My recipe for rotisserie chicken and dumplings has thousands of fans. The chicken stew takes help from a rotisserie chicken, but the dumplings are made from-scratch and practically fool-proof.
(Originally published 12/1/18 and updated for content on 1/31/24)
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I think of chicken and dumplings as the ultimate comfort food recipe. This is a meal that my kids request often, making it a family favorite. Tender chicken and veggies in a thick broth with a homemade dumplings recipe?! Yes, please! Since making these for the first time, I’ve tweaked it over the years. The biggest change I’ve made is adding more chicken broth, based on reader comments. I also use more short cuts to get this comforting one pot meal on my dinner table in record time, without sacrificing flavor. You’re going to absolutely love the taste of my rotisserie chicken and dumplings. It’s an easy recipe that can even be relied upon for busy weeknights.
Pro tips
- Purchase rotisserie chicken ahead if it’s on sale (or you have a Costco membership). Shred the chicken and place it in a freezer-safe zippered bag and freeze for up to one month. Then you’ll have chicken ready to go for whenever you want to make my rotisserie chicken and dumplings.
- Or use my fan-favorite recipe for cooking frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker to prepare cooked chicken in advance for this recipe.
Ingredients for rotisserie chicken and dumplings
For the dumpling soup or chicken stew (I’m never sure what to call it)
- Rotisserie Chicken – A whole rotisserie chicken will give you about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. Pre cooked shredded chicken helps you to get this meal on your table FAST. But it still tastes like an old-fashioned recipe. You can use 3 cups of homemade chicken that you have cooked at home if you prefer.
- Frozen Mirepoix – I used to hand chop my celery, carrots and onion. And by all means if you want to do that, I’m not going to stop you. But in the past couple of years I’ve discovered frozen mirepoix and it saves me so much time in the kitchen. I love it!
- Fresh Parsley – The bright green color and flavor of fresh parsley really helps to elevate my recipe. You can also use help here. I love this semi-dried parsley that is already chopped. Find it in the fresh produce section of your grocery store.
- Butter – Butter adds flavor and helps to cook the mirepoix to start the stew. You could use olive oil instead if you prefer.
- Seasonings – You can play around here with what your personal taste preferences are. I like smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, thyme, salt and black pepper. I’ve also added Worcestershire sauce, white wine, lemon juice. Make the flavor profile your own!
- Chicken Broth – My original recipe called for only four cups of chicken broth (or chicken stock) but it really needs six to have enough gravy-like broth to go with all the dumplings.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – This helps to thicken and add flavor (it’s cheating really) since this recipe is so quick to make. I’ve also used Cream of Celery and Cream of Onion soup in the past.
For the homemade dumpling recipe
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for the dumplings. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I cannot recommend it.
- Baking Powder – Four teaspoons of baking powder help to make these dumplings really light and fluffy.
- Salt – Helps to add flavor to the dumplings.
- Butter – I melt my butter in the microwave, then add the milk. And microwave them a little bit together until they are warmed through. Whisk and then stir in to the flour mixture.
- Milk – I usually use whole milk in this recipe. You could even use full fat buttermilk if you want more of a ‘buttermilk biscuits’ flavor. I’m not trying to save calories or sacrifice flavor when I make this recipe.
- Variations – If you want to add even more veggies to this delicious meal, throw in a cup or two of frozen peas or frozen green beans when you add the chicken and broth to the pot.
Pro tips
- Purchase rotisserie chicken ahead if it’s on sale. Shred the chicken and place it in a freezer-safe zippered bag and freeze for up to one month. Then you’ll have chicken ready to go for whenever you want to make chicken and dumplings.
- Or use my fan-favorite recipe for cooking frozen chicken in the Crock-Pot to prepare your cooked chicken in advance.
Storage directions
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave. I have not tried freezing the leftovers of this recipe. Let me know in the comments if you do.
