Paula’s Southern chicken & dumplings recipe is one of her most popular, and for good reason—it’s the perfect Southern comfort food recipe as the weather starts cooling down. With homemade cut dumplings, tender chicken, and a creamy base, no one does it better—trust us; Michael tried! Keep reading to learn how to make Southern chicken and dumplings from scratch, just like Paula’s grandmother taught her to do.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- 4 quarts water
- 1 (10¾-oz) can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup
- 1 teaspoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 (2½-lb) chicken
- 2 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup ice water
- 2 tablespoons corn starch (optional)
You’ll start with the homemade chicken broth. Be sure to cut the chicken up, but leave the skin on—you’ll remove the skin and bones later, but in the meantime, they add a lot of flavor! Add the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and House Seasoning to a large stock pot with four quarts of water. Cook it at a low boil for 30 to 45 minutes, until the meat starts falling off the bones. At that point, you can remove the skin and bones, along with the bay leaves. Return the skinned and de-boned chicken back to the pot.
While the chicken is boiling, start prepping the dumplings.
Put the flour and salt mixture in a mixing bowl, form a bowl in the flour, and start adding a little dribble of ice water to the center of it. Using your hands, work the water, flour, and salt mixture from the center of the bowl to the sides of the bowl, adding a bit more water at a time until all the flour is incorporated. The batter should feel tough at this point.
Now, start to knead the dough and form it into a ball. Flour your counters or dough board and use a rolling pin to roll it until it’s 1⁄8-inch thick. The dough will be firm, and you should be sure to work from the center when rolling. Set the dough aside to air dry for a few minutes.
Once your dumplings are prepped and you’ve returned the chicken to the pot, you’ll add the condensed soup to the stock pot, letting it continue to boil. It’s your choice whether you prefer cream of celery or cream of chicken soup—both create a thick, creamy, and flavorful base for your chicken & dumplings. At this time, you can decide if you want a thicker stock. If you do, create a slurry by combining the cornstarch with ¼ cup of water. Add this slurry to the stock.
Now, return to your dumpling dough, cutting them into 1-inch-wide strips. Add the dumplings to the pot one at a time to prevent sticking. Do not stir after the dumplings have been added to the pot. Instead, shake the pot gently in a circular motion until the dumplings are submerged.
Cook the dumplings until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy. This should take approximately 3 to 4 minutes, but be sure not to overcook them. Once they’re finished, you’re ready to serve!
Making a Southern chicken and dumplings recipe from scratch is a labor of love, but after just one bite, you’ll realize why it’s worth it!
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great shortcuts if you really need them. Instead of starting the dumplings from scratch, you can swap out the dough by using 3 cups of Paula Deen Original Recipes Mix combined with 1½ cups of buttermilk. Then roll out the dough and cut into strips. You can also purchase frozen dumplings in most supermarkets if you don’t have time to make them yourself. In fact, even Paula uses frozen dumplings at times!
If you want to see the Queen of Southern Cuisine make her Southern chicken & dumplings recipe for herself, you can watch her here.
Have you tried making Paula’s recipe from scratch or do you employ some shortcuts, like store-bought dumplings? Let us know in the comments below!
