Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken Dumplings

Tender moist chicken in a thick savory broth with perfect fluffy dumplings for a cozy dinner that comes together in no time. 

These homemade Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings are the ultimate comfort dinner just like Cracker Barrel serves them but in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Why You’ll Love Cracker Barrel Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

• A delicious hearty meal loaded with home Southern flavors. So creamy and saucy! Dare I say better than cracker barrel chicken and dumplings?
• Perfect for those rainy and chilly days.
• Very affordable dish for a family.
• A quick 40-minute recipe that you can whip up even on weeknight.
• Minimal ingredients. If making flat dumplings from scratch, you will need 8 ingredients. If you use a shortcut (pre-made biscuits), you will only need 5 ingredients!

Ingredients Notes

• Low-sodium chicken stock or chicken broth. Chicken bouillon cubes could work too! The best results will be with homemade chicken broth for sure, if you have time to make it. If cooking a big batch, you can use the whole chicken (without the neck and gizzards). Cooking for Thanksgiving? Use turkey instead of chicken, it works magic too.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Rotisserie chicken can be used to speed this recipe along and this recipe is a great way to use a leftover chicken. Using pre-cooked chicken is a great way to cut down cooking time to 30 minutes.
• Celery stalks – an aromatic veggie packed with flavors.
• An onion, peeled but left whole.

A classic flavor triad for cooking is celery, onion, and carrots (baby carrots are easier to use). I skipped the carrots here but you can add them back.

I barely add salt and black pepper to the dish, all flavors seem enough to me. If you want some spice kick, add some chili flakes.

Homemade Dumpling Dough

• All-purpose flour + save some more for dusting
• Buttermilk is what makes these dumplings fluffy and light.
• Baking powder
• Salt

You can make cracker barrel chicken dumplings with biscuits too – simply use regular canned biscuits.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large stock pot
• A sharp knife, a pizza cutter, or a pastry cutter – anything that is very sharp and will smoothly cut the dough.
• Mixing bowl

How To Make These Homemade Chicken Dumplings

The recipe is foolproof and takes a few very simple steps: we prepare the broth and the chicken, the dumplings, and then combine all the good stuff together.

1: Cook The Chicken And The Broth

1. Combine the chicken stock, chicken breast, celery, and onion in a large pot. Cook over high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken and set aside.
3. Discard the onion and celery (that is optional, but restaurants do that all the time).
4. DO NOT DISCARD the dumpling cooking liquid – just let it sit on the stove – simmering over low heat. We will use it to make a thick sauce for added flavor.

2: Making Homemade Dumplings From Scratch

1. Combine the flour, buttermilk, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Work the ingredients together until soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry add a little more buttermilk, if it is too wet add a little more flour.
3. Once the dough comes together dust it heavily with more flour.
4. Roll the dough out thinly on a flat, floured surface with a rolling pin until roughly 1/4 inch thick.
5. Slice the dough into squares.
6. If you have time let the dumpling squares rest for 30 minutes on parchment paper.
7. Cook The Dumplings. Add the squares of dough to the simmering broth, gently stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
8. Let the dumplings cook for another 20 minutes to let the stock thicken.
9. I recommend adding dumplings one by one to make sure they won’t stick together in one pile. Stir gently every time you add a few.

3: Shred Chicken & Add To The Dumplings And Broth

Shred the cooked chicken.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the shredded chicken back to the pot with the cooked dumplings and stir gently.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with some green beans, mashed potatoes, or vegetable casserole. Classic creamy comfort food for the whole family. You can use a little bit of chopped parsley (fresh) to sprinkle on top.

Slow Cooker Method

The slow cooker is perfect for cooking the chicken with broth. It turns out moist and tender.

Follow the same steps to make the dumpling dough, roll and cut it.

• If you are making the broth from scratch you can see my notes below.
• I recommend quickly sauteeing the onion and celery before adding them to the slow cooker to enhance the flavors.
• Load everything except dumplings in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
• One hour before the end of the cooking time, add quartered biscuits, if using my dumpling recipe add them a bit later as they need less time to cook.

