve garnished with extra fresh thyme and fresh ground pepper, if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Calories: 433 kcal
Carbohydrates: 39 g
Protein: 25 g
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 88 mg
Sodium: 1645 mg
Sugar: 5 g
Reviews
Steve on 2026-06-28 (5 stars): Delicious great as is.
Deanna Ivey on 2026-05-21 (5 stars): This was delicious and so easy. I love that it was made with healthier ingredients. I added cooked mushrooms and potato chunks. Will be making again and again!
Tammy on 2026-04-29 (4 stars): This was tasty! I made it using a rotisserie chicken and frozen dumplings, omitting the salt and adding the fresh thyme. I think I like biscuit dumplings better so will attempt that part of the recipe and think we'll like it even better and it will taste way less salty. I feel like using rotisserie chicken added too much sodium.
Beth Bales on 2026-02-16 (5 stars): So I made a roast chicken for Sunday dinner and today came up with the idea of using the leftovers in chicken and dumplings. I found this recipe while looking for "chicken and dumplings with already-cooked chicken." I actually found a bunch -- but tried this was. It was phenomenal. VERY delicious. My dumplings took longer to cook (might have had the heat too low) and I added more flour to the broth to make it thicker. But top rate all the way.
Cheryl R on 2026-01-31 (5 stars): This recipe is amazing. I’ve been using it for a few years now and it’s always a hit. I do double the recipe and triple the dumplings (because that’s the best part!).
My neighbor even begged me to make their family a batch last week. They loved it.
Jennifer on 2026-01-31 (5 stars): Making this tonight for dinner. Have not had this in over 20 years. My Mother always made this from scratch. So far the broth tastes delicious. Will make again. Thank You for this recipe.
