Chicken and Dumplings are the best kind of comfort food. Tender chicken and veggies in a creamy stew that’s topped with fluffy dumplings? This is an old-fashioned dish we can get behind! We love to make it right in our Dutch oven for a one-pot prep that takes just about a half hour to make (but tastes like it simmered for hours.) Simple, easy, and nostalgic—can’t beat that trifecta!
Dutch oven chicken and dumplings is the perfect cozy recipe to make at home—especially on a cold, dark night. But did you know chicken and dumplings is actually a great camping recipe, too? It comes together in a single pot, and the Dutch oven preparation is perfect for cooking over the campfire.
It’s great for prepping ahead of time, too. Mix up the dumplings, cut up the chicken, and chop the veggies ahead of time–then the actual cooking process is nearly effortless.
We’ve also been known to cook the stew ahead of time at home and prep the dumpling dough so they’ll be ready to go, then pack it all in our cooler. When we’re at camp and ready to eat, all we have to do is pour the stew into our Dutch oven, top it with the dumplings, and simmer away!
For us, this one is on regular rotation whether we’re at camp or at home. No matter where we are, Dutch oven chicken and dumplings is easy, comforting, and rib-stickingly good!
Ingredients
For the dumplings:
- Flour: For the most tender dumplings, we use all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: For fluffy dumplings.
- Salt: For lots of flavor.
- Half & half: The extra fat in half and half helps create a tender, melt-in-your-mouth dumpling.
- Butter: More fat and flavor!
For the stew:
- Oil: Use your favorite standard cooking oil for sauteing the veggies, such as olive oil.
- Onion: Yellow onion or white onion will both work well.
- Salt: To help draw the moisture out of the onions and add flavor to the whole thing.
- Garlic: Two fresh cloves of garlic, minced finely.
- Butter: Butter, along with flour, helps to create a roux, which creates a thick, creamy base for your chicken and dumplings.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour here, too, for the roux.
- Chicken broth: Use your favorite brand of chicken broth. You can substitute vegetable broth if that’s what you have.
- Half & half: For an especially rich and creamy stew.
- Thyme: This herb adds earthy flavor. If you have fresh thyme, even better! You’ll just want to use two teaspoons of fresh thyme vs. one teaspoon dried.
- Bay leaf: Simmering the bay leaf in this stew adds another note of comforting, herbaceous flavor.
- Chicken thighs: You’ll want boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into one-inch pieces.
- Carrots: Diced carrots add flavor, color, and a bit of veggie nutrition.
- Celery: You’ll need one small stalk of celery, sliced.
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings — Step by Step
First, make the dumplings. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl, then heat the half and half and butter in a small saucepan. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with a fork until a soft dough forms. Tear the dumpling dough into eight pieces, then set aside.
Next, heat the oil in a Dutch oven and add the onions and salt. Cook, stirring, just until the onions begin to soften and start to turn golden brown. Add the garlic and butter, then add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is a pale golden color.
Pour in the chicken stock and half and half, whisking constantly so that the flour mixture is well-incorporated. Then, bring it to a simmer and add the chicken, carrots, and celery.
If you’re cooking your chicken and dumplings at home on the stovetop, at this point you’ll want to reduce the heat, place the dumplings on top, cover, and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through.
If you’re making it over a campfire, you’ll want to add the dumplings, cover your Dutch oven, and set it over a bed of coals to keep the simmer steady. Top the lid with six to eight coals, which will help the dumplings develop a golden color. Simmer until the dumplings are done.
Tips for Making
Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup half & half
- 2 tablespoons butter
Stew
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup half & half
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ½ cup sliced celery
-
To make the dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gently heat the butter and half-and-half in a small saucepan until the butter melts, taking care not to let the liquid start bubbling too quickly. Remove from the heat and add to the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until a soft dough comes together. Tear into 8 pieces, then cover with a kitchen cloth and set aside.
-
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions just begin to take on some color, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 3-4 minutes.
-
Pour in the stock, half and half, thyme, and bay leaf, whisking so that the flour mixture is evenly incorporated. Bring to a brisk simmer, then add the chicken, carrots, and celery.
Stovetop Directions:
-
Reduce the heat, place the dumplings on top, and cover. Cook at a low simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Campfire Directions:
-
After adding the chicken, carrots, celery, and dumplings, cover the Dutch oven and set it over a bed of coals to maintain a simmer. Add 6-8 coals on the lid, which will help give the biscuits a nice golden color. Cook at a low simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Biscuit method adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
