Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuits is what I make when I want the real thing without rolling out dough. A can of Grands biscuits, a rotisserie chicken, one pot.
How to make chicken and dumplings with biscuits: soften onion, carrot, celery and garlic in butter, then stir in chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk and shredded chicken and bring it to a gentle boil. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, toss them in a little flour, and drop them in one at a time. Put the lid on, turn the heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the biggest piece is fluffy in the middle.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot, no rolling pin — the biscuit dough is the dumpling.
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut — the pot only has to come back to a simmer.
- About 45 minutes — 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes on the stove.
- Feeds six — a full dinner with a green vegetable on the side.
Ingredient Notes
Refrigerated biscuit dough is the whole point. Use the 16.3-ounce can of Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits, 8 to a can, or a similar plain large biscuit. Plain homestyle or buttermilk, not flaky layers. If the store only has small cans, cut those in half instead of quarters so the pieces stay about the same size.
Rotisserie chicken saves the most time. Skin off, meat shredded; about 3 cups.
Cream of chicken soup and evaporated milk make the broth creamy. The soup goes in undiluted; half and half can stand in for the evaporated milk.
Flour for tossing. A light coat of flour stops the pieces sticking to each other and thickens the broth a little. Shake off the extra. The soup already brings salt, so I wait to salt until the end.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 32 ounces chicken broth (1 carton), reduced sodium if you like
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 1 cup evaporated milk (8 ounces), or half and half
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded, from a rotisserie chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus salt to taste at the end
- 1 can (16.3 ounces, 8 count) refrigerated biscuit dough, Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk or similar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for tossing the biscuit pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional
How to Make Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuits
1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Build the broth. Stir in the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, shredded chicken, poultry seasoning and pepper. Whisk until the soup dissolves. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer.
3. Cut the biscuits. While the broth heats, open the biscuits and cut each one into 4 equal pieces (8 pieces if you like smaller dumplings). Put the flour in a bowl and toss the pieces in it so they are lightly coated. Shake off the extra flour.
4. Add the dumplings. Bring the pot back to a low boil. Drop the floured biscuit pieces in one at a time in a single layer. Press them gently under the broth once with a spoon. Do not stir hard; they break apart.
5. Cover and simmer. Turn the heat to low and put the lid on. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the lid on; the trapped steam is what cooks the dough through, and a lid that keeps coming off leaves the centers gummy. A gentle stir once or twice so the pieces do not stick is fine, then cover again right away.
6. Check one. Cut the largest dumpling in half. The inside should look fluffy and bread-like, not wet or doughy. If it is still doughy, cover and cook a few minutes more. Do not cook much past that; overcooked biscuit dumplings turn dense and start to fall apart.
7. Rest and serve. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit uncovered for 2 minutes so the broth thickens. Taste and add salt. Top with parsley and serve hot.
How Long the Biscuit Dumplings Need
The short answer: 15 to 20 minutes on LOW with the lid on. Plan on the full 20 if the pieces are on the larger side.
The lid matters more than the clock. The pieces sit in a single layer, half in the broth, and the steam trapped under the lid cooks the top of each one. Every time the lid comes off, that steam leaves and the dough sits in the broth without cooking through, which is what gives you a wet, gummy middle. So resist peeking. A gentle stir once or twice so they do not stick is fine; then the lid goes straight back on. Keep the heat low, too; a hard boil breaks the dumplings apart.
Gummy has two causes, and they are opposites: not cooked long enough and the center is raw dough; cooked too long and biscuit dumplings turn dense and sticky and fall apart. So the test beats the timer: cut the largest piece open. Fluffy and bread-like inside, like a baked biscuit, means done. Still wet, lid back on for 3 to 5 minutes. They puff to about twice their size, so do not crowd the pot.
| Method | Biscuit cut | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop, lid on, LOW | Quarters, tossed in flour | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Stovetop, lid on, LOW | Rolled 1/8 inch, cut into strips | About 20 minutes |
| Slow cooker, lid on, LOW | Quarters, tossed in flour | Last 30 to 60 minutes |
Slow Cooker Version
Vegetables in first, then everything except the biscuits and flour; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. Cut and flour the biscuit pieces, drop them in during the last 30 to 60 minutes, put the lid back on and leave it until the largest piece is fluffy in the center. USDA FSIS says to thaw raw poultry before it goes into a slow cooker, and that vegetables cook slower than meat, so they go in first.
Make It Ahead
Make the base through step 2 up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it. At dinner, bring it back to a gentle boil and carry on from step 3. Add the dumplings fresh; they soak up broth if they sit. Broth too thin? Stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Too thick? Add a splash of chicken broth.
