Chicken and Dumplings is the ultimate comfort food. Period. The fluffy dumplings combined with flavorful chicken soup make this meal irresistible! In just minutes from now, you’ll be enjoying an amazingly creamy and delicious dinner that tastes like it’s made from scratch!
The easiest and fastest way to make chicken with dumplings is to use a can of biscuits. It’s true, canned biscuit dough makes excellent dumplings in this classic Southern comfort food dish the whole family will love!
Jump to:
Let’s take a look at just how easy it is to make this Southern chicken dish.
🥘 Ingredients
There are only a few items that you need to make this super delicious one-pot dish:
- Chicken – be sure it is already cooked.
- Chicken broth – you can also use chicken bone broth. Bone broth will impart a richer flavor and darker color.
- Cream of chicken soup – this helps to make it nice and creamy, naturally.
- Canned biscuits – use either two cans of regular biscuits or one large of Pillsbury Grands.
- Pepper – good old black pepper is all you need.
🔪How to easily make Chicken and Dumplings
It doesn’t take special equipment to make these quick and easy chicken and dumplings – a nice large pot will do the trick.
Heat chicken broth in a pot on medium-high heat and cook until it starts to gently boil.
Add chicken. You’ll want to use chicken that has already been cooked.
Cut biscuits into small pieces and place in chicken broth mixture. Stir well.
Add cream of chicken soup and stir.
Put a small layer of pepper over the dumplings.
Stir well, reduce the heat, and let the chicken and dumplings simmer for 5-10 minutes.
📌 Tips and Notes
Cut the dough into small pieces. Smaller dumplings cook better than larger dumplings. The dough will expand once it is placed in the warm broth.
Some people may find that canned biscuits work better if you coat the biscuit dough in a small amount of flour. (Flour will help to keep the biscuits from completely dissolving in the broth. Once you get used to making them, you will learn how to tell that the dumplings are done and won’t need to flour them.)
You can use regular chicken broth or chicken bone broth. Bone broth will impart a richer, darker color to the dumplings.
For the chicken, you can cook chicken ahead of time and shred it. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work really well in this recipe. You can also purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off of the bones and use it. If you are really in a pinch, you could purchase pre-cooked chicken chunks in the meat section of your grocery store and use it.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
🤷🏻♀️ Chicken and Dumplings FAQs
Chicken and Dumplings are a staple in the deep South. Basically, it’s like a thick, creamy chicken stew with pillowy dumplings. The dumplings are cooked in a broth and seasoned, usually with a lot of pepper.
Yes, you can! Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings for making them in America’s favorite pressure cooker.
Yes. Using a Crockpot, you can make chicken and dumplings using uncooked chicken, butter, water, Grands, cream of chicken soup, and pepper. We have a Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings recipe you might like on the blog.
Chicken and dumplings should be thick, somewhat like a stew.
Canned biscuits. You can use either 2 cans of refrigerated biscuit dough or one package of Grands biscuit dough.
Absolutely. While we prefer the simplistic version, feel free to add frozen veggies when you add the biscuit dumplings.
🐓 Got Chicken? I’ve got recipes!
- Easy Baked Chicken Taquitos – Creamy and cheesy, these Mexican favs are crispy and will be a hit for Taco Tuesday! (You say Taco, I say Taquito.)
- Chicken Fiesta Casserole– Chicken and shredded potatoes are combined in one dish to make an easy weeknight delicious dinner.
- Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry – The dish is full of veggies and can be prepared in one skillet. Serve with some rice and it’s a great Thai dinner for 4-6 hungry folks.
- Sesame Chicken – Crispy, tender, sesame seed battered chicken nuggets made at home.
- Chicken Noodle Casserole – Chicken breasts, egg noodles, and veggies are baked in a homemade cream sauce and topped with buttery Ritz Crackers. Yum!
- Chicken Pot Pie – Creamy chicken filling is surrounded by a buttery crust and it all just melts in your mouth.
📖 Recipe
Quick and Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 32 ounces Chicken broth
- 10.5 ounces Cream of Chicken Soup
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 2 cans refrigerated biscuits
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat chicken broth in pot on medium-high heat and cook until gently boiling. Add chicken.
- Cut biscuits into small pieces and place in chicken broth mixture. Stir well.
- Add cream of chicken soup and stir.
- Put a small layer of pepper over dumplings.
- Reduce the heat, stir well, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you prefer dark meat, then check out the recipe that Martha Stewart makes. If you prefer to use your slow cooker, check out our recipe for Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings.
🆚 Quick and Easy versus Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings
From the recipe above, you can see how easy this recipe is to make. Let’s take a quick look at Old Fashioned method with homemade dumplings.
