Chicken and Dumplings Stew (Printer-Friendly)

Tender stewed chicken in creamy broth paired with fluffy, melt-in-mouth dumplings for a comforting meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken Stew

01 - 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, large chunks
02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 3 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
15 - 1 cup frozen peas
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish

→ Dumplings

17 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
18 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
19 - 1 teaspoon salt
20 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
21 - 3/4 cup whole milk

# How To Make:

01 - Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
02 - Incorporate minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir continuously to coat. Cook for 2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste.
04 - Gradually pour in chicken broth while stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
05 - Add chicken pieces, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is tender and fully cooked.
06 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in milk or cream, frozen peas, and chopped parsley. Maintain uncovered simmer while preparing dumplings.
07 - Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter and milk until just combined; avoid overmixing.
08 - Drop spoonfuls (approximately 2 tablespoons each) of dough onto the surface of the simmering stew, spacing them evenly.
09 - Cover pot tightly with lid. Simmer on low heat without lifting the lid for 15 minutes until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
10 - Adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle stew and dumplings into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • One pot means one pot to wash, and the entire meal cooks in under an hour with minimal fuss.
  • Those dumplings are impossibly simple to make yet feel completely indulgent floating in the broth.
  • It's the kind of food that makes people linger at the table, asking for seconds before they've finished firsts.
02 -
  • Don't lift that pot lid while the dumplings are cooking—every peek lets steam escape, and they need that heat to rise properly and stay fluffy inside.
  • Make sure your broth is actually simmering gently when you add the dumplings, not at a rolling boil, or they'll get tough and collapse.
  • The dumpling dough should be thick and slightly lumpy, almost like thick biscuit batter—thin dough spreads and gets gluey, thick dough stays tender and pillowy.
03 -
  • Cut your chicken into large chunks rather than small pieces—they stay more tender and look more inviting in the bowl.
  • If your dumplings stick to the bottom of the pot, a little splash of extra broth underneath them while cooking prevents sticking without ruining the texture.
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