If you have never had chicken and dumplings before, this is the time. It’s a hearty, hot bowl that surpasses chicken soup, with lots of moist, shredded chicken, carrots, celery, potato, and plenty of herbs. Not to mention: FLUFFY DUMPLINGS. The absolute best part.
This recipe does take some work (mostly waiting around), but it is worth it. You don’t need chicken broth because we are going to make our own, which requires about an hour of simmering time. This method will also cut down on added sodium, which I try to do whenever possible.
What you need to make chicken and dumplings
You can make chicken and dumplings several ways but I have received the best results in my dutch oven. you can use a large pot as well, but there is something about the dutch oven that gives the broth an extremely good chicken flavor. (here’s mine from Staub.) It doesn’t need to be a giant dutch oven – 4 quarts is big enough.
You will also need a a colander, a cutting board, a sharp knife and a bowl that is larger than the colander.
Ingredients for Chicken and Dumplings
- No need for chicken stock: as I mentioned before, we don’t need to buy broth because this recipe will provide our own! We will add browned chicken to a pot with water, parsley, thyme, rosemary and a pinch of salt. That’s it!
- Rainbow carrots – Not everyone knows this, but carrots aren’t just orange! Carrots can also be yellow and purple. I buy these in bundles at Trader Joe’s, but please do know that they all taste the same, regardless of color. So, if your store only has orange carrots, no problem.
- Yellow potato – I personally prefer yellow potatoes over russet potatoes, but you can use either. I love how yellow potatoes are a bit more firm, and the texture never seems to get soggy.
- Celery – can’t have a chicken dish without it! It will suck up the broth flavor.
- Yellow onion – I love a sweet yellow onion, but white would be fine in this recipe as well.
DON’T skip the dumplings. They are so easy and they seriously make this dish. It’s just some butter and flour that you spoon into the hot broth and voila! Dumplings.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This is a really hearty dish. I said about six heaping bowls, but you might get more than that because it is really filling. This is a great meal prep recipe because it only tastes better throughout the week.
Tips for making chicken and dumplings
- Be patient for the chicken broth! You really should let the chicken simmer for a full hour before moving on to the next step. It will make a huge difference because the water really needs to absorb that chicken flavor. Otherwise, it will just taste a bit watery.
- Add shortcut pasta (if you want) – I sometimes add orzo to this dish if I’m feeling up for it. This dish is already hearty, but you can always add the orzo instead of the potato or if you have less chicken (1-2 pounds). This will create more of a “soupy” recipe, but some people really prefer that. Add the orzo when you are boiling everything in step 4 (below), before simmering for a final 20 minutes and adding the dumplings. That will make the noodles soft enough.
- Don’t crowd your dumplings – space them out in the pot because they will expand. No need to drop them right on top of each other. And bigger spoonfuls will produce bigger dumplings, so you decide how many you want!
How to store and reheat
I leave any leftover in the dutch oven itself and store (covered) in the fridge. To reheat, I will put it back on the stove, turn the burner to medium low heat, and I’ll add 1/4 cup of water to loosen it up. You’ll notice that it dries up a bit in the fridge because the chicken and dumplings suck up moisture, so add a few more tablespoons of water to loosen it up as it warms. Then serve.
Other recipes to try
If you liked this chicken and dumplings with rainbow carrots and potato recipe, try these other warm bowls:
- Delicata Squash and Ground Turkey Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Cabbage and White Beans
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Carrot and Potato
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Chicken and Dumplings with Rainbow Carrots and Potato
Equipment
- dutch oven or large pot with a lid
- colander
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- large bowl
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2-3 lbs lean chicken breast
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tbsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 6 tricolor carrots or regular carrots
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 large yellow potato chopped into cubes (skin on is fine)
- 6-7 cups water
For the dumplings
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk dairy free or regular
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken breast to the heat and brown the chicken all over, about 4-5 minutes per side. You may have to brown your chicken in two batches.2-3 lbs lean chicken breast, 4 tbsp olive oil
- When the chicken is browned, add all of it back to the pot and dump in 6-7 cups of water or enough for the chicken to be completely submerged. Add the rosemary, parsley, thyme and a quick pinch of salt. Bring the pot to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook (covered) for one hour.1½ tbsp fresh thyme, 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, 6-7 cups water, 1 pinch of salt, 1 tbsp parsley
- Once complete, set up a large bowl underneath the colander and place them in your sink. Dump the contents of the dutch oven into the colander, careful not to lose any of the broth (it should all go into the bowl – we need it!). Take the chicken from the colander and shred the meat with two forks. Set aside.
- In the same dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Then add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes (or until softened). Add the flour and cook, stirring often to ensure that the flour darkens the vegetables but they do not burn – about 5 more minutes. Add the "broth" from the colander and shredded chicken back into the pot, and then add the chopped potato. Bring the pot to a boil again and then let simmer, covered, for another 20 minutes.4 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 6 tricolor carrots, 4 celery stalks, ¼ cup all purpose flour, 1 large yellow potato, 1 yellow onion
- In the meantime, make the dumplings! In a bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter and milk until incorporated. Then add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and stir together with a spoon or fork until it makes a thick and somewhat lumpy mixture.2 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch of salt, 1 egg
- To add the dumplings to the soup, simply take a heaping spoonful and drop it into the simmering broth (just push it off the spoon with your finger). Be sure not to spread out the dumplings – they will expand. Repeat until the batter is gone. Cover the pot and let the dumplings simmer in the broth for about 15 minutes so they become light and fluffy (low heat!).
- The meal will be very hot, so take the dutch oven off the heat and spoon the food into bowls. Leave the bowls to cool for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
