Chicken and dumplings is the kind of dinner that feels like a hug: tender chicken and vegetables in a rich, creamy gravy, topped with soft, fluffy dumplings that steam right on the surface. Most recipes make enough for six or more, which is a lot of pot for two people. This version is scaled down to fit a single deep skillet, with three chicken thighs, a small batch of gravy and about six drop dumplings. It takes about 50 minutes from start to finish, and it needs no rolling, cutting or special equipment.
Why you’ll like it
- Made for two: three dumplings each and a generous bowl of chicken and gravy.
- One skillet: the chicken browns, the gravy simmers and the dumplings steam all in the same pan.
- From scratch, but simple: pantry staples, with no canned soup and no rolling.
- Fluffy dumplings: drop dumplings steam up light and tender when the dough is soft and the lid stays on.
- Comforting and filling: a whole dinner in one bowl.
What makes it work
Browning the chicken first. Searing the thighs leaves browned bits on the bottom of the pan. When the onion and broth dissolve them, they season the whole gravy. The chicken does not have to cook through at this stage, since it finishes in the gravy.
A butter and flour paste. Cooking the flour in butter for about 2 minutes removes the raw taste and thickens the broth and milk into a smooth, creamy gravy without any cream.
A gentle simmer. A hard boil toughens the chicken and can break the dumplings apart. A gentle simmer is enough to make steam and cook everything through.
A soft, sticky dough. Drop dumplings are not kneaded. The dough is mixed only until it comes together, which keeps them tender, and it is dropped from a spoon onto the gravy.
A closed lid. The dumplings cook in the steam above the gravy. Lifting the lid lets that steam escape and can leave them dense, so keep it closed for the full 15 minutes.
How it is sized for two
A typical chicken and dumplings recipe feeds six, with a pound or two of chicken, several cups of broth and a dozen dumplings. For two people, this version uses three boneless chicken thighs, about 12 ounces in all, a cup of broth and half a cup of milk for the gravy, and half a batch of the dumpling dough.
A 10-inch deep skillet with a lid is the right pan. It is wide enough to fit about six dumplings in a single layer on top of the gravy, which matters because dumplings need space to puff up, and the gravy is deep enough to simmer without scorching. A 3-quart pot with a lid also works if you do not have a deep skillet.
Each person gets about three dumplings and a generous portion of chicken and gravy, which makes a filling dinner without much left over.
Ingredients for chicken and dumplings
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below. Here is how to choose each one.
- Chicken thighs: boneless and skinless, which stay juicy while they brown and finish in the gravy. Boneless breasts also work but are easier to overcook.
- Onion, carrot, celery and garlic: the classic base for the gravy, diced small so they soften quickly.
- Butter and flour: cooked together to thicken the gravy, plus a little melted butter in the dumplings.
- Chicken broth: low sodium if you can, so you can control the salt.
- Whole milk: for a creamy gravy and soft dumplings. Lower-fat milk works, with a slightly thinner result.
- Thyme and sage: dried herbs that give the gravy its familiar savory flavor.
- Baking powder: make sure it is fresh. Old baking powder is the most common reason dumplings do not rise.
- Parsley: chopped fresh, for a bright finish.
How to make chicken and dumplings
- Brown the chicken thighs and set them aside.
- Cook the onion, garlic, carrot and celery in the same skillet.
- Stir in the butter and flour, then the seasonings, broth and milk to make a gravy.
- Return the diced chicken, then mix the dumpling dough.
- Drop the dough onto the gravy, cover and simmer without lifting the lid.
- Check the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Step-by-step notes
Browning the chicken. Pat the thighs dry, season them and brown them in a hot skillet for 3 minutes per side. They only need color, since they will cook through in the gravy later. Move them to a bowl and keep the juices.
Building the base. Cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the onion softens. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes more.
Making the gravy. Stir in the butter and flour and cook for 2 minutes, until a paste coats the vegetables. Add the thyme, sage and seasoning, then whisk in the broth and milk. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Adding the chicken. Dice the browned thighs, stir them into the gravy with their juices, then cover the skillet and keep it at a gentle simmer while you make the dough.
Mixing the dumplings. Stir the dry ingredients together, then add the milk and melted butter. Mix just until a soft, sticky dough forms. Overmixing makes dumplings dense.
Steaming. Drop the dough onto the gravy in six spoonfuls of about 2 tablespoons each, leaving a little room between them. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. The dumplings are ready when they have doubled in size and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. The thickest piece of chicken should read 165°F.
How to get fluffy dumplings
Dumplings are simple, but a few details decide whether they are light or heavy.
- Check your baking powder. If it is old, it will not lift the dough. Replace it if you are unsure.
- Keep the dough soft. It should be sticky and easy to scoop. A dough that is too dry will not puff up.
