Description
This comforting Chicken and Dumplings recipe features tender boneless chicken thighs simmered in a flavorful herb-infused gravy, topped with fluffy, soft dumplings made from scratch. It’s a classic, hearty dish perfect for cozy family meals that come together in under an hour.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Gravy
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon garlic powder
- â…› teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Brown Chicken: Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken thighs and brown each side well without cooking through. Transfer chicken to a clean bowl.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing until onions soften and browned bits dissolve. Add diced carrot and celery, cooking for about 5 more minutes.
- Make Roux: Stir in butter and ¼ cup flour to create a paste that coats the vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste.
- Make Gravy: Add parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and milk. Increase heat to medium-high, stir occasionally until mixture simmers and thickens into gravy.
- Add Chicken: Dice the browned chicken and return it to the skillet with the simmering gravy and vegetables. Cover with lid and let simmer on medium heat while preparing dumplings.
- Make Dumplings: In a bowl, combine flour, parsley, sugar, salt, baking powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir in milk and melted butter until a soft batter forms. Mix gently, avoiding over-stirring.
- Add Dumplings: Remove lid from skillet. Using a spoon, drop dumpling batter in 2-tablespoon dollops evenly over the surface of the simmering gravy, about 12 dumplings total.
- Cook Dumplings: Ensure gravy is simmering, cover skillet, and cook dumplings for 15 minutes without lifting lid. Dumplings should double in size and be fully cooked and fluffy inside. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use boneless skinless thighs for tender, juicy chicken that won’t dry out.
- Don’t over-stir the dumpling batter to keep them light and fluffy.
- Keep the gravy simmering gently while dumplings cook to ensure proper rising and cooking.
- If skillet doesn’t have a lid, cover with foil tightly during dumpling cooking.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated; dumplings may absorb liquid over time.
