Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe – Made With Refrigerator Biscuits

This Easy Chicken and Dumplings recipe is sure to satisfy your craving for a warm and filling comfort food meal. Best of all, it requires very little effort to prepare and will be on the table, ready to eat in only 30 minutes.

As much as I love to share this delicious dinner with my family, there are times that I crave this meal when there is only my husband and I at home. And because dumplings don’t freeze well, making a large portion just doesn’t make sense.

Instead I use a few key short cuts and decrease the portion size to make enough so that it is the perfect amount for two. Although, depending on your hunger level, you may have enough for an extra helping for lunch the next day.

And we all know that there are meals, like Meatloaf, Chili and Potato Soup that the leftovers taste even better the next day. So instead of making a large, family size portion use these few shortcuts and have dinner on the table in no time.

Shortcuts For Making Chicken and Dumplings

1. Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

I absolutely love to purchase a rotisserie chicken and use the meat in recipes throughout the week. After a simple meal of chicken and mashed potatoes, I will use the leftovers to make Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Casserole, Chicken Salad Sandwiches or if I am feeling the need for a healthier meal, I will make a Cobb Salad.

However, you can also use the extra meat to make this recipe as well. Having the cooked chicken on hand will help you get your dinner on the table with very little time or effort.

Simply dice the meat into small sections and add it to the broth. The meat will absorb the flavor of both the broth and seasonings, making it moist and flavorful.

However, you could also use canned chunks of chicken or shredded chicken as well. And if you find yourself with an extra chicken breast in your refrigerator, you can definitely use that too.

Just be sure that the meat is cooked prior to it going into the pot. For best results either boil the chicken breast in water or broth or cook it in the Instant Pot so that it retains as much moisture as possible.

2. Refrigerator Biscuit Dough Dumplings

Although I typically make Homemade Chicken and Dumplings, I have found that when making a smaller portion, it is best to use refrigerator biscuit dough. This is the dough that is packaged in tubes and can be found near the crescent and cinnamon rolls.

The biscuits provide a similar texture and taste and it is a quick alternative when you are wanting a fast and easy meal. However, the type of biscuit you purchase does matter.

In order for the dumplings to get nice and plump without falling apart it is best to use Grand Buttermilk or Southern Style Biscuits dough instead of Flaky Refrigerator biscuits. Luckily, in many grocery stores you can purchase a can with just 5 biscuits, instead of the larger can of 8.

Although you won’t use all 5 for this recipe, you can use the extras to make Air Fryer Donuts or Garlic Knots. Just be sure to use the dough within 24 hours of opening the can for best results.

3. Store-bought Chicken Broth

If you have a lot of extra time on your hands you can use the carcass of the rotisserie chicken to make your own chicken broth. I will store vegetable scraps in my freezer and make a large batch of Homemade Chicken Broth in my Instant Pot.

I will then portion out 2 cup servings and freeze them for later use. This is especially helpful to have on hand in the winter months.

However, I always have a few cartons of store-bought chicken broth on hand in my pantry as well. This way I can make a recipe at the last minute without having to thaw out my homemade broth.

Although, I recommend that if you do purchase the broth from the grocery to buy the low-sodium broth. You can always add salt to your recipes, but sometimes the full strength broth can be too salty for many people.

4. Poultry Seasoning

I would imagine that most of us have poultry seasoning leftover from last Thanksgiving. This is a great time to pull it out and use some of it to flavor the chicken and dumplings.

However, if you don’t have this seasoning in your spice cabinet, it is easy to make your own with some common spices that you probably already have on hand.

Homemade Poultry Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
• a pinch of nutmeg

Mix the above ingredients together and you will have your own homemade poultry seasoning. Use what you need and then store the remaining in an air tight container.

5. Sliced or Shredded Carrots

A final way that you can save time making chicken and dumplings is to purchase shredded or sliced carrots. I have found that it is much easier to use the prepared carrots rather than taking the time and effort to slice my own.

I use the carrot shreds or slices in my salads, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Egg Roll in a Bowl and Vegetable Lo Mein recipes. It saves me so much time when compared to pulling out a cutting board or food processor every time that I need to make a recipe.

Now that you know how easy it is to prepare the ingredients, let’s get to this delicious comfort food recipe.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 3 refrigerator Buttermilk Biscuits
• 1/2 cup of sliced baby carrots
• 1 large celery rib, diced

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium size sauce pan add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, condensed cream of chicken soup and poultry seasoning. Stir and heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil.

Then reduce the heat to low, cover and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes.

While the pot is simmering, prepare the dumplings. Start by smashing each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness by pressing the palm of your hand down on each one.

Then using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each biscuit into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Going in the opposite direction, cut them again until you have formed little biscuit pieces.

When the biscuits are cut, increase the heat to medium high to return the liquid mixture to a light boil. One at a time add the cut biscuits into the boiling mixture so that they don’t stick together.

Then add the sliced or shredded carrots and diced celery. Reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Be sure to stir the chicken and dumplings occasionally, separating any dumplings that may have stuck together.

Once the dumplings have cooked through serve immediately.

Enjoy! Mary

Follow My Facebook Page For Great Recipes For Two! I Cook For Two Facebook Page

To receive FREE recipes delivered directly to your email, be sure to sign up for the iCookfortwo newsletter. A sign up form is located in the middle of this article. If you have any questions, comments, or want to submit an idea for a recipe for two, feel free to email at mary@icookfortwo.com