Southern Chicken And Dumplings The Black Way
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Chicken and dumplings is the kind of soulful comfort food that feels like a hug in a bowl. My Southern version brings tender, well-seasoned chicken together with homemade pillowy dumplings, sautéed vegetables, and a creamy, savory broth seasoned the soul food way.
This old-fashioned Southern dish goes by many names—chicken and dumplings, chicken and sliders, chicken and slicks, or, as my grandma fondly called it, chicken and pastry. Black folks’ chicken and dumplings is the soul food version of this Southern classic: well-seasoned, hearty, and made to put plenty of flavor into every spoonful.
I make my chicken and dumplings with the same principle I bring to soul food recipes across The Soul Food Pot®: season the chicken, season the broth, and build the flavor in layers so the dumplings have something good to soak up.
What are dumplings in Southern cooking?
Southern dumplings are simple dough made from ingredients like flour, baking powder, and milk or broth. Depending on the family and the recipe, the dough may be rolled and cut into strips, pinched into small pieces, or dropped by the spoonful directly into simmering broth.
For my recipe, I pinch and roll the dough into small ½- to 1-inch dumplings. They expand as they simmer, becoming tender and fluffy while absorbing the flavor of the seasoned chicken broth.
Why Black folks cook it this way
In Black Southern kitchens, chicken and dumplings isn’t just chicken dropped into plain broth with dough. The flavor is built into the whole pot.
That means starting with well-seasoned chicken, sautéing the vegetables, seasoning the broth with garlic, thyme, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper, and then letting the dumplings simmer right in that flavorful broth. As they cook, they absorb what you’ve already built.
My grandma called this dish chicken and pastry, and like so many soul food recipes, families have their own names, dumpling styles, and ways of making it. What carries through is the idea that the broth should taste good before the dumplings ever go in.
🥄 Shaunda says: Taste your broth before adding the dumplings. If the broth is bland going in, the dumplings can’t fix it!
What gives chicken and dumplings the best flavor?
Layering the seasoning instead of relying on the broth to do all the work. I start with pre-cooked, well-seasoned chicken, sauté the carrots, onion, and celery, then add garlic, chicken bouillon, thyme, salt, and black pepper before pouring in the broth.
That seasoned broth becomes the cooking liquid for the dumplings, so they absorb flavor as they simmer. Heavy cream goes in only at the end for richness and body without covering up everything we’ve already built.
What is the secret to flavorful dumplings?
Salt—and a well-seasoned broth. I keep the dumpling dough itself simple: flour, baking powder, milk, vegetable oil, and salt. There’s no need to load it with extra seasonings because the dumplings pick up flavor as they simmer in the broth.
Standout ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make my soulful Southern classic, from the fluffy dumplings to the creamy, seasoned broth.
- Chicken – Use pre-cooked, well-seasoned chicken, shredded or chopped into hearty bites. I like a combination of breast and thigh meat for tenderness plus richer chicken flavor.
- Dumplings – Made from simple pantry staples: all-purpose flour, baking powder, milk, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt for that classic fluffy texture.
- Chicken broth – The savory base that ties all the flavors together into a rich, comforting soup.
- Vegetables – Carrots, onion, and celery build the aromatic base of the broth, adding flavor, color, and texture.
- Seasonings – Garlic, chicken bouillon, thyme, salt, and black pepper infuse the dish with soulful depth.
- Heavy whipping cream – Stirred in at the end to create a luxuriously creamy, velvety broth.
How to make soul food chicken and dumplings
At a glance, here’s how this pot comes together:
- Make the dumplings. Mix the simple dough, then pinch and roll it into small dumplings.
- Build the flavor base. Sauté the carrots, onion, and celery, then add the garlic and seasonings.
- Make the soup. Add the broth and your already-cooked, well-seasoned chicken and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the dumplings. Add them to the simmering broth, cover, and cook until they’re tender and no longer doughy inside.
- Make it creamy. Stir in the heavy cream at the very end, then serve while it’s warm and soupy.
What type of chicken is best for chicken and dumplings?
I use pre-cooked, well-seasoned chicken that’s pulled, chopped, or shredded. A combination of chicken breast and thigh meat is my favorite because the breast gives you hearty pieces while the thigh meat brings extra tenderness and flavor.
Using already-cooked chicken also makes this recipe practical for leftover chicken—just make sure it was seasoned well to begin with!
👩🏾🍳 Make-It-Your-Way
Homemade dumplings are my choice for this recipe, but you have options depending on what you have and how much time you have.
Want the old-fashioned experience? Make this stovetop version with homemade dumplings. You’ll mix the dough, roll the dumplings by hand, and let them simmer right in the seasoned chicken broth.
Want to save time? Make my Instant Pot chicken and dumplings. The pressure cooker does the heavy lifting, giving you that comforting chicken-and-dumplings experience with less time at the stove.
Don’t want to make homemade dumplings? Use my chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits method. You skip mixing and rolling the dough altogether while still getting soft, tender dumplings in that flavorful broth.
🥄 Shaunda says: The best method is the one that gets chicken and dumplings on your table! I’ve already worked out the different ways so you can choose based on the time and effort you have today.
Not sure which method is right for you? My Library guide, Fall Classics: What’s The Easiest Way To Make Chicken And Dumplings?, compares the options so you can choose the easiest way to make it for you.
Are chicken and dumplings supposed to be thick or soupy?
In true soul food fashion, the answer is: “Bofe!”
My chicken and dumplings lands between the two—creamy and hearty, but still brothy enough to eat with a spoon and soak up with cornbread. The dumplings naturally give the broth some body as they cook, and the heavy cream stirred in at the end gives it that rich, velvety finish.
