One Pot Easy Chicken and Dumplings

A hearty and easy one pot chicken and dumpling recipe. Creamy and thick casserole topped with chive and tarragon buttermilk dumplings. A warming and hearty recipe your family will love.

I do love an easy one pot recipe, and homemade chicken and dumplings from scratch are on top of my list. The type of family meal you can take from the stove and place on the table to feed your hungry tribe. Served straight from the pot into bowls clasped by hungry hands.  This is pure comfort food.

What I love about this particular recipe is that everything is cooked in one large pot or dutch oven.  You start by gently poaching chicken thigh fillets in chicken stock. I like to use free range chicken in my recipes.  If you have homemade chicken stock or chicken broth in your freezer, this is the perfect time to whip it out.

Once the chicken thigh fillets are cooked you will need to remove the chicken from the pot, along with the stock/broth, it will all be added back to the pot later.  

With the chicken cooked it is on to the rest of the recipe.  It is as simple as melting butter in the pot, adding the vegetables to saute, along with garlic and bay leaves.  The chicken, that has been shredded, cream and stock are added.  It really is an easy recipe.

The hardest part is making the dumplings, which isn't hard at all!  These are drop dumplings.  Rustically formed balls of dumpling dough spooned on top of the chicken mixture.  Then the lid goes onto the pot, and this old fashioned homemade delight is left to simmer as the dumplings cook and expand.

Often I have been tempted to serve with crusty bread on the side. But that would just be carbs on carbs, and as tempting as it is, really isn’t needed.

The dumplings do puff up beautifully, but they are still dense and quite hearty. I find they are more than adequate as an accompaniment to the creamy chicken casserole. The dumplings drink up that simmering soup quite well.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

The Pot
You will need a large cooking pot which has a well-fitting lid. A 5 litre (1.3 gallon) pot would be perfect. It may seem a little big, but once you add the dumplings the chicken mixture will start to bubble up. The lid is important to help steam and cook the dumplings.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE

You’re in luck, no special ingredients, they are all easy to source.

WHAT TO DO WITH ANY LEFTOVERS

In the fridge: Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days. Place dumplings and chicken mixture in a pot and slowly reheat to a hard simmer and serve.  Make sure your dumplings have reheated through (test with a skewer).

Freeze: Leftovers can be frozen. Defrost and then place in a pot to reheat. Bring the mixture slowly to a hard simmer and serve. (This guide may help if you are unsure about how to freeze leftovers.)

This dish is a serious hug on the inside on those cold winter days.  Homemade, old fashioned, packed with flavour, creamy chicken and dumplings.

Sara xxx

Other Hearty Recipes You'll Love

Hearty Clam Chowder - a hearty winter warmer
Duck & Port Ragu - comforting one pot wonder
Quick & Easy Beef Stroganoff - super speedy mid week family feed
Chicken Curried Meatballs - retro family dinner

Printable Recipe

One Pot Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Recipe Author: Sara McCleary

A hearty, easy, one pot chicken and dumplings recipe. A creamy chicken and dumpling casserole topped with chive and tarragon buttermilk dumplings.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 772 kcal

Ingredients

• ▢ 650 grams chicken thigh fillets (approx 5, with no skin or bone)
• ▢ 1.5 L (6 cups) chicken stock homemade is best
• ▢ 65 grams (¼ cup) butter
• ▢ 2 large carrots cut into pieces
• ▢ 3 stalks celery cut into pieces
• ▢ 1 white onion chopped
• ▢ 30 grams (¼ cup) plain flour
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 65 ml (¼ cup) dry sherry
• ▢ 125 ml (½ cup) cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
• ▢ salt and pepper to season
• ▢ extra chopped chives to serve

For the dumplings

• ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped chives
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
• ▢ 190 grams (1 ¼ cups) plain flour
• ▢ 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• ▢ 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) bicarb soda
• ▢ 200 ml buttermilk

Instructions

 

• Place chicken stock and whole thigh fillets in a large pot with lid. Bring stock to a simmer and poach chicken. Remove chicken once cooked and set aside.
• Strain stock into a into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Add butter to the pot and melt over a medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion, cook for a couple of minutes. Then stir in flour.
• Gradually stir in warm stock. Add garlic and bay leaf, then place lid on pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
• While vegetables are simmering shred chicken thigh fillet and make dumpling mixture. To make the dumpling mixture place chive, tarragon, flour, baking powder and biacarb soda in a bowl and mix. Add buttermilk and mix until combined.
• After 10 minutes add sherry, cream, parsley, thyme and salt. Stir well and then add the shredded chicken. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon dollops of dumpling mix into your chicken mixture. Then place lid on the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until dumplings have cooked through.
• Divide mixture between bowls and serve with a good sprinkle of freshly chopped chives.

Oven Temperatures

All oven temperatures are fan forced.

Measurement Notes

All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.

Recipe Notes

Special Equipment for this Recipe

You will need a large cooking pot which has a lid. A 5 litre (1.3 gallon) pot would be perfect. It may seem a little big, but once you add the dumplings the chicken mixture will start to bubble up. The lid is important to help steam and cook the dumplings.

What to do with Leftovers?

In the fridge: Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days. Place dumplings and chicken mixture in a pot and slowly heat to a hard simmer and serve.  Make sure your dumplings have reheated through (test with a skewer).

Freeze: Leftovers can be frozen. Defrost and then place in a pot to reheat. Bring the mixture slowly to a hard simmer and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.

Calories: 772kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 45gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 939mgPotassium: 1285mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 6325IUVitamin C: 10.1mgCalcium: 243mgIron: 5.3mg

Did You Make This Recipe?I do a happy dance when people share how they went. Tag me on Instagram @bellyrumbles & #bellyrumbles