Instant Pot Method

Instant Pot makes Cracker barrel chicken and dumplings in such a short time!

1. First, cook the chicken (chopped would cook through better), broth, and aromatics on high pressure for 3 minutes. Do quick pressure release.
2. Then, prepare the dumpling dough, roll, and cut (following my steps in the recipe card, they are the same no matter what cooking method you choose).
3. Remove the chicken and veggies from the pot, and load the dumplings. Cook on saute for 15 minutes. Release the pressure.
4. Add the shredded chicken and let all the components just sit for a few minutes. Serve!

How To Make Homemade Chicken Broth For Chicken Dumplings

Use a whole chicken (remove gizzards) and place it in a large stock pot or slow cooker with onions, celery, and carrots chopped in large chunks.

Pour water to cover the whole chicken. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours without the lid.

Once the chicken is soft and starts to fall from the bones, remove and discard the veggies, and remove the chicken to shred it.

Strain and filter the broth to remove all the impurities and bits of veg or chicken. Store or return to the pot to make chicken and dumplings.

How To Store Chicken & Dumplings

First, cool the dish to the room temperature. Store leftover cracker barrel dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop in a medium saucepan.

Freeze chicken and dumplings in a freezer-safe container for 3 months. If it seems too dry, add a bit more of the broth.

Make ahead. This dumpling recipe is easy to make ahead of time. Simply make a big batch of dumplings and freeze them. To serve a delicious dinner, thaw them overnight before reheating.

You can also make the dumpling dough and freeze it for 3 months to have a head start next time you want to make this dish.

Variations

• Milk, heavy cream, or evaporated milk can be added if you like a creamier chicken and dumplings. But do not substitute buttermilk for milk.
• The old-fashioned dumplings are made with added shortening or milk and butter instead of buttermilk. I find buttermilk to give the best texture for the dumplings.
• For some tang, you can add half a lemon to the pot when making the broth.
• You can replace all-purpose flour with self-rising flour (no baking powder needed then).
• If using frozen vegetables, for a side dish or in the chicken dumplings, you can cook them in the broth too or steam. Creamy chicken dumplings need something crunchy to go with.
• Homemade buttermilk is a simple mix of 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 cup of milk, it should sit for a few minutes and be done – buttermilk!

Tips and Tricks To Make This Copycat Recipe

• I usually use a hand or fork to mix the dumpling dough together, but it is possible to use a pastry blender.
• If the sauce is too thick, add a little more cooking liquid from the stock.
• Don’t let the broth boil for too long, simmer, stirring constantly. It can overflow but also overcook the dumplings.

Popular Questions

What Is The Difference Between Chicken And Dumplings And Chicken And Biscuits?

There are a lot of different types of dumplings used in chicken and dumplings recipes. The Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings use flat dumplings that look like square noodles, while biscuits are much thicker, chewy, and doughy.

Flat dumplings are often mixed in the sauce while biscuits often sit on top of casseroles and bakes.

Can I Make Vegan Chicken And Dumplings?

Yes! Swap the chicken broth with vegetable broth and use veggies or plant-based protein instead of chicken. You can replace buttermilk with homemade vegan buttermilk which is simply lemon juice and almond milk.

What Thickens Chicken And Dumplings?

Heavy cream, cornstarch slurry (cornstarch and water), or flour can thicken the sauce for chicken and dumplings, as well as when you simply let the broth simmer for longer.

Why Did My Chicken And Dumplings Fall Apart?

If you overcook the dumplings, they will become soggy and fall apart. If using biscuits, undercooked biscuits can be soggy and mushy too.

To keep dumplings from disintegrating treat them like noodles, do not let them cook longer than 15 minutes, and check after 10 minutes to see if they are soft.

Why Are My Chicken And Dumplings Not Fluffy?

If you used regular milk instead of buttermilk the chicken dumplings will be less fluffy and creamy. Using buttermilk in the dumpling dough is the key to the fluffy light texture. 

If you love this copycat recipe, you’re going to love these other copycat recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

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