Description
This classic Chicken and Dumplings recipe features tender browned chicken thighs simmered in a rich, herby gravy loaded with sautéed vegetables. Fluffy, soft dumplings made from a simple batter are cooked right on top, absorbing the savory flavors for a comforting, hearty meal perfect for any occasion.
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. Add chicken thighs and brown thoroughly on each side until deeply golden but not fully cooked. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing over medium heat until onions soften and browned bits lift from the pan. Add diced carrots and celery and continue cooking for about 5 minutes more.
- Make Roux: Stir in butter and flour, cooking and stirring until the butter melts and forms a paste coating the vegetables. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.
- Make Gravy: Add dried parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and whole milk. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer while stirring until the mixture thickens into a smooth gravy.
- Add Chicken: Dice the browned chicken thighs and return them to the skillet with the vegetables and gravy. Cover and let simmer over medium heat while preparing the dumpling batter.
- Make Dumplings: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, dried parsley, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir in milk and melted butter until a soft batter forms; do not overmix.
- Add Dumplings: Remove lid from skillet. Drop dumpling batter in 2-tablespoon dollops evenly over the surface of the simmering gravy. Expect about 12 dumplings.
- Cook Dumplings: Cover skillet again and let dumplings simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Dumplings will double in size and become fluffy and fully cooked. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the juiciest, most flavorful results.
- Do not over-stir the dumpling batter to keep it light and tender.
- Keep the gravy simmering gently while cooking dumplings to ensure perfect texture.
- For thicker gravy, simmer a bit longer before adding chicken.
- Fresh herbs can be substituted for dried using about three times the amount.