Don’t expect a thick gravy, and don’t cook the broth down trying to make one. This is supposed to have some soupiness to it.
✨ Shaunda’s Soul Food Sense: How to tell when it’s done
The broth should be gently simmering and the dumplings should look puffed and tender after about 15 minutes covered. Break open one of the larger dumplings to check the center—it should be cooked through and fluffy, with no wet or gummy dough inside.
Keep the simmer gentle. You’re cooking tender dumplings, not boiling pasta.
❌ Mistakes to avoid
Underseasoning the broth. Taste it before the dumplings go in. The dumplings absorb that broth as they cook, so this isn’t the place to wait until the end to find the flavor.
Making the dumplings too large. They expand while cooking. Starting around ½ to 1 inch helps the centers cook through without leaving you with giant dough balls.
Boiling instead of simmering. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer once the dumplings go in so they can cook through without the pot becoming overly aggressive.
❤️ Serve it like a Southerner
Chicken and dumplings is already a full, hearty meal, so I don’t crowd the bowl. Serve it hot with Southern cornbread on the side for soaking up that creamy, seasoned broth.
The leftovers
Store cooled chicken and dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. The dumplings will continue absorbing broth as they sit, so the mixture will be thicker the next day.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of chicken broth as needed to loosen the consistency.
Chicken and dumplings can be frozen, but this isn’t my first choice for preserving the texture of homemade dumplings or a cream-finished broth. For the best texture, enjoy this dish fresh or refrigerated and reheated within a few days.
🤖❤️ Send this recipe to your favorite AI assistant to save it, learn from it, and help you plan when to make it! Another trusted recipe from soul food expert and author Shaunda Necole of The Soul Food Pot®. *These AI tools are independent third-party services. Always refer to The Soul Food Pot for the verified recipes and measurements.
Equipment
- Handheld or stand mixer (optional, for mixing the dumpling dough)
- Large saucepan with a lid
Ingredients
Ingredients for the dumplings
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken breast or thigh meat pre-cooked, well-seasoned chicken breast and/or thigh meat, pulled, shredded, or chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ cup carrots chopped
- ¾ cup yellow onion diced
- ½ cup celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon thyme dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt for the dumplings.
- Add the milk and vegetable oil and stir until combined into a soft dumpling dough.
- Pinch off small portions of dough and roll them into ½- to 1-inch dumplings. Remember, they’ll expand as they cook. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and celery and sauté for 2–3 minutes, until the onion and celery begin to soften.
- Add the garlic, chicken bouillon, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine.
- Stir in the chicken broth and cooked chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring the broth to a gentle simmer.
- Gently add the dumplings to the simmering broth, distributing them around the pot and submerging them in the broth as much as possible.
- Cover and gently simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the dumplings are puffed, tender, and cooked through with no wet or doughy centers.
- Remove the lid and stir in the heavy whipping cream. Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
❤️ Shaunda’s Soul Food Standard
Created and tested by Shaunda Necole, creator of The Soul Food Pot® (real cook, real kitchen). Rooted in African American culinary traditions, with modern shortcuts that never sacrifice flavor or legacy. No AI-generated instructions. Every measurement, timing note, and technique is written, cooked, and verified by Shaunda, with make-it-your-way guidance so you can cook confidently with the tools you have.
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I always love a creamy & flavorful chicken broth for my soup.
I agree. Flavor is everything when it comes to chicken and why this soul food Southern chicken and dumplings recipe is so good!
I was raised eating chicken & dumplings.. one of my favorite dishes; grandma c/d were the BEST, mother’s was scrumptious! I tried cooking this soothing dish, but my dumplings turned out gummy. Tried store bought dumpling… no ma’am, not for me. Tried canned biscuits – now I know better – I’m sure that burn on my neck was grandma slapping the taste out my mouth for even trying canned biscuits – horrible error. Never again. I will definitely try your recipe – I was raised eating flat dumplings, actually, they were rolled out with an aged dusted/seasoned with decades of love – on the floured counter and sliced almost like lattice strips; there was some substance to the width, but not that thick. I’m saving this recipe to try this weekend. I’m really praying my dumpling turn out like grandma’s and mother’s – good N soulful. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I greatly appreciate each and I look forward to your emails. Peace and blessings be with you. Almost forgot, I’m not using an instapot – I’m so old school when it comes to some things like this gem – would you recommend any changes with me preparing on the stove?
My Memaw , Momma-RIP, and myself have been making it the black way for years and year… glad someone else knows how to cook🥰
Thanks for the kind remarks and it warms my heart that this comfort food reminds you of your Momma. Yes- these recipes are for everyone to love!!
I prefer to cook this the old fashioned momma-grandma way, on the stove… how did you cook, stove or instapot?
Can you cook in a slow cooker
Yes, you can make this in a slow cooker—although I haven’t personally tested that method yet.
For a similar drop-and-walk convenience, I have tested this recipe in the Instant Pot, and it works beautifully! You can find that version HERE.
Short cut for dumplings: I use Bisquick, milk, oil, and my secret ingredient: poultry seasoning. Everyone loves em and think that I do something to the soup, but nope haha
Love your easy shortcut dumplings recipe – sounds delicious!
I love sweet peas in my dumping. When do I add them in? Or can I use frozen mixed vegetables?
After making the dough, can they be cut into strips? How long do I cook them.
Great questions! Sweet peas are a wonderful addition—add them when you stir the cooked chicken into the pot so they stay tender and bright. Frozen mixed vegetables work, too! And yes, you can absolutely cut the dumpling dough into strips. Aim for pieces about 3–4 inches long.
Thank you so much 💓
I love Shaunda’s recipes. Comfort food with a a hug.