Southern-Style Chicken & Dumplings

From Florence’s kitchen to mine, with a whole lot of love.

Old-fashioned, thin rolled dumplings, homemade chicken broth and a rich, creamy finish—with plenty of room to season things just the way you like them.

Jump to Recipe ↓Print RecipeFlorence’s story

A Little Flour, A Lot of Memories

Chicken and dumplings bring back so… many… memories.

Mostly of my great-grandma, Florence. (Isn't that just the loveliest name?)

Chicken and dumplings were her jam, y'all.

For a little while when I was growing up, she lived with us. I can't say I remember much from those days, but there's one memory that has never left me.

One day, her sister came over.

Oh, those two were something together! My great-aunt was an absolute clown. Always joking, always smiling, and always finding a way to make somebody laugh. And Florence? I don't think I ever saw her laugh quite as much as she did when her sister was around.

They were both beautiful women, but together? Even more beautiful.

I can still picture them sitting in my parents' kitchen, tucked into a little spot at the counter, making dumplings.

They weren't using fancy rolling pins, either.

They were rolling out dough with drinking glasses.

There was flour EVERYWHERE.

And y'all, the language! 😂

When I tell you those women were cussing, I mean they were cussing. All in good fun, of course. One would let out a good ol' “shit!” at the other, and they'd both dissolve into the kind of laughter that makes everybody else want to laugh, too.

It's the most I ever remember seeing my great-grandma laugh.

Funny how something as simple as flour, dough, and a couple of drinking glasses can become a memory you carry for the rest of your life.

Sometimes that memory makes me wish I'd had a sister of my own. Someone to grow older with, laugh with, and maybe fuss at over a kitchen counter.

But then I think about my children.

Maybe one day Ellie and I will be in the kitchen making our own memories. Or maybe it'll be Brady! Either way, I hope we find ourselves laughing so hard we can barely finish what we're cooking.

Because that's the good stuff, y'all.

Not the perfect dumplings. Not the spotless kitchen.

It's the people, the laughter, and the memories we make along the way.

And if there's a little flour everywhere and a few colorful words flying around?

Well, Florence would probably approve. 🩷

I like my dumplings thin and rolled out, y’all. Some folks prefer thicker, biscuit-like dumplings, and drop-style dumplings are another variation. This recipe follows my thin, rolled-out version.

THE BAYOU BELLE · RECIPE CARD

Southern-Style Chicken & Dumplings

Part One: The Chicken & Homemade Broth

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (2½–3 pounds), innards removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 head garlic, chopped
• ½ tablespoon salt
• ½ tablespoon pepper
• Water, enough to keep the chicken covered while boiling

Directions

1. Place the chopped onion, celery and garlic in a mesh cooking bag, along with any fresh herbs you are using. Place the chicken and the bag in a large stockpot. Add the salt and pepper.
2. Add enough water to cover the chicken.
3. Bring to a boil, then continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked, adding water as necessary to keep it covered.
4. Remove the chicken and the mesh cooking bag, reserving the homemade broth.
5. Set the chicken aside to cool before removing the bones and shredding the meat. Discard all bones.

Part Two: Homemade Rolled Dumplings

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons parsley (usually dried; fresh is also fine)
• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed

Directions

1. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and stir in the parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt.
2. Cut the shortening into the seasoned flour.
3. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until the dough comes together.
4. If the mixture is crumbly or too dry, add a little more heavy cream until you have a soft, slightly wet dough.
5. Working in batches, roll the dough thin on a generously floured surface, dusting with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into approximately 2 × 3-inch rectangles.

Part Three: Bring It All Together

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 1½ cups diced onion
• ½–¾ cup diced celery
• ½ teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Peas and carrots, optional
• Reserved homemade chicken broth, plus prepared chicken stock or broth as needed (3–4 cartons, 32 ounces each, available for adjustment—not all required)
• Water, as needed (1–2 quarts available for adjustment—not all required)
• Cooked, deboned, shredded chicken from Part One
• Prepared dumplings from Part Two

Directions

1. Have your cooked, deboned, shredded chicken and reserved homemade broth ready.
2. In your stockpot, melt the butter.
3. Add the diced onion and celery and cook until softened.
4. Pour the reserved homemade broth back into the pot. Add water as needed to reach the amount you want. Prepared chicken stock or broth may also be used. Add liquids gradually, leaving room in the pot for the chicken and dumplings; do not add all of the listed extra broth and water at once.
5. Add the thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
6. Stir in the heavy cream.
7. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
8. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Add the dumplings in batches, letting the pot return to a slow simmer before adding another batch. Some dumplings will break apart, naturally thickening the broth.
9. Let everything simmer until the dumplings are cooked through.
10. Toward the end, add peas and carrots if desired and cook until tender. Adjust the broth or water as needed.
11. Remove both bay leaves before serving. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Food-safety guidance — separate from seasoning preferences: Cook the whole chicken to at least 165°F, measured with a food thermometer in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing, avoiding bone. Cook the dumplings fully; do not taste raw dough. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. FoodSafety.gov.

