Perfectly seasoned, these chicken and dumplings are hearty, warm and comforting.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- One 2.8-to 3.3-pound (1.3- to1.5-kilogram) whole chicken
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 handful parsley stalks, leaves reserved
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3.17 quarts (3 liters) cold tap water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup (187 milliliters) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
- Reserved parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 cup (125 milliliters) cream, 18% or 35%
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- For the chicken and broth: Add the chicken to a large stockpot along with the garlic, celery, carrots, onions, parsley stalks, peppercorns and salt. Top the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and will easily pull away from the bone 1 to 1 1/2 hours. While simmering, occasionally skim away any foam that rises to the surface.
- Using a pair of tongs, carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set aside in a large bowl until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and set aside.
- For the soup and dumplings: Return the pot to the stove and place over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pot and transfer 1 tablespoon of the melted butter to a small bowl and set aside. Add the diced carrots, celery and onion to the pot with the remaining butter, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully pour in the broth and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Add in the buttermilk and the reserved melted butter as well as the chives and half of the parsley. Stir just to combine and set aside.
- Meanwhile, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bones. Using two forks, shred the meat into large bite-size hunks.
- Add the chicken into the pot and stir in the spinach, cream, lemon juice and remaining parsley. Using two spoons or a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop, drop 16 to 18 dumplings into the pot
- leaving some space between each. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and cook until the dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 551 |
| Total Fat | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 139 mg |
| Sodium | 1667 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 551 |
| Total Fat | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 139 mg |
| Sodium | 1667 mg |
Reviews
Simple, comforting, delicious! We love having this on a cold, rainy night.
Rating 4 stars d/t adaptability. I didn’t plan far enough ahead to use a whole chicken & make my own broth (& that’s not the reason for the 4 star rating – see dumpling comment below).
I used 1 jar Aldi Chicken Bone broth w/turmeric,.1 box Aldi Ch Stock & a bay leaf. I also added 1 tsp Minced garlic & 2c extra broth (made w/better than boullion) bc I like a “brothy” stew/soup/dumpling recipe.
My dumplings were doughy, even cooking about double the time (I made 13 – not a huge difference in the amt suggested). I used the chives in the dumplings but not parsley (bc I don’t use it & don’t wanna waste a “bunch” on 1/4-1/5 the amt needed for a recipe).
I would make this again (my way), using the subs mentioned, but use frozen dumplings (or canned biscuits perhaps, but idk if they’d work).
I didn’t use spinach, but added ~1/2 bag “steamable” peas when I added the shredded chicken (at the end) to warm thru.
I don’t understand what Mary means by the “right consistency” for the dumplings. Those of us w/little experience making a dough of any kind (dumplings, biscuits, etc) don’t know what the “right” consistency is unless someone explains it (esp w/no video). I’m an *experienced* cook AND successful baker, but my dumplings ended up doughy, even cooking longer than recommended.
Therefore, I’m not gonna punish Mary w/a <4 star rating, simply bc of the dumplings alone. I liked the end product (minus the doughy consistency of the dumplings).
Oh, and I forgot the lemon at the end (even tho I bought one specifically for this recipe). I’m sure it would’ve added a nice bit of acid, but my 4 star rating only reflects the dumpling failure, not the flavor or consistency of the broth, as prev noted.
I used 1 jar Aldi Chicken Bone broth w/turmeric,.1 box Aldi Ch Stock & a bay leaf. I also added 1 tsp Minced garlic & 2c extra broth (made w/better than boullion) bc I like a “brothy” stew/soup/dumpling recipe.
My dumplings were doughy, even cooking about double the time (I made 13 – not a huge difference in the amt suggested). I used the chives in the dumplings but not parsley (bc I don’t use it & don’t wanna waste a “bunch” on 1/4-1/5 the amt needed for a recipe).
I would make this again (my way), using the subs mentioned, but use frozen dumplings (or canned biscuits perhaps, but idk if they’d work).
I didn’t use spinach, but added ~1/2 bag “steamable” peas when I added the shredded chicken (at the end) to warm thru.
I don’t understand what Mary means by the “right consistency” for the dumplings. Those of us w/little experience making a dough of any kind (dumplings, biscuits, etc) don’t know what the “right” consistency is unless someone explains it (esp w/no video). I’m an *experienced* cook AND successful baker, but my dumplings ended up doughy, even cooking longer than recommended.
Therefore, I’m not gonna punish Mary w/a <4 star rating, simply bc of the dumplings alone. I liked the end product (minus the doughy consistency of the dumplings).
Oh, and I forgot the lemon at the end (even tho I bought one specifically for this recipe). I’m sure it would’ve added a nice bit of acid, but my 4 star rating only reflects the dumpling failure, not the flavor or consistency of the broth, as prev noted.
After trying the “Herby Chicken and Dumplings” recipe for the first time over the weekend, I was truly impressed with the results. The simplicity of preparation was a pleasant surprise, and the dumplings were a standout feature. I followed the recipe as it was written, and it was absolutely delicious. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’ll definitely be making this again. We loved it!❤️