Southern Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up your chicken and dumplings? ›

Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings

To give that a little thicker texture we're going to add 1 cup of cool water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir it up well. Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture.

Southern dumplings are made with shortening and are simmered in the broth. Northern dumplings — they aren't necessarily from the north, but they aren't southern dumplings so I am calling them northern — are made with butter and are steamed on the top of the pot.

When cooking the dumplings, keep the pot at a gentle simmer. An aggressive simmer or boiling will break them apart. Keep the heat low and keep your pot covered so that they steam.

you can make a slurry (taking some of the broth out in small bowl and mixing it with a little flour) and add it back to the main soup and the flour will add as a natural thickener.

Chicken Broth Substitute: Salted Butter + Water

If you don't have broth on hand and want a little more flavor than just plain water, try subbing in 1 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon of butter for every cup of chicken broth in your recipe. The butter will help create a richer flavor than just water alone.

Using a greased tablespoon or #50 cookie scoop, drop dollops of dough into the soup, spacing them out a little. Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. You can check a dumpling by cutting it in half.

Note that for making tender sweets, such as cookies and cakes, I use bleached all-purpose flour. For savories, such as pot stickers or poached shuijiao dumplings, unbleached flour contributes a more toothsome texture and deep flavor.

Dumplings: In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and shortening with a fork. Add egg and 1/2 cup milk; mix to form dough. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut into four-inch strips with sharp knife.

Popular meat fillings include ground meat (usually pork, but sometimes beef or chicken), shrimp, and even fish. Popular mixtures include pork with Chinese cabbage, pork with garlic chives, pork and shrimp with vegetables, pork with spring onion, and garlic chives with scrambled eggs.

Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover and peek while the dumplings are cooking! In order for the dumplings to be light and fluffy, they must steam, not boil. Uncovering the pan releases the steam.

Are dumplings supposed to float in chicken and dumplings? ›

It will sink at first, but once it is cooked, it will float to the top. Continue to form thick, flat dumplings and drop each piece into the stock pot of broth until you have used up all of the dough.

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough

Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

If you want to thicken the soup base on your chicken and dumplings, you'll need to do it BEFORE you add in your dumplings. Take about 1/3 cup of the liquids and place it into a bowl. Whisk 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into this liquid. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it back into the soup pot and stir in.

Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown.

When you add potato flakes, the stew for chicken and dumplings thickens instantly. Since they're used to create instant mashed potatoes, pouring the broth and potato flakes at the same time immediately creates the creamy texture needed for chicken and dumplings.

FIX: Easiest thing to do is drain off the excess liquid. If it's still too wet, add a little cornstarch to soak up the liquid and turn it into yummy juices once the dumplings are cooked.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown.