This Chicken Dumpling Soup is the meal you’ll crave when you’re under the weather; the recipe you’ll turn to when you’re snowed in and schlepping around the house in slippers and flannel pajamas. Cozy and comforting, creamy and hearty—but not weighed down with heavy cream or condensed soup.
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Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Dumpling Soup Recipe
- The Quintessential Comfort Food Dinner. You want cozy and comforting? It doesn’t get any better than chicken dumpling soup! (Or its close cousins, Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings, Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, and Chicken and Biscuits.) It’s like watching your favorite movie for the tenth time and putting on your coziest sweater on a chilly day.
- Made from Scratch. No canned soup or biscuit mix here, friends! While I’m certainly not opposed to shortcuts (like the storebought gnocchi in this Chicken and Gnocchi Soup), there’s something special about making soup from scratch (like Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup)—and it’s even more satisfying when you sit down to eat your first spoonful.
- Hearty and Filling. This chicken dumpling soup is a meal in itself (just like Sausage Tortellini Soup). Packed with chicken, vegetables, and dumplings, it’s a hearty dish that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.
- Tender Dumpling Topping. I adapted my recipe for Drop Biscuits as the topping for this chicken and dumpling soup. While I certainly love these biscuits as-is, they’re especially magical cooked in a pot of chicken soup—the soak up broth, which makes them ultra tender and extra flavorful.
How to Make Chicken Dumpling Soup
The Ingredients
For the Soup:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs. Use either or a combination of both, but keep in mind that the thighs will take a bit longer to cook.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. For seasoning our chicken dumpling soup.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Unsalted Butter. Using both butter and olive oil gives us the best of both worlds. The butter adds richness and flavor; the olive oil is perfect for sauting.
- Mirepoix. The classic trio of soup starters: carrots, celery, and onion.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. Buttery Yukon gold potatoes make this chicken dumpling soup even more comforting. Russets work also.
- Poultry Seasoning. While you could throw in a little of this and a little of that, I like keeping poultry seasoning on hand because it saves some time. You’ll also find it in my Chicken Wild Rice Soup and Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.
- Garlic. I prefer the pungent flavor of fresh garlic to garlic powder in this recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour. To thicken the soup.
- Milk. I use 2%; whole milk will also be fine, but I wouldn’t recommend skim milk.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth. Using low-sodium broth gives you more control over the flavor of the finished soup.
- Frozen Peas. Much more convenient than shelling your own peas, with a more pleasing texture and flavor than canned peas.
- Fresh Parsley or Thyme. To brighten up the flavor just before serving.
For the Dumplings:
- All-Purpose Flour. Be sure to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup; scooping will compact the flour and you’ll end up using more than you need.
- Baking Powder. Helps the dumplings get delightfully puffy.
- Kosher Salt and Garlic Powder. For seasoning the dumpling dough.
- Milk. I also used 2% milk for the dumplings.
The Directions
- Season. Dice the chicken and toss it with salt and pepper.
- Sweat the Vegetables. In a large pot with the oil and butter, add the mirepoix, potato, and seasonings. Cook until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the Garlic. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the Flour. Sprinkle it over the vegetables and whisk constantly until it’s lightly browned.
- Make the Roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, then stir in the broth.
- Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the Dumplings. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk.
- Add the Chicken and Peas. Stir them into the pot and increase the heat to bring the soup to a simmer.
- Form the Dumplings. Scoop the dough in half-tablespoon portions and drop them onto the soup.
- Cook the Dumplings. Cover the pot and simmer until the chicken and dumplings are both cooked through.
- Serve. Ladle the chicken dumpling soup into bowls and ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Turkey Dumpling Soup. Substitute turkey for chicken in this recipe to switch things up. You can also use leftover Thanksgiving turkey to mix it up from the usual of Turkey Soup—add it in right before you add the dumplings.
- Chicken Dumpling Soup With Bisquick. If you’re short on time, you can skip the dry ingredients for the dumplings and use Bisquick. Mix 1 cup of Bisquick with 1/3 cup of milk.
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup With Canned Biscuits. Extra short on time? Use canned biscuit dough for the dumplings. Quarter six unbaked biscuits and drop the pieces on top of the soup.
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup With Crescent Rolls. Another shortcut option is to use crescent roll dough. Simply cut it into quarters.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover chicken dumpling soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Warm up leftovers on the stovetop over medium-low heat. The microwave can make the dumplings tough.
- To Freeze. Freeze leftover chicken dumpling soup in an airtight storage container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
Meal Prep Tip
Get a head start on this recipe by dicing the onions, celery, and carrots a day or two in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start cooking.
What to Serve with Chicken Dumpling Soup
- Salad. Work some extra veggies into your meal by serving your soup with a side of Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad or Apple Walnut Salad.
- Bread. If you consider the dumplings to be a form of bread, this may sound like overkill. But if you think of them as puffy round noodles, then there’s really no reason not to have some bread on the side! My Beer Bread Recipe is excellent for soaking up the creamy broth in this recipe.
- Mashed Potatoes. Chicken dumpling soup and mashed potatoes are a match made in carb heaven. Try my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Crockpot Mashed Potatoes.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Dutch Oven. You’ll need a nice roomy pot to fit this chicken dumpling soup.
- Instant Read Thermometer. The best way to ensure your chicken is cooked through.
