Mrs. Clay’s Homemade Chicken & Dumplings
❤️ The kind of comfort that starts with flour on the counter and ends with everyone asking for seconds.
There are some meals that do more than fill a hungry stomach.
They slow us down.
They gather people around the table.
They remind us that home isn’t really a place—it’s the feeling you get when someone loves you enough to make your favorite supper.
Chicken and dumplings has always been one of those meals for me.
Growing up, Thanksgiving always meant dumplings. My mother made hers with canned biscuits. She would leave the biscuits out on the counter while she finished everything else, then roll each one almost paper thin with just enough flour to keep it from sticking. We’d cut them into strips and gently drop them into rich homemade broth.
Those dumplings became part of what Thanksgiving tasted like.
As I grew older, though, I wanted to learn to make them completely from scratch. I loved cooking for my husband, and somewhere along the way I quietly made it my mission to master homemade dumplings. There was something deeply satisfying about taking a few humble ingredients and turning them into a meal that made the people I loved feel cared for.
This particular pot almost didn’t happen.
I’d spent most of the day resting. If I’m being honest, grief had gotten the better of me. I hadn’t planned supper. The chicken was still frozen, and ordering takeout would’ve been the easier choice.
Instead, I reached for my Instant Pot.
While the chicken cooked, I mixed together flour, homemade broth, and lard. As I rolled out the dough, something inside me began to settle.
There’s something wonderfully therapeutic about making dumplings by hand.
The rhythm of kneading.
The rolling pin moving back and forth.
The gentle bubbling of broth on the stove.
Somehow, without even realizing it, the kitchen became exactly where I needed to be.
Maybe you’ve had days like that too.
Sometimes cooking feeds your family.
Sometimes it feeds the cook.
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe has earned a permanent place in my kitchen because it’s everything comfort food should be.
It uses simple pantry ingredients.
It transforms homemade broth into something truly special.
It fills the house with the kind of aroma that brings everyone into the kitchen asking, “Is it ready yet?”
And perhaps my favorite part…
It reminds me that some of the best family traditions aren’t complicated at all. They’re simply meals made with love, shared around a table, year after year.
🍲 Step-by-Step with Mrs. Clay
1. Cook the chicken.
Place 2 jumbo chicken breasts in your Instant Pot.
Add 1½–2 cups homemade chicken broth, ½ onion, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
Cook until tender. Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, strain the broth, and return the strained broth to the pot.
2. Make the dumpling dough.
My dough is wonderfully simple—flour, salt, lard, and cold homemade chicken broth. I prefer broth instead of water because every bite of the dumplings carries that rich chicken flavor all the way through.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt.
Cut in 3 tablespoons lard until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add ¾ cup cold homemade chicken broth and mix just until a soft dough forms.
3. Rest the dough.
Let the dough rest for a few minutes before rolling.
It should feel soft and smooth, not sticky. If it feels dry, add another teaspoon or two of cold broth. If it feels sticky, dust it lightly with flour.
4. Roll and cut the dumplings.
Lightly flour your counter.
Roll the dough fairly thin, or to whatever thickness your family likes best.
Cut into strips or squares.
5. Finish the broth.
Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer.
Whisk in 1 can cream of chicken soup, ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage, ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning, and 3 tablespoons butter.
Taste and adjust with salt or pepper if needed.
6. Cook the dumplings.
Drop the dumplings into the gently simmering broth.
Do not let the broth boil hard. A gentle simmer keeps the dumplings tender. This isn’t the time for a rolling boil. A slow, easy simmer gives you tender dumplings every single time.
Cook for about 20 minutes.
7. Add the chicken back.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Cook another 5–10 minutes, until everything is hot and the dumplings are tender.
8. Serve.
Serve hot, preferably with everyone close enough to the kitchen to smell what’s coming.
🌸 Mrs. Clay’s Tips
• Homemade broth is the biggest upgrade you can make. If you’ve ever cooked a stewing hen, save every drop.
• Use homemade broth instead of water in your dumpling dough. It seasons the dumplings from the inside out.
• Let your dough rest for a few minutes before rolling. It’ll roll much more easily.
• Don’t worry about making perfect shapes. Homemade dumplings are supposed to look homemade.
• Keep the broth at a gentle simmer. Boiling too hard can make the dumplings tougher.
• Taste your broth before adding the dumplings. Every batch of homemade broth has its own personality, so don’t be afraid to add another pinch of salt or pepper if it needs it.
🍲 From My Recipe Box to Yours
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 jumbo chicken breasts
- 1½–2 cups homemade chicken broth
- ½ onion
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons lard
- ¾ cup cold homemade chicken broth
To Finish the Broth
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Cook the chicken in the broth with the onion, garlic, and seasonings until tender. Shred the chicken and strain the broth.
Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the lard until crumbly, then stir in the cold broth just until a soft dough forms. Allow it to rest before rolling.
Roll the dough thin and cut into strips or squares.
Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the cream of chicken soup, sage, poultry seasoning, and butter.
Drop in the dumplings and cook about 20 minutes over a gentle simmer.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and cook another 5–10 minutes before serving.
✨ Ways to Change It Up
Thanksgiving Tradition
Skip the chicken altogether and serve the dumplings in rich homemade turkey broth alongside your Thanksgiving meal.
Stewing Hen Version
If you have broth from a stewing hen, use it. The flavor is richer and absolutely incredible.
Extra Creamy
Stir in a splash of heavy cream during the last few minutes of cooking.
Pepper Lover’s Version
Finish each bowl with plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
Country Supper
Serve alongside skillet cornbread, buttered biscuits, or warm homemade rolls.
❤️ A Thought to Close the Day
I’ve learned over the years that recipes are only part of what we pass down.
The real inheritance is the feeling attached to them.
It’s children standing on stools helping roll dough.
It’s family gathered around a table after a long day.
It’s the smell of broth simmering on the stove when someone walks through the front door.
Those are the things they’ll carry with them long after they’ve forgotten exactly how much salt went into the pot.
So if life feels a little heavy today, maybe pull out the flour.
Roll a little dough.
Fill the house with the smell of homemade chicken and dumplings.
You just might discover that while you’re feeding the people you love…
The Lord is quietly feeding your heart too.
