Chicken and Dumpling Soup (Easy Rotisserie Shortcut)
Chicken and dumpling soup is a comforting meal in a bowl. Tender chicken, loads of vegetables, and homemade, fluffy dumplings in creamy, flavorful, full-bodied broth.
I make a big pot of soup and eat it all week for lunch. So good. And yes, we have a few good shortcuts: rotisserie chicken, a food processor for the veggies, and easy drop dumplings.
What to expect
This chicken dumpling soup recipe is a complete, filling meal with a creamy broth, tender dumplings, and loads of chicken and vegetables. The soup part is very forgiving. I use about 6 cups of chopped vegetables plus spinach, and most of a rotisserie chicken, but you can use more or less of either. Just don’t skip the onions, since they’re key to the flavor.
The soup has body, but it is not thick. At first the broth might seem thin, but it thickens as the dumplings release starch while cooking. If you like a thicker soup, add an extra tablespoon of flour to the sautéed vegetables before adding the broth, or use a little less broth.
Don’t be intimidated by dumplings. They take just a few minutes to mix with a few simple ingredients, then the simmering soup does its magic and puffs them up into fluffy craggy balls. No rolling, no shaping, no chilling and no cutting in butter.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Chicken: Use a cooked store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, baby spinach. Plus garlic.
- Broth: I use water + Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base. You can also use a boxed or canned chicken broth instead.
- Fresh dill: Sprigs flavor the broth, and chopped dill goes into the dumplings and on top.
- Cream (optional): I use half-and-half (10%) cream to add richness. Heavy cream (35%) is even richer.
- Dumpling dough: Flour, baking powder, melted butter, chopped dill, milk, salt. Add a pinch of garlic powder if you like.
Substitutions
- For chicken: Leftover turkey is perfect too. Or, poach or roast 3-4 chicken breasts and cut them up.
- Vegetables: Swap in or add celeriac, mushrooms, or sweet potato (cut into pieces at least 1 inch/2.5 cm so they don’t turn mushy).
- Dill: Use parsley and/or chives in the soup and dumplings instead.
Variations
- Deepen the soup flavor: While the soup is simmering, add 4-6 drumsticks or the bones from the rotisserie chicken for a richer broth. You will need to add an extra 20 minutes to the initial simmering time, though. Remove them before cooking the dumplings.
- Thicker, gravy-style soup, like Cracker Barrel’s. Add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour before adding the broth. This will turn the broth into a gravy.
- Dairy-free version: Skip the cream at the end. And, for the dumplings, use oil and broth or water (instead of butter and milk).
- Smaller dumplings: Make them walnut-sized (about 1 tbsp) and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add more protein and fiber: Before you cook the dumplings, add 1 cup or more of canned chickpeas or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained.
- Soup from scratch: If you have more time, make a chicken soup from scratch and use the broth and veggies for this recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
This is a visual overview. Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Tips for fluffy dumplings
- Stir the dough just until the flour disappears. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing develops gluten, and that’s what makes dumplings tough and gummy.
- Measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into the cup and level it off, or weigh it (180 g). Too much flour makes heavy dumplings.
- Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. A hard boil can break the dumplings apart or make them dense. Too low and they won’t steam properly.
- Space them out. They double in size, so give them room. Don’t double the dough recipe unless you have a very wide pot.
- Keep the lid on and don’t peek. The dumplings cook in the steam. Lifting the lid lets it escape and can leave them doughy in the middle.
- Test one before serving. Cut it open. It should be soft all the way through, with no wet, doughy center. If it isn’t done, cover the pot again and cook a few more minutes.
Shortcuts
- Rotisserie chicken: Skin, bone, and chop it, and it goes straight into the soup.
- Food processor: Pulse the vegetables to chop them in seconds. Or buy pre-chopped vegetables.
- Drop dumplings: No cutting in butter and no rolling. For even faster cooking, flatten the pieces of dough slightly before dropping them in. This cuts a few minutes off the cooking time.
- Skip the homemade dumplings and use:
- Gnocchi: Stir in fresh or shelf-stable store-bought gnocchi at the end and simmer about 3 minutes, until tender.
