Chicken and Dumplings
This easy chicken and dumplings recipe combines tender shredded chicken and vegetables in a rich, creamy herb-seasoned broth, topped with buttery buttermilk biscuit dumplings. The biscuits cook right on top of the creamy chicken mixture for a comforting homemade dinner that’s hearty, cozy, and simple to make.
Try my Chicken Spaghetti or Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe next!
There are some dinners that feel like a warm blanket in food form, and chicken and biscuits is definitely one of them.
Tender shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and onion simmer in a creamy, herb-seasoned broth before being topped with buttery buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits steam right on top of the chicken mixture, soaking up just enough of that creamy sauce while their tops turn beautifully golden under the broiler.
And the best part? You don’t have to make homemade biscuits. A can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits turns this into an easy, comforting dinner without a lot of fuss.
This is the kind of meal that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking, “Is dinner ready yet?”
Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Biscuits Recipe
There are plenty of ways to make chicken and biscuits, but I love this version because it keeps things simple while still giving you that cozy, homemade flavor.
- Easy to make: Refrigerated biscuits save time without sacrificing that buttery, fluffy topping.
- One-pot comfort food: The chicken, vegetables, creamy broth, and biscuits all come together in one Dutch oven.
- Rich and creamy: Milk and heavy cream give the broth a velvety texture without making it overly thick.
- Packed with flavor: Thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, onion, and mustard powder give the creamy broth plenty of depth.
- Perfect for leftover chicken: This recipe is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Family-friendly: Tender chicken, creamy gravy, and golden biscuits are a pretty hard combination to resist.
What Is Chicken and Biscuits?
Chicken and biscuits is a cozy comfort food made with tender chicken and vegetables cooked in a savory, creamy sauce and finished with fluffy biscuits.
Think of it as the delicious meeting point between chicken pot pie and classic chicken and dumplings.
Instead of making a pie crust or homemade dumplings, this recipe uses refrigerated buttermilk biscuits. The biscuit pieces are placed directly over the creamy chicken mixture and cooked with the lid on so the steam cooks them through. A quick trip under the broiler gives the tops that gorgeous golden-brown finish.
The result is creamy chicken and vegetables underneath with soft, fluffy biscuit dumplings on top.
Basically, it’s everything you want on a chilly evening.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken and Vegetables
Shredded chicken: You’ll need 2 pounds of cooked, shredded chicken. Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken works beautifully here.
Butter: Butter gives the vegetables a flavorful base while helping build the creamy broth.
Onion, carrots, and celery: This classic combination gives the dish a savory vegetable base and adds a little sweetness and texture.
Garlic: Just three cloves add plenty of flavor to the broth.
Creamy Broth
All-purpose flour: Flour helps thicken the broth into a creamy, gravy-like sauce.
Chicken broth: This forms the savory foundation of the sauce.
Whole milk and heavy cream: The combination makes the broth rich and creamy without turning it into an overly heavy sauce.
Herbs and seasonings: Thyme, parsley, rosemary, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper bring everything together.
Don’t let the mustard powder make you nervous. You aren’t going to taste mustard in the finished dish. It simply adds another little layer of flavor to the creamy broth.
Biscuit Dumplings
Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits: These are the shortcut that makes this chicken and biscuits recipe so easy. Cut each biscuit into four pieces so the centers cook properly.
How to Make Chicken and Biscuits
1. Sauté the vegetables
Start by melting the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
You’ll already start to smell that wonderful buttery, savory combination.
2. Make the creamy broth
Add the seasonings.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well, making sure the flour coats everything.
Cook for about a minute. This helps get rid of the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking. Pouring the broth in gradually helps prevent lumps from forming.
Stir in the whole milk and heavy cream.
Bring everything to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth has thickened slightly.
3. Add the chicken
Stir the shredded chicken into the creamy broth.
At this point, the mixture should be creamy but still somewhat loose.
Don’t worry if it looks thinner than you want your finished chicken and biscuits to be. The biscuit dumplings will absorb quite a bit of the liquid as they cook.
This is one of those times when less thick is actually better.
4. Cut the biscuits
Separate the refrigerated buttermilk biscuits and cut each biscuit into four pieces.
Cutting the biscuits into smaller pieces is important. Large biscuit pieces can look beautifully golden on the outside while still being doughy in the middle.
Nobody wants the dreaded doughy dumpling.
5. Add the biscuit dumplings
Bring the chicken mixture to a gentle simmer.
Carefully arrange the biscuit pieces over the top of the creamy chicken mixture.
Don’t push them down into the broth and don’t stir them.
