Description
This classic Chicken and Dumplings recipe features tender, browned chicken thighs simmered in a savory herb-infused gravy with perfectly fluffy dumplings cooked right on top. It’s a comforting and hearty dish packed with flavorful vegetables and aromatic herbs, perfect for a cozy family meal.
Ingredients
Chicken and Gravy
- 4 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, about 1 lb.)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 4 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked)
Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 2 Tbsp butter (melted)
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs and brown each side until golden but not fully cooked. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.
- Sauté the onion and garlic: In the same skillet, add diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté over medium heat until onions soften, stirring to deglaze and loosen browned bits from the skillet bottom.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add diced carrot and celery to the skillet. Continue to sauté for about five minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
- Make a roux: Add butter and flour to the skillet, stirring continuously until the butter melts and forms a thick paste coating the vegetables. Cook and stir for about two minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add herbs and liquids to create gravy: Stir in dried parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and whole milk. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the mixture simmers and thickens into a rich gravy.
- Add chicken back and simmer: Dice the browned chicken and return it to the skillet with the gravy and vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat while preparing dumplings.
- Mix dumpling dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine flour, dried parsley, baking powder, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Make dumpling batter: Pour milk and melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir gently until a soft, scoopable batter forms. Avoid overmixing to keep dumplings tender.
- Drop dumplings into gravy: Remove the lid from the skillet. Using a spoon, drop 2 Tbsp dollops of dumpling batter evenly onto the surface of the simmering gravy. You should have about 12 dumplings.
- Simmer dumplings: Ensure the gravy stays at a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and cook the dumplings for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. The dumplings will double in size and become fluffy and fully cooked inside.
- Serve: After 15 minutes, remove the lid and serve the chicken and dumplings hot for a comforting meal.
Notes
- Use whole milk for richer dumplings and gravy; you can substitute with 2% milk but flavor will be slightly lighter.
- Do not overmix the dumpling batter to avoid tough dumplings.
- Keep the gravy at a gentle simmer during dumpling cooking to ensure even cooking inside.
- If you prefer, bone-in chicken thighs may be used but will increase cooking time.
- Fresh herbs can replace dried if preferred: use approximately three times the amount of fresh herbs.
