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A steaming bowl of tender chicken, soft homemade dumplings, and savory, gravy-like broth is comfort food at its best. This Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings recipe brings that cozy, homestyle meal to your kitchen with a handful of simple ingredients and one pot.
There’s something especially satisfying about making the dumplings from scratch. You roll the soft dough nice and thin, cut it into little strips or squares, and drop the pieces straight into the simmering broth. As they cook, the dumplings become tender and the broth slowly thickens around them.
And despite how hearty this dish feels, it’s wonderfully straightforward. The chicken cooks right in the broth with onion and celery, and the whole meal is ready in about 40 minutes. Make it for a chilly evening, an easy Sunday dinner, or anytime you’re craving a warm bowl of old-fashioned chicken and dumplings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Those flat homemade dumplings. If the dumplings are your favorite part of Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, you’re in the right place. These are thin, tender dumplings rather than big, fluffy biscuit-style ones.
The broth gets wonderfully thick. As the dumplings simmer, they help turn the chicken broth into a savory, gravy-like base. It’s simple, cozy, and just right with the tender chicken.
You only need a few basic ingredients. Chicken, broth, flour, milk, baking powder, onion, celery, and seasonings come together to make the entire dish.
Everything comes together in one pot. Aside from a bowl for mixing the dough and a surface for rolling it out, most of the cooking happens right in your stockpot or Dutch oven.
It’s ready in about 40 minutes. This recipe tastes like the sort of dinner that has been simmering away all afternoon, but it’s surprisingly quick to put together.
Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this cozy chicken and dumplings recipe:
- Chicken broth – This forms the savory base of the dish. As the dumplings simmer, the broth thickens and becomes wonderfully rich and gravy-like.
- Celery – Two ribs of celery simmer with the chicken and broth to add extra flavor. Because the pieces are removed before serving, there’s no need to finely chop them.
- Onion – Keep the onion in one large chunk. It flavors the broth as the chicken cooks, then gets removed along with the celery.
- Chicken breasts – Boneless skinless chicken breasts cook right in the broth, keeping things simple while adding plenty of chicken flavor. Once cooked, shred or chop the chicken before returning it to the pot.
For the Homemade Dumplings
- All-purpose flour – This makes up the base of the dumpling dough and also helps give the finished broth its thicker consistency.
- Baking powder – A little baking powder gives the dumplings just enough lift while keeping the flat, tender texture we’re looking for.
- Salt – Added directly to the dough so the dumplings are seasoned from the inside out.
- Milk – Brings the dry ingredients together into a soft, shaggy dough that can be rolled and cut into strips or squares.
- Salt and pepper – Add these at the end, to taste. Since chicken broth can already contain quite a bit of salt, it’s best to taste the finished dish before adding more.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Let’s make chicken and dumplings!
Start with the chicken.
In a stockpot or Dutch oven, add broth, celery, onion, and chicken breasts.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, until the chicken breast is cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the dumplings.
The onion and celery stay in large pieces here. They’ll flavor the broth as everything simmers, and you’ll remove them before adding the dumplings.
Next, make the dumpling dough.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk just until combined into a shaggy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips or squares about 1 to 2 inches in size.
Don’t worry about making every dumpling look exactly alike. A few imperfect edges are part of the charm of homemade dumplings!
Now, cook the dumplings.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it to a cutting board. Remove the onion chunk and celery pieces and discard.
Add the dough strips to the simmering broth and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the dumplings to cook and the broth to thicken to a gravy-like consistency.
This is where the dish really comes together. The dumplings soften as they simmer, while the broth becomes thicker and richer around them.
Finally, add the chicken.
While the dumplings are simmering, shred or chop chicken and return to the pot.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm.
Spoon plenty of chicken, dumplings, and that thickened broth into each bowl and dig in!
Expert Tips
Don’t overwork the dumpling dough. Stir in the milk just until you have a shaggy dough. There’s no need to keep mixing once everything has come together.
Flour your work surface. The extra flour makes the soft dough much easier to roll and cut without sticking.
Keep an eye on the thickness. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch. That gives you the thin, flat dumplings that make this recipe different from chicken and dumplings made with fluffy biscuit-style dough.