Variations
- Smaller dumplings. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces instead of 4.
- Extra creamy. Stir in up to 1 cup heavy cream during the last 5 minutes.
- Flaky-layers biscuits. Tear each biscuit into its 3 layers, dredge in flour with a pinch of salt and pepper, tear each layer into 3, and drop into gently boiling broth. Press them under as they float, stir little, and cook about 10 minutes after the last piece goes in.
Another biscuit-topped comfort dish is Cheddar Bay Biscuit Casserole: ground beef, vegetables and gravy finished with seasoned butter.
If you’re in the mood for chicken without dumplings, try KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat), which gets a buttermilk soak before frying.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow containers so a big pot cools fast to 40 F or below, and that they keep 3 to 4 days. Store dumplings and broth separately if you can; the dumplings soak up broth.
To reheat, USDA FSIS says to bring soups and stews to a rolling boil, or heat leftovers to 165 F, covered. Warm the broth with a splash more chicken broth, then add the dumplings for the last minute. USDA FSIS says not to reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
Freezing the finished dish is not recommended; the dumplings turn gummy. Freeze the base without the biscuits instead; USDA FSIS puts frozen leftovers at 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, bring to a boil, and drop in fresh biscuit pieces.
What to Serve With It
A pan of smothered green beans is my first choice. For a crowd, a pot of creamy chicken noodle soup covers the lighter-bowl people. If this one wins you over, the from-scratch version with rolled dumplings is the next step, and the oven version is for casserole nights. The same canned-biscuit shortcut goes baked in creamed chicken and biscuits casserole, and for the same creamy base with the slow cooker doing the work, try the 5-ingredient slow cooker chicken pot pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep the biscuit dumplings from being doughy or gummy in the middle?
Small, even pieces, dropped into broth at a low boil, then heat on low and the lid on for 15 to 20 minutes. The trapped steam cooks the dough; lifting the lid often leaves the centers wet. Cut the largest piece open: fluffy and bread-like means done. Still doughy, cover 3 to 5 minutes more and stop there; overcooked biscuit dumplings turn dense and fall apart.
Can I make chicken and dumplings with biscuits in the slow cooker?
Yes. Base on LOW 4 to 6 hours, vegetables on the bottom, then the floured biscuit pieces in the last 30 to 60 minutes with the lid on until the largest piece is fluffy in the center. USDA FSIS says raw poultry must be thawed first.
Can I freeze chicken and dumplings made with canned biscuits?
Not the finished dish; the dumplings turn gummy. Freeze the base without the biscuits (USDA FSIS: 3 to 4 months), thaw in the refrigerator, bring to a boil, and add fresh biscuit pieces.
What kind of canned biscuits work best?
Plain large buttermilk or homestyle biscuits, like the 16.3-ounce Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk can, cut into quarters. Skip flaky layers for this method. Small biscuits get cut in half, not quarters.
Final Notes
This is not the from-scratch kind, and it does not pretend to be. It is a Tuesday pot with soft dumplings and a creamy broth that tastes like it took longer.
Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion large, diced
- 1 cup carrots chopped, about 2 medium
- 1 cup celery chopped, about 3 stalks
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 32 ounces chicken broth 1 carton, reduced sodium if you like
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounces, undiluted
- 1 cup evaporated milk 8 ounces; half and half works too
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded, from a rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus salt to taste at the end
- 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough 16.3 ounces, 8 count, Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk or similar; not the flaky-layers kind
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for tossing the biscuit pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, shredded chicken, poultry seasoning and pepper. Whisk until the soup dissolves. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer.
- While the broth heats, open the biscuits and cut each one into 4 equal pieces (8 pieces if you like smaller dumplings). Put the flour in a bowl and toss the pieces in it so they are lightly coated. Shake off the extra flour.
- Bring the pot back to a low boil. Drop the floured biscuit pieces in one at a time in a single layer. Press them gently under the broth once with a spoon. Do not stir hard; they break apart.
- Turn the heat to low and put the lid on. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the lid on; the trapped steam is what cooks the dough through, and a lid that keeps coming off leaves the centers gummy. A gentle stir once or twice so the pieces do not stick is fine, then cover again right away.
- Cut the largest dumpling in half. The inside should look fluffy and bread-like, not wet or doughy. If it is still doughy, cover and cook a few minutes more. Do not cook much past that; overcooked biscuit dumplings turn dense and start to fall apart.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot sit uncovered for 2 minutes so the broth thickens. Taste and add salt. Top with parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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