Easy Chicken and Dumplings

I'm all about easy, and I'm all about chicken and dumplings. The hardest thing about this dish is waiting long enough for the dumplings to cook before eating it! (and then probably wiping all the flour off the counter after you're done making the dumplings).

Granddad JC and Grandma Izzy have both said that not only did they eat chicken and dumplings often as they were growing up, but it was a staple at their family 4th of July celebrations when they were kids.

I've styled my recipe off of Mom's (which I think she got from Grandma) but added a few twists of my own to make it easier. I hope you enjoy it!


Cook one boneless, skinless chicken breast on stove with 1 tsp salt and 1 bouillon cube in about 6 C water (I fill up my largest pot about 1/2 way with water. I'm not exactly sure how much water it is or the exact size of the pot. It's at least 3 quarts, maybe more). Depending on if the chicken breast is thawed out or frozen , this should take anywhere from 20-35 minutes. I like to cook the chicken at a simmer so it's more tender than if I cooked it at a full rolling boil.

Meanwhile, combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl*:

3 C all-purpose flour
3/4 T sugar
3/8 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1/2 C salad oil
3/4 C water

At the end, I generally have to finish blending the ingredients with my hands.

Flour a clean counter top, and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into 3/4 inch wide strips at whatever length you like your dumplings to be. I like mine about 4 - 5 inches long. I've found that pizza cutters are the quickest and easiest way to cut my dough.

When the chicken has finished cooking, take it out of the pot and place it on a cutting board to cool. Bring the broth to a rolling boil. Add strips of dough to boiling water, stirring periodically. At this point, the food is prone to boiling over, so keep a close eye on the pot. I usually turn the heat down gradually as I add the dumplings to avoid that problem.

Keep the dumplings at a simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so the dumplings don't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces and combine with dumpling mixture in the pot. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. I like about 1/2 t of pepper and 1/4 t of garlic powder. Salt is just one of those things you have to taste for.

At this point, you just have to wait for the dumplings to cook. You can add flour to the broth if you want a thicker soup. The dumplings are done when they are soft and bend somewhat easily. I like to let them cook for at least 30 minutes, but I like them better when they've cooked longer than that, probably 45 minutes to an hour. This is a great dish to make ahead of time because it tastes better the longer the flavors have to combine.

Enjoy!


* if you want to make this dish even easier, you can buy frozen dumplings from some grocery stores, especially in the South. Don't use the refrigerated biscuit dough, though. It has sugar in it and tastes weird in this dish.