- Bisquick: Mix 2 cups Bisquick with ⅔ cup milk (and chopped dill if you like). Drop spoonfuls into the simmering soup and cook 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered.
- No dumplings: The soup is delicious on its own.
What to serve with chicken dumpling soup
Honestly, I serve the soup on its own as it’s loaded with vegetables, chicken and fluffy dumplings. But if you want to round it out, these pair well.
Stretch the meal: with warm crusty bread for dipping and a side salad like our winter salad or mandarin orange salad.
Finish with a comforting dessert: Try apple crisp, banana blueberry muffins, or banana bread.
Recipe FAQs
Use a flavorful broth. I recommend Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base with water as I can add more base than called for, for extra flavor. I have no affiliation. Adding seasoning and aromatics boosts flavor as well. We use onions, garlic, and dill in the recipe, but you can supplement with parsley and thyme.
Covered. The dumplings cook by steaming, so a tight lid is important. Don’t peek or lift the lid while the dumplings are cooking.
They’ll have doubled in size and look puffed up. Cut one open. The center should be cooked through, not wet or doughy.
Gummy dumplings usually come from three things: overmixing the dough, too much flour, or lifting the lid while they cook. Dense dumplings are also commonly caused by the soup boiling too hard. Stir just until the flour disappears, keep the soup at a gentle simmer, and leave the lid on for the full cook time – 18 minutes or less for smaller ones.
A 10 to 12 inch (25 to 30 cm) Dutch oven or wide pot. It needs to be big enough that nothing spills over, with room for the dumplings to double in size.
Add an extra tablespoon of flour with the vegetables before the broth goes in, or stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water) at the end and simmer for a minute. The soup also thickens as it sits.
The soup already contains a lot of vegetables and chicken, but you can add significant extra protein and fiber with one cup or more of canned cannellini beans and/or chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
Yes, two ways. Make the soup (everything except the dumplings) up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. When you’re ready to eat, bring it to a gentle boil and cook the dumplings fresh. The dough takes just a few minutes to mix. Or make the soup with the dumplings and refrigerate in an airtight container. The dumplings absorb broth as they sit, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
More comforting one-pot recipes
- Smothered chicken and vegetables
- Unstuffed cabbage rolls (Instant Pot)
- Kale, white bean and sausage soup
- Vegetable beef stew
- Curry chicken
- Sweet and sour chicken meatballs
Or check out our full collection of one-pot meals.
Love chicken and dumplings? You might also love: Ina Garten chicken pot pie, a shortcut chicken pot pie with puff pastry, or chicken sliders (chicken pot pie-style).
If you make this recipe, let us know how it went! A rating & comment below mean a lot to us.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Equipment
- 1 large pot or dutch oven about 10-12 inch (25-30 cm diameter). A glass lid is helpful to peer in, but not essential.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil ( or 2T butter, 2T oil)
- 1 medium onion
- 4 carrots, peeled
- 3 celery ribs
- 2 parsnips, peeled
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (~3 teaspoons)
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour (use 5T for thicker soup)
- 4 tablespoons chicken bouillon base + 7 cups/1.6 liters water, Note 1 (for less salty, use 3-3½ tbsp).
- handful fresh dill, Note 2
- 1 rotisserie chicken, Note 3 about 4 cups chopped into pieces.
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped, Note 4
- ½ cup half-and-half cream (optional) (or heavy cream)
Dumpling dough recipe
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, Note 5 180 grams
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt (or ½ tsp table salt)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- ¾ cup milk, any kind
Instructions
- PREP: Chop onion, carrots, celery and parsnips into ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces. You will end up with ~ 6-8 cups (800-1200 grams) chopped vegetables. To do this in a food processor: cut vegetables into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, place in processor bowl and pulse about 3 times. Alternatively, chop with a knife by hand. Cut chicken meat into small pieces, about ½ inch (1.3 cm)
- SAUTÉ VEGETABLES: Heat oil (or oil-butter combo) in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes.