First, you need either chicken stock or chicken broth. You can get it either by boiling a whole chicken in a large Dutch oven preferably with some aromatics (herbs and spices) over medium-high heat. The results are tender chicken and homemade broth. This is a good time to turn the burner off momentarily.
Next, you have to transfer chicken, chicken pieces, and other flavoring ingredients from the broth and skim any undesirable floating materials like chicken fat. The chicken meat needs to be taken off the bones. Return the shredded chicken meat to the broth.
Now it’s time to look at making dumpling dough. For this, you need a mixing bowl, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, whole milk, and butter. Combine flour and the dry ingredients, melt butter, and then add the butter and milk to the dry ingredients. Mix it all well with a wooden spoon or a spatula. You can then either roll out the dumpling dough and cut it into strips or simply scoop it into the flavorful broth. Turn the burner on and adjust to medium heat. Let the dumplings cook for about 15 minutes.
To me, using canned biscuits is the clear winner when it comes to convenience. It’s the perfect recipe for saving time in the kitchen. Truth be told, making everything scratch is a winner when it comes to eating cleaner. Unfortunately, we don’t always have enough time and just need an easy recipe to follow.
I hope you enjoy this family favorite. It’s a great recipe with simple ingredients that you can pick up at the grocery store. It’s perfect all year round, but especially on a cold night.
If you are new to Southern Kissed, stay a while and check out some of our other recipes or travel posts. Reader favorites include Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, Zucchini Tots, and Dining in Panama City Beach.
Moon says
Canned biscuits and cream of chicken soup? Lmao
Lynda says
Don’t knock it until you try it!
Mr. Groone says
Good quick recipe, but the pilsbury grands added a bit of sweetness that wasn’t expected. I recommend adding a tablespoon of mustard powder to counter the sugar pilsbury adds to the grands recipe. Other then that the recipe is great if your in a pinch. A rotisserie chicken and some grands from Wal-Mart on your way home from work, and you got supper in 30 minutes.
Donna says
I wanted to make chicken and dumplings for dinner the other night and I came across your site. I did everything by your recipe and it turn out great it was gone in no time. What I love is that my brother in law never had chicken and dumplings before and he filled his bowl up and love it. Thanks for sharing!!!
Lynda says
So glad that you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your experience.
Kristin says
So so yummy! I added onion and celery for a little extra.
Christina says
Do u add the 1 can if easier to the cream of chicken soup and stock or just the can of soup Making now please reply as soon as you can…. anyone lol! Thank you so much
Lynda says
I did not see your message until after you had made this. How did it turn out?
Delilah says
Normally I make my own dumplings since I have been making them for 30 years. However, this is my go to fast recipe when someone says I want chicken and dumplings tonight at 3:00 in the afternoon. If you are like me and don’t like thick dumplings all you have to do is roll them paper thin on a floured surface. It takes about 15 minutes longer but you will end up with a pot of chicken and dumplings very similar to Cracker Barrel’s.
Lynda says
I am so tickled that this is your go-to recipe for quick chicken and dumplings. Thanks for your advice about rolling them out to make them like Cracker Barrel’s Chicken and Dumplings.
Sheila says
I saw a recipe for chicken and dumplings and got hungry for it. The others required so many ingredients and time. I found yours and made it, it was so easy, quick and delicious. It’s a great base so anyone can change to their own taste and what you have on hand. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.
Lynda says
💕💕💕
G. H. says
I found your recipe a few years back and have been making it ever since. It is a winner every time! I normally make it with leftover turkey. It is so easy, flavorful and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Lynda says
Thank you so much for your comment – it made my day. If you have an Instant Pot, be on the lookout. I will be publishing a post today or tomorrow with instructions on how to make chicken and dumplings in a pressure cooker.😀 It tastes just as great as this recipe.
Cynthia Roberson says
I had forgotten how my mother made it…this recipe was just what I was looking for..I did not want to use the rolling pin
Lynda says
I hope you enjoy it!
Linda says
This recipe uses the traditional ingredients of southern chicken and dumplings. But with rotisserie chicken.
I prefer to venture from that recipe a bit. I want some color and extra flavor in my chicken and dumplings.
So here’s what I use in mine.
If I’m using rotisserie chicken I’d prepare that and set aside.
I’m only listing ingredients not spicific amounts.
Low sodium chicken broth
Onion diced
Carrots diced
Celery diced
Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor
Cream of celery soup
Parsley flakes
I love the addition of carrots for color and flavor.
The Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor adds much needed flavor and richness.
