Chicken Stew and Dumplings
Please tell me – am I the last one to discover the pure comforting bliss of a bowl of chicken stew with dumplings? How have I never tasted this before? Seriously, I took my first bite (straight out of the pot – quality control!) and said to myself “oh my goodness, this is good.” Then I took another bite and shouted into the other room to Mike: “you’re going to be so happy about this!” I hid it pretty well in the picture below, but if you look carefully you might be able to see that one of the dumplings is actually half missing. That’s because I couldn’t stop “taste-testing” the finished result. (I promise, I only do this when it’s just for me and Mike!)
This recipe comes from a Williams Sonoma cookbook and seriously couldn’t be easier. It’s in the 30 minute meal section, and while I initally had my doubts, this actually came together really quickly. There are no crazy ingredients and the result is hands down one of the best comfort foods you can make in such a short time period. It’s warm, creamy, and will have you eating dumplings straight out of the pot. If you’re looking for something to make for dinner tonight, please try this. Then come back and tell me how much you loved it.
Chicken Stew with Dumplings
Ingredients:
Stew:
- 1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bit-size pieces
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
Dumplings:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the pot. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Add in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of peas. Add the milk and cheese and stir until combined. Knead a few times until the mixture forms a soft dough.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough over the top of the boiling stew. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the dumplings have nearly doubled in size, 8-10 minutes.
from the Williams Sonoma One Pot Cookbook
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
This is actually what I had for dinner tonight. Not this exact recipe, but still delicious!
You're not the last, because I haven't had this. I'll be trying it now though! Thanks!
Looks great to me, Megan! My mom's homemade soup makes dumplings – but they use different ingredients. I am intrigued by the cheddar cheese because, well, cheese is amazing. 🙂
No, you're not the only one. I've never had chicken and dumplings either. But, yours looks so warm and inviting. I just ate dinner, but now I kind of want some dumplings.
I've never made chicken and dumplings but this version looks and sounds delicious! I'll have to try this recipe!
I actually just made dumplings in soup for the first time a few days ago – isn't it just magical?!
There is nothing better than a fluffy dumpling in soup. Your soup looks amazing. I am going to focus on minestrone today.
Very comforting! Great winter meal!
Megan, how many people would you say this serves?
Laura – The book said it served 4. We got about 3 servings out of it, but one of those was Mike's extra large serving, which probably counts as two 🙂 So I'd say it serves 4, but without much left for seconds.
Wow this looks delicious and perfect for all this cold weather we're having. I've never made dumplings before either!
Sound like my kind of soup..looks fabulous!
This should be very tasty! ~
I just made this for dinner, using leftover chicken from yesterday's Roast. I have been scared of dumplings, but these were super easy and yummy, even with a few tweaks and no cheese! Thanks, the whole family loved it and it was super cheap!
This recipe looks awesome Megan! My kids would be all over those doughy dumplings 🙂
My mother made dumplings for everything! I think it was her German mother. I love them. And even when I just have chicken broth, I often mix some flour and egg and make little dumplings!
The thought of this sounds SO good. BUT, I haven't tried dumplings in soup either, simply because I'm afraid of the texture. Tell me they weren't slimy?
pink – Thanks for the quick feedback! I'm so glad your whole family loved it! 🙂
This does sound like a wonderful meal and perfect for this weather! My mother-in-law always made baking powder dumplings but my mother always made the potato dumplings that her Danish grandmother taught her how to make.
This makes me crave chicken soup with dumplings now!
Melissa – I was afraid of the texture at first too – I don't like “soggy” foods. But these weren't like that at all. The outside was wet (as you would expect since they're cooked in chicken broth), but the inside is doughy and soft, not soggy at all. I'd say give it a try. It's a cheap meal and if you don't like the dumplings, you can always just eat the soup! 🙂
Love those dumplings, just gorgeous and simple. I love it.
Megan, I believe chicken and dumplings are a decidedly (though not exclusively) Southern food, which explains why you never really knew about them. Frankly, you missed out on a lot growing up north of the M-D line 🙂
megan – that explains it! 😉 and you're right, I definitely missed out if more southern food tastes like this!
Chicken and Dumplings are awesome! Like Barbara, my grandmother is German and now that she can't cook for herself I made her chicken and dumplings! It was fun to hear her advice on how to make them even better!
There is nothing better than chicken and dumplings! These look amazing!
this looks perfect for these cold eventing
i've actually never had dumplings but these look delicious!
This is just pure comfort. Love it.
Oh my, I adore dumplings! I've never made them before, but I will absolutely try this. It looks so warm and comforting – what a perfect stew should be 🙂
I LOVE dumplings! A perfect meal to make on a cold January day.
Mmm dumplings are so delicious! This dish looks like the perfect comfort food. And I'm totally with you about eating them straight out of the pot!
Soup seems to be all I want these days when it's so cold, snowy, and icy in New Jersey. Thank you for sharing!
I want to try out this recipe, but does it matter that I don't have a Dutch oven?
Beth – I would think that any large pot with a lid would work just as well. If you try it, let me know. 🙂
I made this tonight. My dh thought it was okay but not great. My kids wouldn't eat it but that is nothing new. I liked it and would make changes if I made it again. It was way too salty and I didn't put a lot in. I had to put in two more cups of chicken broth because my dumplings were drying it out. I think I did something wrong with the dumplings because those didn't turn out all that great either. oh well. thanks for the recipe. I think I will try it again with some changes.
The Schultz – I'm so sorry it didn't turn out well for you. You might want to try a low sodium chicken broth if it was a little too salty. I'm not sure what the problem was with the dumplings without knowing more information. If you have specific questions, feel free to email me (whatmegansmaking[at]gmail[dot]com) and I can try to help.
Hmmm – this has comfort and delicious written all over it!
YUM! Just made this tonight it was exactly the kind of chicken and dumpling recipe I had been looking for! I used low-sodium chicken broth, but I think next time–and there WILL be a next time–I'll add 2 more cups. I made it in a regular stock pot, and it worked out great. It made about 5 servings, but would easily make 2 more with the extra stock. (My leftovers were mostly dumplings). The only change I made was to add rosemary and a little garlic salt when I seasoned the chicken. LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
Jen – I'm so glad you liked this! Comments like yours are one of the best things about blogging 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping back to let me know how it turned out!