Description
A comforting classic Chicken and Dumplings recipe featuring browned chicken thighs simmered in a savory herb-infused gravy with tender, fluffy dumplings cooked right on top. This hearty dish combines sautéed vegetables, rich gravy, and homemade dumplings for a fulfilling meal perfect for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Gravy
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon garlic powder
- â…› teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Brown Chicken: Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken thighs and brown on each side until very brown but not fully cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté over medium heat until onions soften, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add diced carrots and celery; continue to sauté for about five more minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Make Roux: Add butter and ¼ cup flour to the skillet with vegetables. Stir until butter melts and flour forms a paste coating the veggies. Cook and stir this mixture for about two minutes to remove raw flour taste.
- Make Gravy: Stir in dried parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and whole milk. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture simmers and thickens into a gravy.
- Add Chicken: Dice the browned chicken and add it back into the skillet with the gravy and vegetables. Cover with a lid and let simmer over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.
- Make Dumplings: In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, dried parsley, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour in milk and melted butter, stirring gently just until a soft, scoopable batter forms. Avoid over-mixing.
- Add Dumplings: Remove the lid from the skillet and drop dumpling batter onto the surface of the simmering gravy in approximately 2 tablespoon dollops, totaling about 12 dumplings.
- Cook Dumplings: Ensure the gravy is simmering, then cover the skillet and let dumplings cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Dumplings will double in size and be fluffy and cooked through. Serve hot and enjoy your homey chicken and dumplings meal!
Notes
- Do not fully cook chicken when browning; it will finish cooking in the gravy.
- Scraping browned bits off the skillet after browning the chicken adds flavor to the gravy.
- Do not over-stir dumpling batter to keep them tender and fluffy.
- Maintain a gentle simmer while cooking dumplings to ensure proper rising and cooking.
- Use a deep skillet or Dutch oven for best results and to fit all ingredients comfortably.