- Do not overmix. Stir until the flour disappears and then stop.
- Start with a simmering gravy. The dumplings need steam from the first minute.
- Keep the lid on. The steam cooks the dumplings from every side.
- Do not cook them too long. Past the time in the recipe, dumplings can turn gummy or fall apart into the gravy.
- Keep them small. Dumplings about the size of 2 tablespoons cook through evenly, while larger ones can stay doughy in the center.
Tips and variations
- Use leftover chicken. Cooked chicken can replace the thighs. Skip the browning and stir it in just before the dumplings go on.
- Add more vegetables. Frozen peas stirred into the gravy at the end add color and sweetness.
- Thin the gravy. If it gets too thick before the dumplings, add a splash of broth or milk.
- Skip the sage. Use extra thyme or a pinch of poultry seasoning.
- Control the salt. Use low-sodium broth and taste the gravy before the dumplings go on.
- Use a different pan. A lidded pot works if you do not have a deep skillet, but the dumplings will be stacked more closely.
What to serve with it
Chicken and dumplings is a complete meal in a bowl, but a simple side makes it even better.
- A green vegetable such as steamed green beans, broccoli or a simple salad.
- Crusty bread for mopping up the gravy.
- A little fresh parsley or black pepper on top for finish.
If you want another comforting chicken dinner for two, try our one pot chicken and rice for two.
Storage and reheating
Chicken and dumplings is best the day it is made, when the dumplings are at their fluffiest. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking and eat them within 3 to 4 days. The dumplings soak up some of the gravy as they sit, so they soften and the gravy thickens.
Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, loosening the gravy with a splash of milk or broth. Cooled leftovers can also be frozen for 2 to 3 months, though the dumplings will be softer after thawing.
A bubbling skillet, a lid and a few spoonfuls of dough: it is hard to think of a cozier way to cook for two.
Frequently asked questions
What is the secret to flavorful chicken dumplings?
Brown the chicken first so the pan builds flavor, season the gravy with thyme and sage, and add a little seasoning to the dumpling dough too. The dumplings take on the flavor of the gravy they steam over.
What ingredients go in chicken and dumplings?
Chicken, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, butter, flour, chicken broth and milk for the gravy, plus flour, baking powder, milk and melted butter for the dumplings, with thyme and sage for flavor.
What is the secret to good dumplings?
Use fresh baking powder, keep the dough soft and do not overmix it, drop it onto a simmering gravy and keep the lid on while the dumplings steam for 15 minutes.
What are drop dumplings?
Drop dumplings are made from a soft dough that is dropped from a spoon onto simmering soup or gravy, where it steams into fluffy dumplings. No rolling or cutting is needed.
Print
Chicken and Dumplings for Two
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Chicken and dumplings for two: chicken thighs and vegetables in a creamy gravy, topped with fluffy drop dumplings and cooked in one skillet.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter, for the gravy
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for the gravy
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for the dumplings
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup milk, for the dumplings
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for the dumplings
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with a third of the salt and half of the pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch deep skillet over medium heat and brown the thighs for 3 minutes per side. They do not need to cook through. Move them to a bowl.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion softens. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the 2 tablespoons butter and the 2 tablespoons flour and stir for 2 minutes, until a paste coats the vegetables.
- Add the thyme, sage, a second third of the salt and the remaining pepper, then whisk in the broth and the whole milk. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until thickened into a gravy.
- Dice the chicken and stir it back in. Cover the skillet and keep it at a gentle simmer while you make the dumplings.
- In a bowl, mix the 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, the last of the salt, sugar and garlic powder. Stir in the 1/4 cup milk and the melted butter until a soft, sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Drop the dough onto the simmering gravy in 6 spoonfuls of about 2 tablespoons each. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings have doubled in size and are fluffy in the center and the thickest piece of chicken reaches 165°F.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot, straight from the skillet.
Notes
Equipment: 10-inch deep skillet with a lid, mixing bowl, wooden spoon, instant-read thermometer
- Use fresh baking powder: stale baking powder is the most common reason dumplings come out dense.
- The dough should be soft, sticky and scoopable; if it is dry, add a splash of milk.
- Keep the gravy at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil, which toughens the chicken and breaks up the dumplings.
- Do not lift the lid while the dumplings steam.
- Boneless chicken breast also works but is leaner and easier to overcook.
- About 1 1/2 cups of chopped or shredded cooked chicken can replace the thighs; stir it in just before the dumplings.
- Doneness: The dumplings are done when they have about doubled in size and a toothpick in the center comes out clean; the chicken is done when the thickest piece reads 165°F; the gravy should coat a spoon.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days; the dumplings absorb gravy and soften. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, loosening the gravy with a splash of milk or broth. Cooled leftovers can be frozen for 2 to 3 months.
- Cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (USDA FSIS).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