I usually use Mary ‘B’s frozen rolled dumplings. But I haven’t been able to find them lately so I’ll either make my own or if I don’t want the mess I’ll use canned biscuits. I’m just not crazy about a spicific flavor I get from them.
Norma says
My family has been using this dumpling idea for more than 50 years. It must be a southern thing. We are from Georgia. The only difference in our recipe is that we would roll the canned biscuit out with a rolling pin & cut it into strips. We would lay them on a plate & sprinkle lightly with flour to keep them from sticking together. When the broth was boiling, we dropped them in a few at a time. Knowing how much broth & how long to cook them is just learned through experience.
Lynda says
Thanks for sharing your story. Rolling out the biscuits is an interesting idea.
Linda says
This is a great basic recipe. I’m going to make a huge pot of chicken and dumplings to add to our Christmas dinner table.
I’ll be making a couple of changes or additions to this recipe.
I know it isn’t traditional to add anything except onion to chicken and dumplings but I want a little richer flavor in mine. So I always add diced celery and carrots, along with the cream of chicken soup I add cream of celery soup, some Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor and
parsley flakes.
Also after the dumplings have cooked I make a slurry of cornstarch and milk. This adds a wonderful creaminess to the broth.
Lynda says
I can tell you know a thing or two about making chicken and dumplings and I love how you add some Better Than Boullion. BTB adds so much flavor to dishes.
I would add more to my dish, but my husband grew up enjoying them seasoned with simply pepper. Personally, I think I would like them more with the additions that you mentioned.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s much appreciated.
Britt says
Re: Someone else’s post .
I thought I was crazy thinking that my family used to roll out the canned biscuits bc no recipe says that. Thank you for this now I know I’m remembering correctly! I prefer the thin pieces of dumplings vs the ball like ones. This recipe is super helpful. Thank you!
Marie says
This is an amazing recipe. It’s easy, quick, and delicious. The second time I made it I added a tablespoon of heavy cream I had in the fridge which made it slightly creamier and also softened some onion in butter before adding anything to the pot and this made it taste even BETTER.
Lynda says
Sounds yummy! Thanks for stopping by to share your results.
Stacey says
Made this tonight and it’s perfect! Thank you
Lynda says
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by. 😀
Marie says
I made this for the first time and it was so easy hon!! I honestly don’t see how anyone can mess this up!! The family loved this recipe!! Will definitely be using it again! Thank you!! 😊
Brooke says
Delicious i added poultry seasoning with carrots and celery then only used half the biscuits and covered it while it simmered!
Mandy says
I accidentally didn’t see you said 1 can of grands. I doubled the recipe & now I have way too many dumplings lol!!!!
Sandra says
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve now made this chicken and dumpling recipe since I found it 8 months ago! It’s quick, easy and so delicious! Thank you!
Lynda says
Awwww! Thank you so much for stopping by to tell me. I really appreciate it and love that you are enjoying the recipe.
Andre Thomas says
Hello all! I’ve made this recipe several times and follow it pretty much to a T. The only difference is that I use frozen pre-made dumplings instead of biscuits. It turn out great.
Maranda Webster says
This is the easiest way to make it (I don’t like to make dumplings like my grandma). I always add some butter, alittle Tony Chacheres (my husband is from alabama so he eats it on everything!), and some diced up hardboiled eggs. It’s a bowl of southern comfort.
Jennifer says
Made this tonight for dinner, for 2 picky eaters and 2 that will eat just about anything. They all devoured it! It was delicious and super easy and fast.
JUNE NEWBURGER says
My son has a dairy and tree nut allergy. Do you have any suggestions for replacements of the cream of chicken soup?
Thanks so much!
Lynda says
Honestly, when my mother-in-law used to make this, she did not use Cream of Chicken Soup. I add it because it’s an easy way of making the dumplings creamy.
Though I haven’t tried to make homemade dairy-free cream of chicken soup or use a replacement in this recipe, you might be able to make some using plant-based non-dairy milk. Pinch of Yum has a recipe that you might be able to adapt.
Julie K says
I love this recipe so much! I am terrible about not cooking and buying convenient foods. Trying to eat healthier. I found a wonderful shredded chicken at Aldi super cheap. This is my new go to fast meal.
SIMONE TAYLOR says
In which part of Aldi did you find the shredded chicken?
Lynda says
I am not sure you can find shredded chicken in Aldi. You can buy fresh chicken, cook it, and then shred it.
Tiffany Daigle says
I made this tonight. Soooo good! I added Tony’s Chacheres but I’m from Louisiana and add it to everything so that’s just me!