- Mixing Bowls. For mixing the dumpling dough.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken. To ensure your chicken is tender and not rubbery, you want to cook it just until it’s no longer pink in the middle. Or, even better, use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Add the Dumplings With Care. When adding dumplings to your chicken dumpling soup, make sure to do so one at a time and slowly—don’t just dump them all in at once. This will prevent them from sticking together and ensure that they cook evenly.
- Use a High-Quality Broth. The broth is the foundation for this soup, so it’s important to use a high-quality one. Look for low-sodium options and avoid using inexpensive bouillon cubes or canned broths, which can have off-flavors.
- Don’t Over-Mix the Dumpling Dough. When making the dumplings, be careful not to over-mix the dough. Overworking it will result in tough, dense dumplings instead of the light, fluffy texture you want in chicken dumpling soup.
Chicken Dumpling Soup
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
This creamy chicken dumpling soup has it all—tender chicken, fluffy dumplings and veggies in a rich and hearty broth. The best comfort food!
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Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into a 1/4 to 1/2-inch dice about 6 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks cut into a 1/4 to 1/2-inch dice
- 1 medium Yukon gold potato peeled and cut into a 1/4 to 1/2-inch dice
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 cloves minced garlic about 2 teaspoons
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Chopped fresh parsley or thyme optional for serving
For the Dumplings: *see notes for a faster version:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅔ cup 2% milk
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl or on a plate and toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep pot, heat the oil and butter over medium high. Add the carrots, celery, potato, onion, poultry seasoning, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften and the onion is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 additional seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top. Whisk and cook until the flour is golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk a few splashes at a time, whisking continuously as you go to remove any lumps. Stir in the broth.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer steadily for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Pour in the milk. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir to combine. The batter will seem stiff and should be thick enough to scoop. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Stir the chicken and peas into the soup pot. Increase the heat to return to a simmer.
- With a small scoop or a spoon, portion the dumpling dough by rough 1/2 tablespoons and drop on top of the soup, spreading the dumplings evenly.
- Cover and simmer steadily until the dumplings and the chicken are cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes more. To check for doneness, remove a dumpling and cut it in half to make sure it’s no longer raw inside, or poke it with a fork to check the center (it will still be very moist). Remove from the heat and sprinkle fresh parsley or thyme over the top.
- To serve, use a big spoon to scoop down through the top of the dumplings and into the soup underneath, ensuring each serving has a portion of both the soup and dumplings. Enjoy hot, breaking the dumplings up into the soup as needed so that you enjoy a bit of both in each bite.
Video
Notes
- *TO USE BISQUICK: Mix 1 cup of Bisquick together with 1/3 cup milk of your choice. Once a dough has formed, drop it by the spoonful on top of the soup when the recipe calls for the dumplings to be added. Finish cooking the recipe as directed.
- *TO USE CANNED BISCUITS: Quarter about 6 uncooked canned biscuits. When the recipe calls for the dumplings to be added, scatter the biscuit pieces over the top of the soup instead. Finish cooking as directed.
- *TO USE CRESCENT ROLLS: To use crescent roll dough, follow the same instructions as the canned biscuit version, cutting your crescent roll dough into quarters.
Adapted from my Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings - TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover chicken dumpling soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm up leftovers on the stovetop over medium-low heat. The microwave can make the dumplings tough.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight storage container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6)Calories: 497kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 36gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 101mgPotassium: 1373mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 13298IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 258mgIron: 3mg
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What a fabulous recipe! My husband and I LOVED it. I added extra peas and celery and served it with freshly made, crusty bread. I’m glad I had all the ingredients available in my pantry. Thank you so much!
Yay! So great to hear, thank you Jasmine!
I made this for the fam and some friends last night and it was a HIT. they all couldn’t stop coming back for more and we still had some leftovers (that taste amazing heated up too) I will definitely be making this more often! so yummy!
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Sally!
Super easy! Seemed intimidating at first, but the recipe was helpful and all the timing listed worked well. Really delicious and a hit with the family, kids loved it.
Glad you gave it a try, Sasha!
I don’t normally leave comments, but this was absolutely delicious. The only thing I did differently was double the amount of vegetables called for because we love our vegetables. So flavorful and the perfect comfort food for a chilly day.
So happy to hear, thank you Stacey!
I have tried making chicken and dumplings soup before, but none of them are as delicious as this one. It looks, smells and tastes delicious. Everyone loves it. It’s very easy to follow step by step and very affordable.
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Lucille!
This soup turned out great and was a big hit with my family! I’ve tried making other dumpling soups, but never felt like the dumplings were right. These dumplings turned out perfectly! I will definitely be making this recipe again!
Soooo good, my grandfather was the only person I knew that could make these dumplings.. he passed before I could get his recipe. So grateful for this one!
That makes me so happy to hear, thank you Millie!
It was a great hit! My husband who had a stroke and is very particular about food loved it, even though it’s not all that healthy for him. Perfect for this cold weather that is now upon us.
Really good. A little work but well worth it. I had a can of evaporated milk that was near expiration so I used that in the soup and made up the difference with chicken stock. Definitely a keeper.
Glad you enjoyed it, Janet!
Looking back- the recipe is actually pretty easy. I made it harder because I didn’t have boneless thighs. I had leg quarters that I had to skin and debone with a knife that was not exactly butcher sharpness.
Thanks for the feedback Janet!
Delicious! Thank you!
Glad to hear, thank you Pat!