Kitchen tools
- Use a stock pot to make these easy chicken and dumplings from scratch. You can really use any type of large soup pot or large dutch oven to make these chicken and dumplings. But I like how a glass lid helps you to see the dumplings while they are cooking.
- I use this cookie scoop to drop the dumpling dough into the pot.
More chicken recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Chicken Tarragon
- French Onion Chicken Soup
- Chicken Divan
- Southwest Chicken and Dumplings
Simply Delicious Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken white and dark meat shredded and skin removed
- 12 oz frozen mirepoix blend celery, carrots and onion
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, melt the two tablespoons of butter and add the frozen mirepoix blend, parsley and all the seasonings - Italian seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, thyme, one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook until the vegetables are starting to soften, about 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and shredded rotisserie chicken. Stir well. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
- To make the dumplings, whisk together the flour, baking powder and remaining teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk and melted butter in a smaller bowl or glass measuring cup. I like to microwave both the melted butter and cold milk together after I've combined them to bring them closer to the same temperature. Whisk them together then pour the milk and melted butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir together with a spatula until a smooth ball of dough forms.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon capacity cookie scoop, drop the dumpling dough into the simmering stew one at a time until all the dough has been used. The dough should make 15 dumplings.
- Cover the pot and allow to cook (without uncovering) on a low simmer for 25 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Tania says
This was soooo delicious!!
Thank you so much!!
foodtasticmom says
Wonderful to hear. Thank you for the rating and positive comment!
Jenny says
Hi, can I just use white chicken breasts instead of chicken with bone in? Thx!
foodtasticmom says
I start with precooked chicken. I haven’t tried this particular recipe with raw chicken. But if you mean you are adding cooked chicken breasts in the step that calls for adding the shredded rotisserie chicken then yes, you can use chicken breast.
Lisa says
It’s so hard to find a recipe for the dumplings made without his quick, thank you so much for rescuing me! My mom always adds parsley, onion and garlic powder to her dumplings to jazz them up just a little.
foodtasticmom says
Great additions! So glad you had success with my recipe.
Mary says
I made this recipe for dinner last night and I wanted to tell you it was delicious. I have been using other recipes in the past that were far more complicated. This one was so easy and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
foodtasticmom says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to share your positive experience!
Michelle says
Does the recipe call for milk or buttermilk?
foodtasticmom says
Milk – I usually use 2%
Olga says
Jill, it looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you!
Restaurants in Baguio says
A perfect combination of chicken and dumplings. This dish is perfect for the cold weather here in our city. Will definitely cook this one for tomorrows dinner.
foodtasticmom says
Happy to hear it!
Lauren says
This looks amazing. Just curious about the milk to be used. The recipe calls for “milk”, but I read a comment convo where you said “buttermilk”. Which one would I use?
Lauren says
Never mind! I just saw a comment where you answered that with “2%”. So excited to make this!
foodtasticmom says
I’m glad you read the other comments and found your answer. I’m sorry that I am late in seeing this! Enjoy!
Julie says
Made this exactly as written except used dried parsley as that is all I had and no smoked paprika. It was fantastic and will be made many times! Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
Always happy to get a good review on this recipe. It’s still one of my favorites. I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
Shannon says
Was delish!!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you!
EMW says
Fantastic!
Carrie A. says
I just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe! I’ve made it four times already and will make it again tonight. Talk about the ultimate comfort food! It even tastes good reheated, maybe even a tiny bit better. The only thing I’ve been doing differently is I throw in a 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning and I bake chicken breasts in chicken stock instead of using a rotisserie chicken. Then I throw the chicken and stock into the whole thing. It’s a definite family favorite and has earned a permament place in my recipe binder.
Tonight I’m planning on making a triple batch and will try freezing the “base” for later. (I’m not sure how the dumplings will hold up, so I’ll just make and freeze the rest and add the dumplings after thawing and reheating the base.) I’ll try to remember to update and let you know how that worked out. Thanks again for sharing what is now a family staple in my house!
foodtasticmom says
This a fantastic comment. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Carrie says
How did the freezing go??? I make my 84 year old dad meals. I try to get a few meals together. Wondering how the freezing went!! Oh and believe it or not my name is Carrie as well!!