A pizza cutter makes cutting easy. It’s a quick way to turn the rolled dough into 1- to 2-inch strips or squares.
Give the dumplings time to simmer. They need about 20-30 minutes to cook while the broth thickens. Stir occasionally, but otherwise let the simmering broth do the work.
Season at the end. Chicken broths can have very different amounts of salt, so taste the finished dish before deciding how much additional salt and pepper it needs.
Recipe Variations
Make It with Pre-Cooked Chicken
Already have leftover or rotisserie chicken? You can use it here.
Simmer the onion, celery, and dumplings in the broth at the same time. Remove the onion and celery and add the pulled or chopped chicken during the last 5 minutes of simmering to warm it through.
It’s an especially handy variation when you want to get dinner on the table with chicken that’s already cooked.
Cut Strips or Squares
There’s no single shape your homemade dumplings need to be. Cut the rolled dough into strips for longer, noodle-like dumplings or make 1- to 2-inch squares for smaller pieces.
Either way, keep the dough at about 1/4 inch thickness and follow the same cooking method.
Storage & Reheating
If you have leftovers, let the chicken and dumplings cool before transferring them to an airtight container and refrigerating them.
The dumplings can continue soaking up some of that flavorful broth as they sit, so don’t be surprised if your leftovers are thicker the next day.
To reheat them on the stovetop, place the chicken and dumplings in a saucepan and warm gently, stirring occasionally, until heated through. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave, stirring between intervals for more even heating.
If the mixture is thicker than you’d like after chilling, stir in a little chicken broth as it reheats until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
For longer storage, chicken and dumplings can also be frozen. Let them cool completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat gently before serving.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken and dumplings are hearty enough to be dinner all by themselves. Fill up a bowl, grab a spoon, and you have a warm, satisfying meal without needing much else.
If you’d like to add a side, I’d keep it simple. Green beans, peas, cooked carrots, collard greens, or roasted vegetables are all natural partners for the savory chicken and dumplings.
For something fresh, add a crisp green salad. The lighter texture is a nice contrast to the thick broth and soft dumplings.
And if you’re going all-in on comfort food, put cornbread or warm biscuits on the table, too. They’re perfect for catching every last bit of that savory broth.
Recipe FAQs
1. Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?
Yes! Rotisserie chicken is an easy shortcut for this recipe. Simmer the onion, celery, and dumplings in the broth, then remove the onion and celery. Add the shredded or chopped chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking, just long enough to warm it through.
2. How do I keep the dumplings from sticking together?
Make sure to flour your work surface well before rolling and cutting the dough. Once the dumplings are added to the broth, stir them gently every so often while they simmer. You don’t want to stir too much, just enough to help keep the pieces separated.
3. How do I know when the dumplings are done?
The dumplings should be soft and tender, similar to a thick noodle. They shouldn’t taste doughy or feel hard in the center. Let them simmer for the full 20-30 minutes and test one before serving if you’re unsure.
4. Why isn’t my chicken and dumplings thick enough?
Give the dumplings a little more time to simmer. As they cook, the flour from the dough helps thicken the chicken broth into that delicious gravy-like consistency. Make sure to simmer them for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Can I make the dumplings ahead of time?
For the best texture, I recommend making the dumplings when you’re ready to cook them. The dough only takes a few minutes to mix, roll, and cut. If you want to save time, you can cook the chicken and prepare the broth ahead, then make and simmer the dumplings when you’re ready to serve.
Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 ribs of celery, broken in half
- 1/2 medium onion (keep it as a chunk of onion)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut in half
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 CUP 2 Tbsp milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken broth, celery, onion, and chicken breasts in a stockpot or Dutch oven.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Prepare the dumplings while the chicken cooks.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium mixing bowl and whisk them together. Pour in the milk and stir only until a shaggy dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into strips or squares measuring about 1 to 2 inches.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a cutting board. Take the onion and celery out of the broth and discard them.
- Add the pieces of dough to the simmering broth. Continue simmering for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dumplings are cooked and the broth has thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
- While the dumplings cook, shred or chop the chicken. Add the chicken back to the pot.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
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Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1778mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Unsaturated Fat: 4g Per serving (1 of 6 servings).
