Chicken and Dumplings Soup is comfort food at its finest
Yum! What is it about Chicken and Dumplings that just hits the spot, especially on a cold and yucky weather day?! You’ve gotta make this Creamy Chicken and Dumplings Soup sometime this winter. It’s SUPER easy, and the flavors and creamy texture are just perfect! The dumplings are a slight adaptation to my yummy Baking Powder Breadsticks recipe. So if you aren’t a fan of dumplings, just make the soup and a batch of the breadsticks for a deconstructed version.
I don’t know about you, but I almost always have carrots, celery, and onions around, as well as some chicken in the freezer. So, even if I haven’t been on my meal planning game, a recipe like this can come to the rescue on those days when dinner time is creeping up, and I haven’t got a clue what to make.
This soup comes together surprisingly fast, and mixing up the dumplings and plopping them in the simmering soup is actually really fun. I can’t wait to hear how you like this one! Don’t forget you need to make it before soup season flickers out.
Soups for Cold Weather Days
- Potato Leek Soup
- Thick and Creamy Potato and Ham Soup
- Chicken Rice Soup
- Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Thick and Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles
step-by-step photos on how to make creamy chicken soup
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS ON HOW TO MAKE THE DUMPLINGS FOR CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP
Frequently Asked Questions & Tips about how to make Creamy Chicken and Dumplings Soup
I don’t have evaporated milk. What’s a good substitute?
You can use whole milk, and you may need to add another tbsp of flour to reach the creamy consistency. Wait to add the additional tbsp of flour until after the dumplings have cooked because they also help thicken the soup. Another alternative is heavy cream, which is a 1:1 ratio substitute for evaporated milk in this recipe.
Can I use gluten-free flour for the dumplings?
Yes, you can. As long as you use a good gluten-free flour blend, they should turn out good.
Do I need to cook the dumplings longer if I make them bigger?
If you’re making the dumplings the size of a biscuit, you may need to cook them longer. After cooking them for 15 minutes, check the dumplings with a fork. If needed, cook them up to 5 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a dumpling comes out clean.
Can I use minced garlic from a jar in place of the fresh garlic?
Yes. The soup will still turn out good if using minced garlic from a jar, but I recommend fresh garlic for the best flavor.
Tips:
- Use 4 tsp of chicken bouillon and 4 cups of water, if you do not have chicken broth.
- Use a small cookie scoop to drop the dumpling batter into the soup.
- Make sure the dumplings have a layer of soup on them while cooking.
- While cooking the dumplings, keep the lid on for 15 minutes, and then check if the dumplings are cooked through.
- Since the frozen peas will cook really fast in the hot soup, add them after the dumplings are cooked.
CHEF’S TOOLS for Chicken and Dumplings Soup:
More Delicious Chicken Soups
- ¼ cup butter
- 1½ cups diced carrots
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 4 cups chicken broth (4 cups water & 4 tsp bouillon works great)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- In a large soup pot, add ¼ cup butter, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, chicken pieces, ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until chicken is mostly white and veggies are tender.
- Next, add the 4 tbsp of flour and ½ tsp dried thyme. Stir constantly until flour is completely incorporated. Keep vigorously stirring as you add the can of evaporated milk to make sure flour is incorporating into the evaporated milk. Then add the chicken broth or water and bullion. Stir well.
- Soup will begin to thicken as it comes back to a boil.
- While the soup is coming back to a boil, mix up the dumplings batter.
- Start by adding the flour, baking powder, garlic salt, sugar, thyme, and black pepper together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Next, add the milk and melted butter. If the butter is hot, pour some of the milk into it before adding it to the mixture to help it cool down. Use a fork to stir and mix until a nice dough forms. Don't overmix.
- Use a cookie scoop or two spoons (as pictured) to make 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Drop them into the thickening, simmering soup. Once all of the dough has been placed in the soup, use a spoon to dunk them in the soup, if they haven't been covered in the soup yet. They will float on the top, but just make sure they have a layer of soup on them.
- Cover pot with lid and turn down to low (just enough heat that soup is still simmering). Cook with the lid on (don't take it off) for 15 minutes. Check the dumplings with a fork. If needed, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- At this point, you can add the frozen peas and carefully stir them in. They will cook very quickly in the hot soup--3-5 minutes--and then you are ready to serve.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Thank you for uncomplicating a soup that sometimes makes me feel intimidated! This was so simple and so delicious! Now I feel like I can make one of my favorite comfort foods anytime I want! Thank you!
Yay! I am so glad you found my recipe, I really do try to make things as simple as possible without compromising flavor!
Excellent recipe ! Easy to follow directions and delicious! You can shorten the process by utilizing Bisquick to make the dumplings.
Thank you, and I love the idea of using biquick!
Creamy chicken and dumplings soup
I have made this 2 Times now ..once I followed the recipe..
Second time I changed it a little… Added heavy cream, no can milk … And in the dumplings, I added NO sugar…
Both ways delicious 😋
Thank you for a great recipe…
Awesome! I love hearing that Debby!
This makes for a good filling meal on a fall/winter evening. Pretty quick to make, my kids enjoyed it too! PARTY!
This meal was SO good with our left over smoked turkey from thanksgiving!! And the best part it was fairly simple to put together quickly! It was so good! Thanks Maria!!
Thanks, Megan! So glad you liked it. Using leftover turkey sounds yummy and is a great idea!
This was fantastic. The whole family loved it. Thank you for posting!
Thanks, Heidi! So glad your whole family loved it.
I did make this today. I used 3 large ck thighs with skin and baked in oven. Gathering juices from pan I returned to recipe. Very good! I’m a restaurant owner and would have rave reviews for this recipe. I thought veggies were excessive but they were spot on. Thanks
Thanks, Amy! Your tip for preparing the chicken the way you did and using the juices sounds delicious.
I just made this and it was so delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! I definitely give it 5 stars as smiles my hubby as well. I live all the step by step instructions and pictures as well. I make my dumplings slightly different but definitely hit the spot!!
Thanks, Kim! We love hearing this!