Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

This chicken and dumplings recipe is the ultimate quick and easy comfort food, with a taste every bit as delicious as the Cracker Barrel version!

The weather has been a touch cooler this week, and I’ve been craving some real comfort food — specifically this homemade chicken and dumplings recipe. It’s a near perfect clone of my favorite dish at Cracker Barrel with one exception…

The Case for Rotisserie Chicken

If you’ve ever had Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, you know that they use poached chicken and pour the dumplings over the top. I wanted to go a somewhat quicker route, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.

Rotisserie chickens are one of my favorite shortcuts for getting a delicious dinner on the table fast. Shredded up and stirred into the chicken dumplings, it gives this chicken and dumplings recipe all the same great flavor I love, but it’s waayyy faster. And it’s typically more economical, too!

PRO TIP: Check out these useful tips for how to cut a rotisserie chicken and the easiest way to shred chicken!

Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

The dumpling dough is very simple to make, requiring only 5 ingredients: flour, milk, butter, baking powder and salt. Stir these together until they form a ball.

Once the dough mixed, turn it out on a floured surface and knead it a few times. Then roll it out thin (slightly less than 1/4-inch) and slice it up with a pizza cutter. No need to be precise!

If you’re working efficiently and aren’t distracted by kids (as I often am, lol), this step takes only about 10 minutes. During this time, you can start heating the chicken broth on the stovetop.

Drop the dumplings one by one into the boiling chicken broth, and then cook them for about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken, and it’s done. Easy-peasy!

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Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This chicken and dumplings recipe is the ultimate quick and easy comfort food, with a taste every bit as delicious as the Cracker Barrel version!

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Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups flour, plus additional for rolling
• 3/4 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• coarse ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the skin from the rotisserie chicken and shred the meat, discarding the bones.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter, and then stir in the milk until the dough forms a ball. You may need to add an extra tablespoon or so of milk if the dough is too dry.
3. Roll the dough out on a heavily floured work surface, slightly less than 1/4-inch thick works well. If you're having trouble rolling the dough, let it rest for a minute and then continue.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into small squares. There's no need to be too precise, about 2"x2" is good.
5. Remove the uncooked dumplings to a plate, adding additional flour in between each layer to prevent sticking.
6. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the dumplings one at a time to the boiling broth, stirring constantly. Add any extra flour left on the plate directly to the broth to help thicken it up. Turn the burner down to medium and cook the dumplings for about 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
7. Add in the shredded chicken and heat through. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Have you tried this recipe?

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