Chicken And Dumplings Skillet Recipe

Between chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, and chicken noodle soup, it's hard to think of better comfort food than warm chicken, cream, and carbs all in one pot. The cozy mixture of tender chicken, warming broth, and soft, savory vegetables never seems to get old, especially when paired with silky noodles or a crispy pie crust. Chicken and dumplings are often served in a large pot filled with creamy broth and fluffy boiled dough, but in this version, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, the base is made thick and creamy before being topped with biscuit-like dumplings for a tender, savory, and very satisfying meal.

The skillet, which is filled with comforting aromatic flavors like rosemary, garlic, and thyme, is the ultimate combination of all three comforting chicken dishes in one. Instead of a brothy base, the chicken and vegetables are surrounded by thick, creamy gravy, made thicker by doughy drop dumplings. The dumplings, which are a simple Southern biscuit recipe designed to be boiled in the broth, become both fluffy and creamy while steaming in the warm chicken gravy. This recipe is easy enough to be made any day of the week, and so cozy you'll crave it all through the winter.

The first half of this recipe walks through the creamy, chicken-filled base, which requires similar ingredients to a chicken pot pie. You'll need chicken breasts or thighs, salt, pepper, flour, butter, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and chicken broth to begin, which come together like a chicken noodle soup and help to cook the chicken until tender. You'll also need heavy whipping cream, which is added after the chicken is shredded. The dumplings, which are mixed and added after the cream is incorporated, only require a few more ingredients: Self-rising flour, milk, rosemary, and thyme.

Pat the chicken dry, then coat it with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the flour.

Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.

Add the chicken and brown on either side, about 4 minutes per side.

Add the onion and garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the carrot, celery, and 2 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes further.

Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks.

While the chicken is simmering, make the dumpling batter. In a large bowl, mix the flour, milk, melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, rosemary, and thyme together until mostly smooth.

Return the chicken to the skillet with the heavy cream and the remaining cup of broth and stir.

Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-low heat and drop in the dumplings using a cookie scoop.

Cover and steam until the dumplings are cooked on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and turn each dumpling over.

Return the lid and cook until the dumplings are solid and cooked through, about 10 minutes. The broth will be thick.

Once the dumplings are fluffy throughout, serve the chicken and dumplings.

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The word "dumpling" is used in many cultures to describe different kinds of dough-based foods. There are over 50 types of dumplings throughout the world; some are stuffed and steamed, while others are dredged and fried, and some are dropped into soup and boiled. Drop dumplings, which are the kind used in this recipe, are similar to biscuits but cooked in simmering broth, which results in a slightly different texture. Still, the drop dumpling differs from other dumplings in that it is fluffy and bread-like rather than silky or noodle-like.

The texture you are looking for with the drop dumplings in this recipe is similar to a biscuit, but with a moist exterior instead of any golden brown crust. You'll notice that before flipping, the dumplings resemble biscuits, remaining fluffy on top with a sizable crumb. Once flipped, both sides become moistened, while the inside remains fluffy and light. They should not be overly dense or wet, but rather, fluffy with a moist exterior — if you've ever had matzo ball soup, that's about the same texture you're looking for here.

Self-rising flour is simply a type of flour that has leavening agents already added, which give the flour the ability to rise without the necessity of extra ingredients. Though you can technically make self-rising flour at home, store-bought self-rising flour also has a lower protein content and is milled from softer wheat than all-purpose, thus yielding a fluffier biscuit. You can substitute all-purpose flour for self-rising flour, but you'll need to alter the recipe slightly to accommodate the change.

Instead of following the recipe as written and simply adding baking powder and salt — which is typically 2 teaspoons and ½ teaspoon, respectively, to every cup of flour — use an even 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup of milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix these together with the herbs, salt, and pepper until the texture resembles biscuit dough, then drop into the chicken mixture and continue the recipe as written.

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