Lynda says
I can just about taste it now – sounds like a great addition!
Julie says
Always a family favorite in our house! Served with mashed potato’s and peas.
Brysco says
Hey there, I saw at the very end you put the ingredients to make homemade dumplings/biscuits dough “flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, whole milk, and butter” I don’t have money to get biscuits, I’m 5 months pregnant and have all the other ingredients and am absolutely CRAVING this lol. Do you know the exact measurements for the dough? I so want some thank you!
carol says
@Brysco, check out martha stewart recipes.
Lisa Cox says
Do you think I could freeze leftovers?
Lynda says
I honestly don’t know. We NEVER have leftovers.
Allie says
I love how easy this recipe is! I have made it this way many times, I have also made it using cream of celery soup and frozen biscuit dough that I let thaw then cut just because that was what I had on hand at the time. Its excellent both ways, the frozen biscuit dough tastes even better, closer to homemade than the canned dough, it has less preservatives than the refrigerated but you have to pull out what you want ahead of time and let it thaw out to cut. Sometimes I will add leftover cooked carrots when I have them. I love how easy this is to throw together on a busy night. I’ve found myself stopping to pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home from work more than once just to throw this together for the kids on really busy days. They eat this about once a month through the fall and winter and never get tired of it. Here it is spring and I am fixing to make it for the last time until next fall, its time to rotate the menu and prepare for summer lol.
Lynda says
Thanks so much, Allie, for taking the time to let me know how you like this recipe. It makes my heart so happy!
Daniel Miller says
This recipe was fantastic! Turned out almost exactly like my mom would make when I was a kid.
The consistency will be very thick so if you want more of a soupy or loose chicken and dumplings I’d use more broth or fewer biscuits. Also, these dumplings are not the flat type so the texture will seem doughy if you’re not used to this style, but the cooking for 10 minutes and resting for 5 was all it took to cook them all the way through.. If you love the thick ball-type dumpling then this is perfect.
I used everything exactly as the recipe stated in a 4 quart Dutch oven and the ingredients fit exactly. If you add any larger amounts of ingredients or add vegetables you’ll need to use a 6 quart Dutch oven or it won’t fit.
I used canned chicken and thought the taste was very good. I’ll be making his version from now on.
Lynda says
Thanks, Daniel, for making my day! (This is the best comment I have gotten in 2021.). It makes my heart happy that you like this recipe.
Davina Russom says
Hi..so do you get your broth boiling then add biscuits and lower temperature for 10 minutes and then set aside? I’m a little confused on how long and what temperature to cook the dumplings. Thank you
Lynda says
You get the broth boiling at the beginning. Then you add a can of cream of chicken soup and shredded, cooked chicken. Next, added canned biscuit dumplings to the soup mixture. It is a good idea to reduce the heat to a simmer while the dumplings cook. (I added that you should reduce the heat in the last step. Sorry about the confusion.)
The hot broth/soup should cook the dumplings in about 5-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the broth. It can vary. I don’t get caught up in the exact temperature because it’s pretty forgiving and works out.
Donna Grinnell says
To cook them so they are not gummy you need to cook 10 mins with the lid on, then cook 10 mins more with the lid off.
Melissa Porter says
Anyone have suggestions on using frozen dumplings? Same amt of broth?
Sandy says
Great recipe!
Camille says
This recipe needs to be way more detailed. I used 2 cans of the biscuits pictured and it was way too much. One can would’ve been plenty. Also not sure if they cooked all the way through and it was hard to tell when they were ok enough to consume considering you cook the dough raw in the soup and broth mixture.
Lynda says
What size cans did you use?
Sandra says
Love this recipe, it’s simple and quick!
Bert Bayne says
I have been using canned biscuits for dumplings for years. The only difference I do, I remove the chicken from the stock to keep it from overcooking and cut into cubes, have the cut up biscuits ready, dropping them in the boiling chicken stock (chicken broth, butter, salt/pepper, garlic powder) stirring constantly to keep from sticking together. After dumpling are done, replace the chicken stir and enjoy.
Sandy says
Definitely going to make this!!
Tonya M says
If I got the 32oz chickem broth and the big can of cream of chocken soup how much of the soup should i use they didnt have the smaller cans at the storeand im cooking my chicken breast in the oven before shreeding it yoo
Lynda says
A regular size can of cream soup is around 10.5 ounces. I don’t know what size you have. If you have a 23 ounce can, you could probably safely use 1/2 of the can. If you have a can of cream of chicken soup that is larger than that, I would recommend using 1 1/4 cups of undiluted cream soup.