The biscuit pieces need to sit on top so the steam can work its magic.
6. Cook the biscuits
Cover the Dutch oven tightly with the lid and cook for 12–15 minutes.
The steam trapped inside the pot cooks the biscuit dumplings from the inside while the creamy chicken mixture bubbles gently underneath.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 3–5 minutes.
To check whether they’re done, cut one of the biscuit pieces in half. The center should be fluffy and cooked through, not wet or doughy.
7. Brown the biscuit tops
Now comes my favorite part.
Place the uncovered, oven-safe Dutch oven under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely, until the biscuit tops are beautifully golden brown.
Keep a close eye on them! Biscuits can go from perfectly golden to burned surprisingly quickly under a broiler.
8. Let it rest
Remove the chicken and biscuits from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
That short resting time gives the creamy broth a chance to settle and thicken slightly.
Then grab a spoon and dig in.
Tips for the Best Chicken and Biscuits
Don’t make the broth too thick
This is probably the most important tip for this recipe.
The creamy broth should be a little thinner than you think it needs to be before adding the biscuits. Those biscuit pieces will absorb a surprising amount of liquid as they cook.
If you start with an extremely thick sauce, you may end up with chicken and biscuits that are drier than you’d like.
Cut each biscuit into four pieces
Smaller biscuit pieces cook more evenly and are much less likely to have a doughy center.
It’s also a great way to get plenty of golden biscuit goodness throughout the dish.
Keep the lid on while the biscuits cook
The covered cooking time creates steam, and that steam is what helps cook the biscuit dumplings.
Don’t stir the biscuits
Once you’ve arranged the biscuit pieces over the chicken mixture, leave them alone.
No stirring. No pushing them under the broth.
Just put the lid on and let them cook.
Use cooked shredded chicken
This recipe is especially convenient when you already have cooked chicken on hand.
Rotisserie chicken works wonderfully, but leftover roasted or baked chicken works too.
Can I Use Homemade Biscuits?
Absolutely!
Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits make this recipe quick and easy, but you can substitute homemade biscuit dough if you prefer.
Just keep in mind that the size and thickness of homemade biscuits can vary, so you’ll want to pay attention to how they look and feel when checking for doneness.
Can I Make Chicken and Biscuits Ahead of Time?
You can prepare the creamy chicken and vegetable mixture ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to finish the meal.
For the best biscuit texture, I recommend adding and cooking the biscuits shortly before serving rather than cooking them ahead of time.
Freshly cooked biscuit dumplings are softer, fluffier, and have much better texture than biscuits that have been refrigerated and reheated.
How to Store Leftovers
Allow leftover chicken and biscuits to cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate.
They can be reheated gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Keep in mind that the biscuits will continue absorbing some of the creamy broth as they sit, so leftovers may be thicker than the original dish.
If the mixture becomes too thick when reheating, add a small splash of chicken broth or milk to loosen it.
I love recipes that taste like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen when you really didn’t.
This chicken and biscuits recipe is exactly that kind of dinner.
The vegetables get a quick sauté in butter, the creamy broth comes together in the same pot, and refrigerated buttermilk biscuits turn into fluffy dumplings right on top. A few minutes under the broiler gives everything a beautiful golden finish.
It’s cozy, creamy, filling, and incredibly satisfying.
And when you scoop that first spoonful into a bowl, with tender chicken, sweet carrots, creamy herb gravy, and a golden biscuit on top, you’ll understand why this one belongs in the regular dinner rotation.
Serve it warm and don’t forget the extra biscuit pieces. Those always seem to disappear first.
Try These Next!
Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients
Method
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, mustard powder, rosemary, and sage.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking to prevent lumps. Stir in the milk and heavy cream.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth has thickened slightly.
- Stir the shredded chicken into the creamy broth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- The broth should still be fairly loose at this point. The biscuit dumplings will absorb some of the liquid as they cook.
- Separate the refrigerated biscuits and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.
- Bring the chicken mixture to a gentle simmer. Carefully arrange the biscuit pieces over the top of the chicken and gravy. Do not press them down into the liquid or stir.
- Cover the Dutch oven tightly with a lid and cook for 12–15 minutes. The steam trapped inside the pot will cook the biscuit dumplings.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 3–5 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through. To check for doneness, cut one dumpling in half. The center should be fluffy and no longer doughy.
- Transfer the pot to the oven and broil briefly until the biscuit tops are golden brown. Watch carefully while broiling to prevent them from burning.
- Let the chicken and dumplings rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the creamy chicken, vegetables, and fluffy biscuit dumplings into bowls and serve warm.
