Chicken and Dumplings
Bonus Recipes

Chicken and Dumplings

1 hr 30 min
Serves 9
chickencomfortsoup

Seasoned chicken thighs seared and cut into pieces, simmered with onion, celery, and carrots in chicken broth, then topped with drop dumplings made from scratch and cooked covered until fluffy.

The Story

Chicken and dumplings is a two-burner operation — a skillet for the chicken, a stock pot for everything else. The chicken thighs get seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper, then fried hard on both sides in olive oil over high heat. They don't need to be cooked completely through at this stage — they're going back into the pot. Cut them into half-inch pieces, deglaze the skillet, and pour those drippings right over the chicken. In the stock pot, melt butter over medium-high heat, sweat the onion, celery, and carrots until the onions start to soften, then add the chicken and cook for a minute before pouring in all twelve cups of chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let it go for thirty minutes. While the soup simmers, make the dumplings: flour, baking powder, black pepper, salt, and thyme stirred together dry, then melted butter and milk worked in with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, scoopable dough. Add milk a little at a time to get the right consistency — it should hold its shape when dropped but not be stiff. Drop the dough into the simmering soup by the spoonful or cookie scoop, cover the pot, turn the heat up just enough to maintain a very slight boil, and cook for fifteen minutes. Check for doneness — the dumplings should be cooked through and fluffy, not doughy in the center. Ladle carefully into bowls to keep the dumplings intact. A little Sambal on the side works surprisingly well.

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Stock pot
  • Large mixing bowl (for dumpling dough)
  • Cookie scoop or large spoon

Ingredients

  • 6chicken thighs
  • 2 TbspItalian seasoning
  • 1 Tbspgarlic powder
  • 1 tspblack pepper (for chicken)
  • 2 Tbspolive oil
  • 2 Tbspbutter (for stock pot)
  • 1 mediumonion, diced
  • 2 ribscelery, diced
  • 3carrots, diced
  • 12 cupschicken broth
  • 2 cupsall-purpose flour (for dumplings)
  • 4 tspbaking powder
  • 1 tspblack pepper (for dumplings)
  • 1 tspsalt
  • 1/2 Tbspthyme
  • 4 Tbspmelted butter (for dumplings)
  • 3/4 cupmilk (plus more as needed)

Pudgy's Notes

The two-burner setup matters — you want the skillet screaming hot for the chicken sear while the stock pot builds separately. Don't cook the chicken completely through in the skillet; it finishes in the broth during the 30-minute simmer and will be perfectly done by the time the dumplings go in. Deglazing the skillet and pouring those drippings over the chicken adds flavor that would otherwise get left behind. The dumpling dough should be thick enough to hold a rough shape when dropped — if it's too stiff it won't cook through evenly, if it's too loose it will dissolve into the broth. Add milk gradually and stop when it looks right. Drop the dumplings into simmering soup, not boiling — a hard boil will break them apart. Keep the lid on during the dumpling cook; the steam is what cooks the tops. Ladle gently — dumplings are fragile once cooked and will fall apart if you're rough with the ladle. Sambal adds a clean heat that cuts through the richness of the broth without overpowering the dumplings.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Dice the onion, celery, and carrots and set aside. About 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Season the chicken thighs front and back with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. About 5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Coat the large skillet with olive oil and heat over high heat, about 1 minute.

  4. 4

    Fry the chicken thighs on both sides over high heat until cooked through on the outside. They do not need to be completely cooked through at this stage. About 10 minutes.

  5. 5

    Cut the cooked chicken thighs into 1/2" pieces and set aside. About 5 minutes.

  6. 6

    Drain the oil from the skillet and deglaze. Pour the drippings over the cut chicken. About 1 minute.

  7. 7

    Melt butter in the stock pot over medium-high heat, about 1 minute.

  8. 8

    Add the diced vegetables to the stock pot. Cook until the onions start to sweat, about 5 minutes.

  9. 9

    Add the chicken pieces to the stock pot. Cook for 1–2 minutes.

  10. 10

    Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

  11. 11

    While the soup simmers, make the dumplings: combine flour, baking powder, black pepper, salt, and thyme in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. About 1 minute.

  12. 12

    Add the melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add additional milk a little at a time if needed to reach a thick, scoopable consistency. About 2 minutes.

  13. 13

    Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop portions of dough into the simmering soup to form dumplings. About 2 minutes.

  14. 14

    Cover the stock pot. Turn heat up just enough to maintain a very slight boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Check for doneness — dumplings should be cooked through and fluffy. Cook an additional 2–5 minutes if needed.

  15. 15

    Ladle into bowls with care to keep the dumplings intact. About 5 minutes.

Pudgy's Place

Made with by Pudgy

Real food for real weeknights — recipes passed down, written down, and cooked with love.

© 2026 Pudgy's Place. All rights reserved.