Daphne says
I can tell this is a good recipe but I think the most important thing left off here is to cover the biscuits. I didn’t see that and after 30 min noticed the biscuits were still raw so I covered. Also might want to add more water or broth- my biscuits took up the whole pot and sucked all the juice up. Maybe a can 1/2 would have worked.
Arika says
Made this tonight and it was a 10/10 for sure!! Everyone LOVED it! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
Lynda says
You’re welcome. So glad everyone loved it!
Jade says
Also what size pot should I use?
Lynda says
I recommend that you use a large pot.
Jade says
How do you cook the chicken?
Lynda says
I typically cook my chicken in the Instant Pot. I like to cook several breasts at one time, shred them, and then divide them into (approximately) 2 cup portions. I use the directions at Wholesome Yum for cooking them in the Instant Pot. (Click the words to the left to go to Wholesome Yum’s website for the directions.)
Julie C. says
Should I double the proportions for a group of 4? I’ve made this recipe a few times for my fiancé and I but I don’t remember if we had left overs or not.
Lynda says
This is the size that I make for my family of 4. It all depends on how big of an appetite everyone has. You could serve it along with green beans or a side salad to help stretch it out.
Karhonda Watts says
I made the recipe and added some cream of celery and it was delicious..Will be making it again.
Katherine Teschner says
I made this with a few changes, I cooked the chicken in broth with carrots & seasoning, I added cashew cream (lactose intolerance) added biscuits. Was delicious.
Lynda says
Thanks for sharing. I am intrigued by the substitution of cashew cream. Well done!
Amber says
Hi! I hope your New Year was good and everyone is staying healthy. I have a question for you. First off the recipe couldn’t be easier or cheaper to make. My question is, can you add cut up carrots and/or celery? Or some other veggie? I’m not health conscious, I just love stew or soup etc with something in it. Thank you for the wonderful and easy recipes. Hope you and your loved ones have a healthy and happy 2021 and beyond. 👍💚🦩
Lynda says
Thank you for visiting Southern Kissed. I hope that this year is the most amazing yet for you and your family!
You definitely can add onions and celery. Some readers have left comments about how they added some extra items to the dish with great results.
Katherine says
Made this tonight – used a rotisserie chicken from H-E-B – doubled the recipe – followed directions explicitly, but did add an empty cream of chicken can of milk. Ensure you put a lid on when letting the dumplings simmer. Easy and super delicious!
Shakarra says
WOW. This was NOT easy. I had to use so much extra water and chicken broth because two cans of biscuits was way too much. I started this recipe at 9pm (using cooked rotisserie chicken i already had) and its now 11pm. We are still cooking it.
Lynda says
I am sorry it did not work out for you. Did you use Grands biscuits or smaller sized biscuits? I have no clue as to what could have gone wrong.
Tiara says
@Shakarra,
Heather says
@Shakarra, I am confused as well. The chicken is cooked, but if your biscuits were still raw in that amount of time. My suggestion for the next time is to turn the burner on. Works wonders.
Lorraine G says
I’ve been looking for a recipe and think this will be great. My mom made dumplings from scratch, no veggies, but added a sliced boiled egg! I miss her so much and wish I had paid better attention when she cooked this! 🥰
Kris says
I’m making this tonight. Its almost finished I wish the instructions were a bit more detailed but we shall see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Marie Bartlett says
I had about a cup and a half of broth I made from leftover Rotisserie chicken a few weeks ago in the fridge and I added a cup of Swanson’s chicken broth 32oz as well. I did not have Cream of Chicken so I used Cream of Mushroom and it worked just as good! I also added about a tablespoon of garlic powder (we like garlic). This recipe is fabulous and great for anyone who loves Chicken and Dumplings and it can be as easy and cheap or hard and expensive as one likes 🙂 I love that.
Lisa says
Thank you!! My heart is happy!! Comfort at its best!!
Lynda says
<3
Ruth Day says
I love this. I use hormel chicken breast. Already cooked[
Tina says
Can this be done in the crockpot if one does not have a big pot otherwise?
Lynda says
There is a post for Chicken and Dumplings at Spend With Pennies that is made in a Crock-Pot that uses canned biscuits. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine that it is delish!
Lindsay says
@Lynda, I have tried that recipe from Spend with Pennies and it is fabulous!
Penny says
Nevermind I found it. This sounds yummy!
Penny says
May be silly but is it a regular can of cream of chicken? Or one of the big cans?
Candace says
@Penny, the normal size
Jennifer says
If using bone broth, should I dilute it with water?
Lynda says
That is up to you. It will have a darker color if you don’t as well as a richer flavor.