A Little More, A Little Less

Around here, recipes are guidelines, not gospel. I taste as I cook, adjust as I go, and add a little more of whatever makes me happy. You should, too! Start with the recipe, trust your taste buds, and make it your own.

And if you happen to have an old drinking glass handy, maybe give it a little spin as a rolling pin.

Florence would get a kick out of that.

THE BAYOU BELLE · A LITTLE KITCHEN HELP

Shopping List + Kitchen Prep Card

Print Shopping List + Prep Card

THE BAYOU BELLE · SOUTHERN-STYLE CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Shopping List

One recipe, thoughtfully gathered. Check your pantry first. Totals below combine repeated ingredients; keep the listed allocations separate as you cook.

Poultry

1 whole chicken, 2½–3 poundsInnards removed. This same chicken supplies the shredded meat later; do not buy a second quantity.

Produce

Onion: 1 large + 1½ cups dicedChop the large onion for stock; reserve the measured diced onion for finishing. No conversion between these amounts is assumed.Celery: 3 stalks + ½–¾ cup dicedChop the stalks for stock; reserve the measured diced celery for finishing.Garlic: 1 headChopped, for the stock bag.

Dairy

Heavy cream: 3 cups, plus more as needed1 cup for dough + 2 cups for finishing; extra cream only if the dough needs it.Butter: 1 stickFor softening the finishing onion and celery.

Baking & pantry

All-purpose flour: 3 cups, plus extra for dustingThe extra dusting flour is as needed; no additional measured amount was supplied.Shortening: ½ cup + 3 tablespoonsFor the dumpling dough.

Herbs & seasonings

Parsley: 2 tablespoonsUsually dried; fresh is also fine.Ground thyme: ¾ teaspoon total¼ teaspoon for dough + ½ teaspoon for finishing.Bay leaves: 2Remove both before serving.Salt: 3½ teaspoons total½ tablespoon (1½ teaspoons) for stock + 1 teaspoon for dough + 1 teaspoon for finishing.Pepper: 3½ teaspoons total½ tablespoon (1½ teaspoons) for stock + 1 teaspoon for dough + 1 teaspoon for finishing.

Optional & as-needed extras

Peas and carrots — optionalNo quantity specified. Add toward the end and cook until tender.Prepared chicken stock or broth — only as needed3–4 cartons (32 ounces each) may be available for adjustment. They are not all required; start with the reserved homemade broth.Fresh herbs for the stock bag — optionalOnly if using them; no type or quantity specified in the approved directions.

From the kitchen

Water — from your kitchen, as neededEnough to cover the chicken while making stock, replenishing as necessary. The additional 1–2 quarts listed for finishing is an adjustable supply, not an instruction to add it all.

THE BAYOU BELLE · SOUTHERN-STYLE CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Kitchen Prep Card

Your cooking-order checklist. Keep the full recipe handy for every detail.

1. Set up and separate ingredients.Gather a large stockpot, mesh cooking bag, mixing bowl, rolling pin or drinking glass, knife and food thermometer. Keep the stock, dough and finishing quantities separate using the allocations on the shopping page.2. Make the homemade broth.Chop the large onion, 3 celery stalks and head of garlic. Put the aromatics and any optional fresh herbs in the mesh bag. Cook the whole chicken with the bag, stock salt and pepper, and enough water to cover; replenish water as needed.3. Reserve broth and prepare the chicken.Remove the chicken and stock bag; keep the homemade broth. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard all bones, then shred the meat.4. Prepare the thin rolled dumplings.Mix the flour and dough seasonings, cut in shortening, then mix in 1 cup cream, adding a little more only if needed. Working in batches, roll thin on a generously floured surface, dusting as needed. Cut into approximately 2 × 3-inch rectangles.5. Build the creamy finishing broth.Dice the measured finishing onion and celery. Soften them in 1 stick butter. Add reserved homemade broth, then water or prepared broth only as needed, leaving room for chicken and dumplings. Add finishing thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and 2 cups cream; return shredded chicken to the pot.6. Simmer the dumplings in batches.Add to gently simmering broth. Let the pot return to a slow simmer before adding the next batch. Some dumplings will break apart and naturally thicken the broth. Continue until the dumplings are cooked through; no fixed simmer time is specified.7. Finish and serve.Add optional peas and carrots toward the end and cook until tender. Adjust broth or water as needed. Remove both bay leaves, then taste and adjust seasoning.

Food safety is separate from seasoning preferences: cook the whole chicken to at least 165°F, checking the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing with a food thermometer, avoiding bone. Cook dumplings fully; do not taste raw dough. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Southern-Style Chicken & Dumplings · Joy Monnerjahn · The Bayou Belle