Jess says
Thoughts on doubling the dumpling recipe? My kids are dumplingaholics (it’s an issue, really. I never seem to get any!)
Would you double the entire recipe, or just the dumpling portion? I’m hoping to make your recipe tonight for dinner. I havent seemed to find a recipe that sticks like my grams did.
foodtasticmom says
I’m sorry for the late reply. Did you end up doubling? I think you’d have to double the whole recipe – I’m not sure double the dumplings in a single recipe for the soup would work…
CH says
I’m doubling and did the whole recipe x2. Looks good so far… waiting 25 min
foodtasticmom says
I’ve not doubled the recipe myself. Please let us know how it turns out.
Noël says
I’m so excited about this recipe!! I did butter baste, then shred chicken breasts and thighs for this. I also switched to coconut milk for the biscuits and heavy cream for the soup. Basically you have me such a great foundation to play with!! Thank you! it’s so fabulous!!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much!
Ariel says
I didn’t have a rotisserie chicken so I boiled 4 chicken breasts with the veggies, then extracted them and shredded. I used 8 cups of chicken stock instead of 4, a can of cream of mushroom and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. Didn’t have thyme. Added rosemary instead. Will absolutely make again.
foodtasticmom says
Excellent. I love hearing how readers make changes to make the recipe their own 🙂
Lynne Cavalieri says
Very easy and very good.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks!
Laura J says
This was delicious!! I was leary at first of the smoked paprika but it add a depth of flavor that enhances the vegetables. Good recipe.
foodtasticmom says
So glad to hear it. Thank you Laura!
Jenna says
Delicious recipe, Chinese dumplings are my all-time favorite. In fact, I am a big fan of Chinese dishes. So, whenever I get to know a new Chinese dish I always give them a try. Chicken with dumplings looks like a delicious recipe. I am surely going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing. Keep sharing.
foodtasticmom says
Come back and let us know what you think of my recipe. I think you’ll be happy 🙂
Beth says
I made this tonight and it was so good. The smoked paprika really sets this apart from other recipes. It has amazing flavor. The biscuits came out perfectly. A definite keeper in my rotation.
foodtasticmom says
I’m so happy to hear this Beth. Thanks very much for taking the time to leave this positive rating and comment.
Julie Spalding says
I’ve made this twice. It is an amazing recipe. We love it. My husband wants me to make this once a month.
foodtasticmom says
I’m so happy to hear this. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Beth says
I made for the second time today. We love it. I feel the smoked paprika is your secret ingredient. That makes this different from other recipes. I stirred in some frozen peas at the end for more color. Thank you.
foodtasticmom says
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment!
Kathy says
This recipe is so simple to make, yet SO packed with yummy flavors! The only change I made was I used regular salted butter (it was what I had on hand) instead of unsalted butter. I decreased the amount of salt by a slight amount…not much! The flavor was just fine, not to salty at all! This will definitely be my go to recipe for chicken and dumplings!
foodtasticmom says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment!
Renee says
This was delicious. Couldn’t find onion soup, so I used chicken instead. No celery, but used celery seed. And I hate thyme, so I switched it out with Marjoram. Otherwise I followed recipe as is and it was wonderful. I would have loved the broth to be a tad more thicker. Not sure how to do that?? 5 stars!
foodtasticmom says
I think just add a little less broth if you want it thicker. Or, stir in a little corn starch maybe?
I appreciate the positive feedback and learning the personal changes you made to this. Recipes are just a jumping off point, meant to be personalized. Thank you for the 5-star review, I appreciate it!
Sky says
Great recipe! I was looking for recipes that use leftover rotisserie chicken and found this one. I will definitely be making it again!
foodtasticmom says
It is a perfect recipe for using up leftover chicken. So happy you enjoyed them!