Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

With a few shortcuts, you can have this rich and creamy Chicken and Dumplings on the table any night of the week. It’s got all of the rich flavor, but with half of the work.

Chicken and Dumplings – The Ultimate Comfort Food

Does anything say comfort food more than chicken and dumplings? It’s warm and creamy and then there’s those soft, tender dumplings. A large bowl of this soup is a perfect meal for a chilly night.

The problem with traditional chicken and dumplings is that it can be very time consuming to make. This includes preparing, cooking and shredding a whole chicken as well as preparing the biscuit dough to make your biscuit dumplings.

That’s all fine and good on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but it’s not exactly easy for a busy weeknight.

Time Savers for an Easy Weeknight Meal

So, I set out to make this more of an easy weeknight dish. Basically, something you can have on the table in about an hour. Here are three of my favorite time savers to prepare this easy chicken and dumplings soup recipe:

1. Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. I find a Costco rotisserie chicken is as good (or sometimes better!) than a homemade chicken. It’s convenient, easy and it always tastes great. (Note: If you just like white meat, you can grill skinless chicken breasts. Also easy and tasty.)
2. Use canned biscuits. Homemade dumplings are delicious, but preparing a homemade dumpling dough takes a bit of time. Probably more time than you want to spend on an average weeknight.
3. For this recipe, I did cut up the veggies myself. However, you can speed up preparing this dish even more by using pre-chopped carrots, celery and onion.

Not only are these time savers, but you also end up with a delicious meal for family dinner time. Tender chicken, fluffy dumplings, savory broth – definitely something the whole family will enjoy.

Make Ahead and/or Store Leftovers

If you’re planning ahead for an easy dinner, this is a great recipe to make ahead. Simply make the recipe, let cool a bit and put into an airtight container.

If you’re planning on serving within the next 3-4 days, simply place the container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until hot. You’ll have a quick chicken and dumplings dinner ready in minutes!

​(Note: I think next day soup is some of the best out there. I just love the way the flavors combine overnight, allowing for a richer, deeper flavor.)

If you want to make ahead and freeze or have leftovers you want to store, again put the soup into airtight containers. I will often do one larger container for a full family dinner, as well as several individual containers for quick, hearty lunches.

Once that is done, place in the freezer. They should keep well for up to three months.

When you are ready to serve, take the container out of the freezer. If you have time to let it thaw, then it just needs a few minutes in the microwave to reheat.

If you want to move the process along faster, I defrost first in the microwave. Defrosting takes about 5-10 minutes. Once defrosted, give it another few minutes in the microwave on high to finish heating. Again, a wonderful, cozy dish in no time.

This is one of my favorite soup recipes. It takes a long-standing traditional dish and allows you to get it on the table in much less time, but still with all the great flavors. I guarantee that the first time you make this soup, will definitely not be the last!

Tips and Tricks

• If you don’t have fresh thyme on hand, substitute 1 tsp of dried thyme.
• A store-bought rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe.
• You can substitute any waxy potato, such as creamer or yukon gold for the red potatoes. I don’t recommend russet, because they don’t hold up very well in this recipe and tend to break apart.
• Heavy cream makes this dish extra rich and creamy and I highly recommend using it. But, you can substitute half and half if you want it to be a bit lighter. It will still be very delicious.
• This is delicious served with crusty bread and simple Spring Mix Salad.

Ingredients Needed to Make Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings

Full instructions can be found below in the recipe card

• Olive oil
• Carrots
• Celery
• Red onion – I prefer red for their milder flavor and color, but yellow or white onions work as well.
• Fresh garlic
• Red potatoes
• Fresh thyme
• Dried poultry seasoning
• Chicken stock
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cooked, shredded chicken – A store-bought rotisserie chicken works great.
• Canned biscuits
• Heavy cream – Half and half can be substituted.
• All purpose flour
• Butter
• Frozen peas
• Fresh parsley

How to Make Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, potatoes and sauté  for 5-7 minutes, until veggies are starting to get tender.
• Stir in thyme and poultry seasoning.
• Add chicken stock, salt and pepper, increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
• Stir in chicken and biscuits.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until biscuits are cooked.
• Meanwhile, mash butter and flour together, until well combined.
• Increase heat to medium and stir in cream.
• Stir in flour mixture.
• Continue stirring until sauce has thickened.
• Stir in peas and parsley.

More Easy Recipes Using Rotisserie Chicken

• Sweet and Savory Chicken Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing
• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
• Chicken Caprese Salad
• Baked Gnocchi with Chicken

Continue to Content

Yield: 6 servings

Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Print

With a few shortcuts, you can have this rich and creamy Chicken and Dumplings on the table any night of the week. It's got all of the rich flavor, but with half of the work.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (see notes)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tsp dried poultry seasoning
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 lb cooked, shredded chicken (see notes)
• 1 can regular size biscuits cut into 8 pieces each
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, potatoes and salute for 5-7 minutes, until veggies are starting to get tender.
3. Stir in thyme and poultry seasoning.
4. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper, increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in chicken and biscuits.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until biscuits are cooked.
7. Meanwhile, mash butter and flour together, until well combined.
8. Increase heat to medium and stir in cream.
9. Stir in flour mixture.
10. Continue stirring until sauce has thickened.
11. Stir in peas and parsley.

Notes

• If you don't have red potatoes, you can substitute 2 russet potatoes, which I recommend peeling.
• A shredded rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe, but any cooked chicken works just fine.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 491Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1182mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 31g