Spare Spoons Kitchen
The Showroom · from scratch · a slow Sunday

Southern Chicken
& Dumplings

The real thing — a whole chicken simmered into its own stock, then flat rolled dumplings cooked right in the pot until the broth turns velvety. A project, but mostly hands-off, and pure comfort. (Short on spoons? There's Betty's three-can version too.)

~2 hr total 1 hr mostly simmering one pot + a rolling pin
Effort ●●●○ Time ●●●○ A Project
Servingsamounts scale to match
6
Units

Ingredients

The dumplings thicken the broth — let them. Flour clinging to the rolled dumplings dissolves as they cook, turning the broth silky on its own; no roux needed. Keep it at a gentle simmer (a hard boil shreds the dumplings) and resist stirring much once they go in. Roll them thin — they puff a little and you want tender, not doughy.

Easier, if you like

  • The middle path: skip poaching a whole bird — use about 4 cups (1 L) good chicken broth plus the meat from a rotisserie chicken. Bring the broth to a simmer, cook the dumplings in it, then stir in the shredded chicken. Most of the comfort, half the time.
  • Even faster dumplings: cut a sheet of refrigerated pie dough into strips and drop those into the simmering broth — a long-standing Southern shortcut.

Method

    Cook's notes

    The quick version: when you're low on spoons, Betty's three-can Chicken 'n Dumplings gets you to the same comfort in minutes — this is the from-scratch counterpart for when you've got the time.

    Slicks vs. drop dumplings. These are flat "slick" dumplings, the Deep-South style (silky, almost noodle-like). For fluffy, biscuit-style dumplings instead, spoon a soft biscuit dough (add 120 ml/½ cup milk to the same dry mix, don't roll) onto the simmering broth in mounds, cover, and steam 15 minutes without peeking.

    Make-ahead stock. The chicken-and-broth stage can be done a day ahead — chill it, lift off the fat, then it's just roll, cut, and cook the dumplings before dinner.

    Doneness: a whole bird's dark meat wants 175°F to be tender, and an hour's simmer takes everything well past safe; see the Kitchen Notes on chicken doneness.

    Good with a skillet of cornbread to mop the bowl.

    Notes on dairy-free and gluten-free

    Dairy-free: use shortening (not butter) in the dumplings, bind with hot broth instead of milk, and skip the finishing cream — the broth is rich enough on its own.

    Gluten-free: rolled dumplings are tricky without gluten — a 1:1 GF flour blend with a little xanthan gum will roll and cut, but expect a softer, more delicate dumpling. The broth and chicken are naturally gluten-free.