Soups & stews / Stews & gumbos
Chicken and Dumplings with Buttermilk Drop Dumplings
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Fifteen minutes with the lid on is the longest wait of the week, especially with the whole family hovering at your elbow. Then you lift it, and there they are, soft buttermilk dumplings on a thick chicken stew.
The short version
Cook vegetables in butter, stir in flour, add stock and bone-in chicken, and simmer 30 minutes. Shred the chicken, drop buttermilk dumpling dough on the stew, cover, and don't peek for 15 minutes. The lid is the whole trick.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Cook the chicken on the bone. Bones and skin give the stew body and flavor that boneless chicken can't, and the meat stays juicy. You discard the skin and bones before serving.
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Cut cold butter into the dumpling flour. Little bits of butter melt as they steam and leave the dumplings tender instead of dense.
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Use buttermilk and keep the lid on. Buttermilk reacts with the baking powder for extra lift and a slight tang. Lifting the lid lets the steam escape, which is how dumplings end up gummy.
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Finish with cream and lemon. A splash of cream makes the stew silky, and a squeeze of lemon at the end keeps it from tasting heavy.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- Bone-in chicken thighs or a mix of thighs and breasts3 pounds
- Unsalted butter4 tablespoons
- Yellow onion1 large
- Carrots3 large
- Celery ribs3 large
- Fresh thyme leaves1 teaspoon
- Heavy cream½ cup
- Cold buttermilk1 cup
Stew
Dumplings
yes, all of the butter
Steps
go slow. the good part can’t be rushed.
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Season the chicken
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle it all over with 1 teaspoon salt. Set a large Dutch oven or wide pot over medium heat.
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Cook the vegetables
Melt the butter in the pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until the onion turns translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
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Make the base
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute, until no dry flour is visible. Whisk in the stock a cup at a time so there are no lumps. Add the bay leaves, the 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and bring to a simmer.
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Simmer the chicken
Nestle the chicken into the pot, skin side up, so it's mostly submerged. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the thickest piece reads 175°F for thighs or 165°F for breasts, 30 to 35 minutes. Lift out the chicken onto a plate.
About 30 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Shred the chicken
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in bite-size pieces and throw away the skin and bones. Fish out the bay leaves. Return the meat to the pot with the cream and peas, and keep the stew at a bare simmer.
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Mix the dumpling dough
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the pieces are pea-size. Stir in the parsley, then the buttermilk, just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Don't beat it smooth.
Overworking makes tough dumplings. Lumpy and rough is right.
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Drop and steam
Scoop the dough in heaping tablespoons (about 12) over the surface of the simmering stew, leaving a little space between them. Cover the pot tightly, keep the heat low, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Peeking lets the steam out. The dumplings need that steam to puff.
About 15 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Test and finish
Poke a dumpling with a toothpick; it should come out clean. Stir the lemon juice into the stew around the dumplings, taste and add salt if needed. Serve right away in wide bowls.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- To keep the stew from boiling over and the dumplings from sinking, hold it at a simmer where bubbles break lazily, not a rolling boil.
- In a hurry? Use 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skip steps 1 and 4, and simmer the stew for 10 minutes before adding the dumplings.
- Stir a spoonful of Dijon, some chopped sage or a handful of grated cheddar into the dumpling dough for a variation.
- If the stew gets too thick after the dumplings cook, thin each bowl with a splash of warm stock.
- Storage. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; the dumplings soak up liquid, so thin with a splash of stock when reheating on the stove. Freeze the stew without the dumplings for 3 months and make fresh dumplings when you reheat it.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
Should dumplings be rolled or dropped?
Dropped, for this version. Drop dumplings are fluffy and biscuit-like and take no work. Rolled ones are chewy and noodle-like, which is a different dish and a good one.
Why are my dumplings gummy or heavy?
Usually the lid came off too early or the stew boiled hard. Keep the heat low, the lid on for the full 15 minutes, and mix the dough only until it comes together.
Can I use boneless chicken?
Yes, but the stew will taste less rich. Use boneless thighs, simmer 20 minutes to 165°F, and add a spoonful of chicken base if you have it.
Can I use Bisquick or biscuit mix?
You can. Stir 2 cups of biscuit mix with ⅔ cup milk and drop it the same way. Homemade takes five minutes more and tastes better.
How do I know when the dumplings are done?
They puff up and look dry on top, and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Fifteen minutes covered is usually right.
Can I make it ahead?
Make the stew through step 5 up to 2 days ahead. Bring it to a simmer and make the dumplings fresh; they don't reheat well.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 28, 2026.