Hearty, filling and incredibly delicious, this recipe for chicken and dumplings with fresh milled flour is sure to be a favorite in your household. Made with a whole chicken, fresh veggies, bone broth and filled with pillowy soft dumplings.
January has been incredibly frigid! It started out with below zero temperatures and ended with a foot of snow on the ground. The future forecast does not show any signs of improvement.
Since we have been trapped indoors, what better way to make the time more enjoyable than with a bowl full of chicken and dumplings with fresh milled flour.
Chicken soup and homemade dumplings are so comforting!
I find cooking the chicken ahead of time and making the broth on a separate day saves loads of time. Then all you have to do is sauté the vegetables and toss in the dumplings. A perfect, hearty meal for a very cold winter season.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Comforting – Warm up this winter with a bowl of fresh milled flour chicken and dumplings.
Deliciously Healthy – Homemade bone broth, organic veggies, flavorful roasted chicken and easy dumplings with fresh milled flour make a scrumptious and nutritious soup!
Filling – This hearty soup is made with such nourishing ingredients, it is bound to stick to your ribs and keep you full for quite a while.
Tips
What are some tips for making the best chicken and dumplings?
- While this chicken and dumplings recipe calls for a whole fryer chicken, you can make chicken and dumplings with leftover roast chicken or even pieces of cooked chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs.
- You can your own homemade bone broth or chicken stock or you can purchase some organic chicken broth from the store.
- If the dumpling dough recipe is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
- A uniform shape will help them to cook through at the same time.
- For extra dumplings, double the dough recipe!
- When it is time to cook the dumplings, make sure the soup is simmering and not boiling. A gentle simmer helps cook the dumplings through without creating a soggy dumpling or dissolving them altogether.
- Always use a lid when cooking the dumplings. The steams helps to cook each dumpling correctly.
- As the dough cooks, the starch in the dumplings will thicken the broth slightly.
- If you are uncertain if the dumplings are done, pull one out and cut it in half. It should not be doughy in the center.
Tools You May Need
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Large pot or dutch oven
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Mixing bowl
Ladle
Ingredients
What are the ingredients for chicken and dumplings?
For the soup:
Chicken – a whole roasted chicken works best. Plus the bones can be used to make broth. If you do not have a whole chicken on hand, leftover chicken can be used or diced chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs.
Carrots, celery and onions – the foundations of a delicious soup.
Garlic
Seasonings – This from scratch chicken and dumplings recipe uses salt, pepper, thyme, sage and parsley to create terrific flavor.
Chicken broth – I like to make bone broth using leftover chicken bones and toss them into my instant pot or slower cooker. Store bought stock can also be used.
For the dumplings:
Butter
Fresh milled flour – Hard white or hard red wheat is what I recommend.
Baking powder – helps the dumplings with fresh milled flour to rise and become fluffy.
Milk – raw whole milk is our favorite.
Salt
Fresh Milled Flour Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
Soup
1 whole cut-up fryer chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
2 teaspoons dried parsley
10 cups chicken broth
Dumplings
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 1/2 cups fresh milled hard white wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
Directions
Make the homemade chicken broth or bone broth. This can be done days in advance, if desired or you can use frozen broth that you have made previously. You can also use store-bought chicken stock.
Preheat oven to 400 F. To cook the chicken, place the whole chicken breast side up in a roasting pan or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid then roast the chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the internal temperature is 165° F. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To start making the soup add oil, diced onion, diced celery, and carrots to the stock pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft. Toss in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Pour in the chicken broth, thyme, sage, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften.
While the vegetables cook, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Be sure to save the bones for a future batch of chicken broth. Add chicken to pot and bring to a simmer.
To make the dumplings, mix together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut butter in until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Allow the dough to sit for a couple of minutes to let the flour absorb some of the liquid.
The dough should be slightly soft and tacky. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Gently divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll into a ball. A uniform shape will help them to cook through at the same time.
Carefully drop dough balls into simmering soup. Cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not overcook as the dumplings may dissolve. Remove lid, ladle warm soup into bowls and enjoy.
What is the Secret to Flavorful Chicken Dumplings?
Many ingredients and cooking techniques contribute to the delightful flavor of chicken and dumplings with fresh milled flour. Rich broth and sautéing the onions, carrots and celery create a delicious foundation for the soup. To build on top of that, adding the dark meat, such as the chicken thighs and leg meat from the roasted chicken adds more flavor. A mixture of seasonings and garlic is key to flavorful dumplings. And lastly, added butter and fresh milled flour top off the soup — yum!
What are the Common Mistakes While Making Chicken and Dumplings?
- Overworking the dough creates a tough dumpling.
- Leave the lid on while the dumplings cook. Do not remove the lid too soon as the steam and heat help to cook the dumplings through.
- Cooking the dumplings too long will cause them to dissolve into the soup.
- Do not stir the soup after the dumplings have cooked as they may fall apart.
How Do You Know When the Dumplings are Cooked Through?
The dumplings will float to the top of the broth and get large and fluffy as they cook. They will have a solid structure and a darker color to them when they are done. Pull a dumpling out of the pot and cut it in half to test for doneness. The inside should be not be doughy.
More From Scratch Recipes
Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Pan Fried Okra With Fresh Milled Flour
Chicken and Dumplings With Fresh Milled Flour
Hearty, filling and incredibly delicious, this recipe for chicken and dumplings with fresh milled flour is sure to be a favorite in your household. Made with a whole chicken, fresh veggies, bone broth and filled with pillowy soft dumplings.
Ingredients
- Soup
- 1 whole cut-up fryer chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground sage 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 10 cups chicken broth
- Dumplings
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 1/2 cups fresh milled hard white wheat flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Make the homemade chicken broth or bone broth. This can be done days in advance, if desired or you can use frozen broth that you have made previously. You can also use store-bought chicken stock.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. To cook the chicken, place the whole chicken breast side up in a roasting pan or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid then roast the chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the internal temperature is 165° F. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- To start making the soup add oil, diced onion, diced celery, and carrots to the stock pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft. Toss in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth, thyme, sage, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften.
- While the vegetables cook, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Be sure to save the bones for a future batch of chicken broth. Add chicken to pot and bring to a simmer.
- To make the dumplings, mix together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut butter in until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Allow the dough to sit for a couple of minutes to let the flour absorb some of the liquid.
- The dough should be slightly soft and tacky. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Gently divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll into a ball. A uniform shape will help them to cook through at the same time.
- Carefully drop dough balls into simmering soup. Cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not overcook as the dumplings may dissolve. Remove lid, ladle warm soup into bowls and enjoy.
Notes
- While this chicken and dumplings recipe calls for a whole fryer chicken, you can make chicken and dumplings with leftover roast chicken or even pieces of cooked chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs.
- You can your own homemade bone broth or chicken stock or you can purchase some organic chicken broth from the store.
- If the dumpling dough recipe is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
- A uniform shape will help them to cook through at the same time.
- For extra dumplings, double the dough recipe!
- When it is time to cook the dumplings, make sure the soup is simmering and not boiling. A gentle simmer helps cook the dumplings through without creating a soggy dumpling or dissolving them altogether.
- Always use a lid when cooking the dumplings. The steams helps to cook each dumpling correctly.
- As the dough cooks, the starch in the dumplings will thicken the broth slightly.
- If you are uncertain if the dumplings are done, pull one out and cut it in half. It should not be doughy in the center.