- COOK SOUP: Lower heat to medium heat. Stir in 4 tbsp flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add 7 cups water + 4 tbsp chicken bouillon base (or 7 cups broth instead) and a good handful of fresh dill. Stir. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
- MAKE DUMPLING DOUGH: While soup is cooking, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, dill, and salt until evenly combined. Add melted butter and milk. Stir with a fork into a ball JUST until combined and flour disappears. DON'T overmix. A few lumps are fine.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, Note 5, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, 3 tablespoons melted butter, ¾ cup milk, any kind
- FINISH SOUP AND COOK DUMPLINGS: Remove stems of dill and discard. Stir chopped chicken, cream, and spinach into the broth. bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer before dropping in the dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough, about 1½ tablespoons walnut-sized, and add to simmering broth one at a time, spaced out. Cover tightly and cook on medium-low heat (about 4/10) – not boiling – for 18 minutes. Don't lift the lid while dumplings are cooking. They will double in size. When done, test one by cutting it open to make sure it's not doughy inside. If it is, replace the lid and cook the soup and dumplings another few minutes. Gently stir.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken broth: I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base with water. For a less salty soup, use 3 to 3½ tbsp. You can instead use 7 cups of store-bought chicken broth instead of water + bouillon (regular or low sodium – and adjust seasonings to your taste.
- Dill alternatives: Add a handful of dill sprigs (stems and all) while the soup simmers, then remove the stems before adding the chicken. Or, instead, use 3-4 tsp finely chopped dill leaves. If you’re not a dill fan, swap in parsley, thyme or chives .
- Rotisserie chicken alternatives:
- You’ll need about 4 cups chopped (skin and bones removed). I find Costco chicken is super tender in the soup.
- Leftover chicken or turkey works too.
- You can also roast 3-4 boneless chicken breasts at 375F/191C until they reach 155-160F (68-71C), about 15-20 minutes. They will finish cooking in the soup.
- Frozen spinach option: If you don’t have fresh baby spinach, you can use 2-3 ounces of frozen spinach (about 1/4-1/3 of a standard 10 ounce package. Just add to the soup and bring soup to a gentle boil before adding dumplings. Kale works too.
- How to measure flour properly for dumplings: The best way to measure flour is to weigh it (you need 180 grams). If you don’t have a scale, fluff it, scoop into a measuring cup, then level it off. Too much flour will make the dumplings dense.
- Variations
- Deepen the soup flavor: While the soup is simmering, add 4-6 drumsticks or the bones from the rotisserie chicken for a richer broth (add 20 minutes to cook time). Remove them before cooking the dumplings.
- Make a stew version (similar to Cracker Barrel): Add an extra 2 tablespoons flour before adding the broth – for a gravy thickness.
- Dairy-free version: Skip the cream at the end. And, for the dumplings, use oil and broth or water (instead of butter and milk).
- Smaller dumplings: Use about 2 teaspoons of dough and cook them for 12-13 minutes.
- Add more protein and fiber: Before you cook the dumplings, add 1 cup chickpeas or cannellini beans to the soup, drained and rinsed.
- Soup from scratch: If you have more time, make a chicken soup from scratch and use the broth and veggies for this recipe.
- More dumpling shortcuts
- Gnocchi: Stir in fresh or shelf-stable store-bought gnocchi at the end and simmer about 3 minutes, until tender.
- Bisquick: Mix 2 cups Bisquick with ⅔ cup milk (and chopped dill if you like). Drop spoonfuls into the simmering soup and cook 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered.
- Skip the dumplings: The soup is delicious on its own!
- Make ahead, store, freeze:
- Make ahead: Make the soup without the dumplings up to 3 days ahead. Reheat to a gentle boil, then cook the dumplings fresh.
- Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as the dumplings absorb broth, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating gently. Or better, store dumplings separately.
- Freezing: Freeze the soup without the dumplings and cream (it will separate) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, and stir in the cream. Cooked dumplings can be frozen too, but they’ll can get a bit mushy.
- Lunch tip: Dumplings are best fresh, so if you’re eating it all week, cook only what you’ll eat in a day or two and make more as needed. I just eat the leftover soup without dumplings and it’s great.