Fast and easy, homemade southern Chicken and Dumplings, made with canned biscuits, is classic comfort food and a true family favorite.
A rich and creamy soup, this recipe for chicken and dumplings is made with tender, juicy chicken pieces and plump biscuit dumplings swimming in a decadent thick and perfectly seasoned broth made with cream of chicken soup and chicken stock. Carrots and celery are then added for good measure.
With this simple one-pot recipe and a few shortcuts with a rotisserie chicken and a can of refrigerated biscuits, you too can have a delicious bowl of Southern Chicken and Dumplings on the table in about 30 minutes. Sound good?
This is not the old-fashioned, made-from-scratch chicken and dumplings that your grandma used to make. And I am not claiming that this quick and easy recipe rivals theirs. But I will say this tasty recipe is nothing short of a dream because it’s so quick to make, and I promise it will be even quicker to disappear.
Plus, this recipe is famous! Vanna White even mentioned she uses it on the show Wheel of Fortune! I do hope you will try it.
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Ingredient notes:
- Rotisserie chicken – it can’t get much easier than stopping at the grocery store and picking up one of these flavorful time savers. Shredded rotisserie chicken can be used in any number of recipes.
- Refrigerated biscuit dough – and rotisserie chicken are the two major hacks or time savers in this recipe. I like Pillsbury Grands canned biscuits, but you can use whatever brand you prefer.
- Cream of chicken soup – adds a wonderful creaminess and flavor to this dish. I have also substituted cream of mushroom soup before with good results.
- Chicken stock – adds tasty chicken flavor and, when combined with the cream of chicken soup, equals delicious flavor!
- Carrots and celery – these veggies add a pleasing crunch plus beautiful color and flavor.
- Poultry seasoning – combines thyme, sage, rosemary, and marjoram in a wonderfully delicious seasoning blend that enhances the flavor of chicken dishes.
(Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.)
How to make chicken and dumplings with biscuits:
- Add the stock, chicken, soup, and poultry seasoning to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for five minutes.
- While the soup mixture cooks, roll out or pat six biscuits to one-eighth inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut each biscuit into half-inch-wide strips.
- Remove the lid from the soup, increase the heat to medium-high and return to a boil. Drop the biscuit strips, one at a time, into the boiling soup. Once all of the biscuit strips have been added, add the carrots and celery.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir gently every five minutes to keep the dumplings from sticking to each other.
- Ladle into a bowl and serve immediately! Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Recipe variations:
Let’s talk dumplings! Depending on what part of the country you grew up in, you might prefer large fluffy biscuit dumplings or the flatter strips of biscuit dough cooked in broth until they are puffed and tender.
- Instead of making the dumplings from scratch, this recipe uses refrigerated canned biscuits, which are flattened, cut into strips, and then cooked in the soup.
- If you prefer the larger round biscuit dumplings, you can substitute frozen biscuits. They will need to be cooked in the soup liquid until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Other options for dumplings include gnocchi, Bisquick biscuit mix, a frozen or refrigerated pie crust cut into strips, premade frozen dumplings, or even a flour tortilla cut into strips.
Frequently asked questions:
At our house, we consider this chicken and dumplings with veggies a meal, and I don’t usually serve it with any sides. However, a slice or two of my Southern Cornbread with Buttermilk, Texas Toast Garlic Bread, Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Cornbread Muffins, or even my Southern Hoe Cakes would be great to help sop up every last drop of the soup.
If you would like to serve the chicken and dumplings over something, my Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes or simply some white or yellow rice would work well.
For dessert, a slice of my Sweet Potato Pie, Banana Pudding Pie, or Pecan Pie would round out the meal nicely. Other options include my handheld Charleston Chewies, or if you want a lighter option, my Homemade Strawberry Sherbert will make a lovely sweet ending to a perfect meal.
Many chicken and dumpling purists don’t believe in adding any vegetables to the broth, arguing that all you need is chicken and the dumplings. I think the carrots and celery add a nice crunch and flavor, not to mention a few vitamins and minerals. So, I like to include them, but you decide.
Leftovers, if you have them, can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Chicken and dumplings are just as good, if not better, heated up the next day.
Yes, chicken and dumplings can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Let it thaw overnight, and then reheat it in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove the next day.
Sharon’s tips:
- Instead of boxed or canned stock, I like and use jarred Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base, which is mixed with boiling water to make chicken stock. Each eight-ounce jar makes 38 cups of stock.
- There are eight biscuits in each can of Grands biscuits, but I find that this recipe works best if you only use five or six. So that they are not wasted, bake the remaining biscuits and serve them with another meal.
- A pizza cutter works better than a knife for cutting strips of biscuit dough.
- Because you are using a fully cooked rotisserie chicken, and the dish only takes 30 minutes to make, I don’t recommend preparing this recipe in a crockpot or slow cooker.
More easy, one-pot, comfort food recipes:
Looking for other quick and easy one-pot comfort food recipes? Check out these easy favorites on my blog:
Just in case you need more recipes, here are a few more that I think you will like:
- Skillet Chicken with Orzo and Lemons
- Green Lentil Soup
- Beef and Tomato Skillet with Polenta
- Easy Skillet Lasagna
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones! I hope you come back soon!
📋 Recipe:
Easy Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuits
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock 40 oz
- 10.75 ounces can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, and meat shredded or chopped.
- 16.3 ounces can refrigerated biscuits, I used Pillsbury Grands, Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Add stock, chicken, soup, and poultry seasoning to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for five minutes.
- While the soup cooks, roll out or pat six biscuits to ⅛-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut each biscuit into ½-inch wide strips.
- Remove the lid from the soup, increase the heat to medium-high and return to a boil. Drop the biscuit strips, one at a time, into the boiling soup. Stir gently. Once all of the biscuit strips have been added, add the carrots and celery.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir gently every five minutes to keep the dumplings from sticking to each other.
- Ladle into a bowl and serve immediately! Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Instead of boxed chicken stock, I like and use jarred, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base, mixed with hot water to make chicken stock. Each eight-ounce jar makes 38 cups of stock.
- Generally, there are eight biscuits in each can of biscuits. I have found that this recipe works best if you only use six. Instead of letting the other two go to waste, bake the two remaining biscuits and serve them with another meal.
- A pizza cutter works better than a knife for cutting strips of biscuit dough.
- Because you are using a fully cooked rotisserie chicken, and the dish only takes 30 minutes to make, I don’t recommend preparing this recipe in a crockpot or slow cooker.
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