Chicken and Dumplings with Canned Biscuits (Creamy and One-Pot)

Chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits is the recipe I turn to when I’m standing in front of the fridge at 5:30, wondering what on earth to feed everybody. It gives you that slow-simmered, Sunday-supper feeling in about an hour, and the hardest part is cutting up a can of biscuits.

I started making it this way when my kids were little and I didn’t have the patience (or the clean counter) to roll out dumpling dough. Nobody at my table has ever asked me to go back. The broth is thick and creamy, the chicken is tender, and the dumplings come out soft and pillowy in the middle instead of gummy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No dough to make. A can of refrigerated biscuits puffs into fluffy, drop-style dumplings.

Real homemade flavor. The chicken simmers right in the broth, so it tastes like it cooked all afternoon.

One pot. Vegetables, sauce, chicken and dumplings all happen in the same Dutch oven.

Flexible. Stovetop, slow cooker, Instant Pot, rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Serves 6. Use a 5 1/2 to 7-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight lid. A wide pot beats a tall one, since the dumplings need room to puff.

For the base

4 tablespoons unsalted butter – It starts the roux.

1 medium yellow onion, diced – The classic trio starts here.

3 medium carrots, sliced into thin coins – Thin, so they’re tender by the time the dumplings are done.

3 ribs celery, sliced – The last of the trio.

3 cloves garlic, minced – You’ll smell it, you won’t taste “garlic soup.”

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting the biscuits – The flour turns plain broth into a thick, creamy base.

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth – This one matters. Canned biscuits already carry plenty of salt, so low-sodium broth keeps the pot from tasting like a salt lick.

1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1 bay leaf – Simple, old-fashioned flavor.

1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste – The biscuits add salt, so season at the end.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs – They stay juicy and shred beautifully. Breasts dry out faster.

1/2 cup heavy cream – Rich without being heavy. Half-and-half or whole milk work too.

For the dumplings and finish

1 can (16.3 ounces) Pillsbury Grands! Southern Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits) – Store-brand “homestyle” or “buttermilk” biscuits are fine.

1/2 cup frozen peas (optional) – For color and a little sweetness.

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice – The lemon is my little secret. You won’t taste lemon, the pot just tastes brighter.

How to Make This Recipe

Melt the butter in your Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft and see-through. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then the flour for 2 minutes. It’ll look pasty and coat everything, which is what you want, and it cooks off the raw flour taste.

Pour in the broth about a cup at a time, stirring after each pour so no lumps form. Add the thyme, poultry seasoning, bay leaf and pepper. Nestle in the whole chicken thighs, bring everything to a simmer, then turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it gently bubble for 18 to 22 minutes. The chicken is done at 165°F, though thighs shred best closer to 175°F.

Lift the chicken out and shred it with two forks. Fish out the bay leaf, stir in the cream, and return the chicken with any juices from the board. Taste and adjust the salt, remembering the biscuits will add more.

Here’s the part that makes or breaks it. Bring the pot back to a steady, gentle simmer before a single piece of dough goes in. If the broth is lukewarm, the biscuits soak up liquid before they can set, and that’s where gummy dumplings come from. Lay the floured biscuit pieces on the surface one at a time, nudge each one under with a spoon, and don’t stir. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low so it’s barely bubbling, and set a timer for 15 minutes. Don’t lift the lid. The steam cooks the tops while the broth cooks the bottoms.

Cut open one of the biggest pieces from the center. It should be light and bready, with no wet, shiny streak. If not, cover and give it 3 to 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat, fold in the peas, parsley and lemon juice, and let the pot sit uncovered for 5 minutes while the broth thickens.

My “Gummy-Free Dumplings” Mini Guide

• Add dough only to simmering broth, and keep the lid on. Lukewarm broth or a lifted lid makes gummy centers.
• Flour the pieces and place them one at a time, or they stick in one big clump.
• Keep it at a gentle simmer, and don’t stir until they’re cooked. A hard boil or early stirring breaks them apart.
• If the broth is thin, rest it 5 to 10 minutes. Still thin? Simmer uncovered, or stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water.
• If it’s too thick, stir in warm broth a splash at a time.

Helpful Tips

Which Canned Biscuits Are Best for Dumplings?

Here’s what I’ve learned from making this more times than I can count:

• Grands Southern Homestyle or Buttermilk: soft, fluffy dumplings that hold their shape. My first choice, and store-brand versions are very close.
• Small 7.5-ounce cans (10 biscuits): smaller, slightly denser dumplings that cook faster. Use two cans and cut each biscuit in half.
• Flaky layers: thin, slippery dumplings. If you like the slick kind a lot of Southern grandmas make, peel each biscuit into layers, stretch them and cut strips.
• Crescent dough or flavored biscuits: crescent dough dissolves into the broth, and flavored biscuits can clash with it.

How to Cut Canned Biscuits for Dumplings

Quarters (four pieces per biscuit) are big and fluffy and take 15 to 18 minutes covered. Sixths are the best all-around size, at 13 to 15 minutes. For flat, chewy, rolled-dumpling style, roll each biscuit to about 1/8 inch, cut 1-inch strips with a pizza cutter and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Toss the pieces in a tablespoon of flour first, so they don’t clump.

Easy Variations

• Rotisserie chicken, in 30 minutes: skip simmering the chicken. Add about 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken after the cream, and simmer the broth with the seasonings for 5 minutes first.
• Leftover turkey: my favorite thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers. Use 4 cups of chopped turkey and the rotisserie method.
• Slow cooker: cook the vegetables, garlic, broth, seasonings and raw thighs on low for 6 to 7 hours. Shred the chicken, stir in the flour whisked into the cream, set it to high, add the floured biscuit pieces and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour without lifting the lid.
• Instant Pot: sauté the vegetables, add the broth, seasonings and thighs, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes with a 5-minute natural release. Shred the chicken, stir in the flour whisked into the cream on Sauté, add the biscuits and cook 12 to 15 minutes under a glass lid. I thicken afterward, since flour on the bottom invites a burn warning.
• Cream of chicken shortcut: skip the flour and cream and whisk in one 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
• Dairy-free or gluten-free: use olive oil and oat milk, and check the biscuit label. Canned biscuits contain wheat, so gluten-free needs gluten-free biscuit dough.

How to Double the Recipe

The broth and chicken double easily, but the dumplings need surface room to puff. Use a pot of at least 8 quarts, or two pots. Two layers of dough means raw centers.

Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Make everything through adding the cream up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Bring it back to a simmer with a splash of broth and cook the dumplings fresh. Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. The dumplings drink up the broth, so add a splash of broth or milk and warm gently on the stove until steaming hot all the way through (165°F).

Freeze the base without dumplings for up to 3 months and add fresh biscuits. With dumplings, up to 2 months, but they come out softer.

What to Serve with It

It’s a full meal in one bowl. Green beans, roasted broccoli or a crisp salad all work, and so does cornbread, if your family really loves carbs like mine does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits is an easy dinner to keep in your back pocket. The pot does most of the work, and the biscuits keep it simple.

It fills a table on an ordinary weeknight.