My favorite dinner was Chicken and Dumplings growing up. But not just any Chicken and Dumplings, Cracker Barrel’s pastries just wouldn’t do. I wanted Mamaw’s version with the drop dumplings. Lawd, that woman made the best damn Chicken and Dumplings on the planet!

When I finally learned how to cook in my late 20s, I brought Mamaw over to teach me how to make my favorite dish. Mamaw made the dumplings and walked me through the rest from memory, which is pretty impressive given that she was battling dementia at the time. I wish I could say that I nailed it – but I didn’t. My soup was too thin, and I overcooked the dumplings. Mamaw smiled, patted my cheeks, and reminded me that practice makes perfect.

I practiced and practiced, but I never got Mamaw’s recipe to turn out right. Heartbroken, I searched the internet looking for tips on how to turn my thin soup and rubber dumplings into the mouthwatering dish of my youth. It took a couple of years, but I eventually eked out my own recipe that tastes enough like Mamaw’s to keep me happy. Today, I thought I’d share that recipe with y’all.

Cassie’s Chicken and Drop Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients:

Soup

• 5-6 Skinless chicken thighs
• 1 T. Butter
• 3 Stalks of celery; Sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 3 Carrots; Sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Small yellow onion; Diced
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• Lg. Can Cream of Chicken
• 1 Knorr Chicken Bouillon Cube

Dumplings

I use Cathead Biscuit Dough as the recipe for my drop dumplings.

Directions:

1. Make Cathead Biscuit dough (I like to add some black pepper to the flour before mixing).
2. Place chicken thighs and chicken bouillon cube in a stockpot. Fill with water to about two inches above the chicken. Cover and bring to a low boil.
3. While the chicken boils, saute celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in butter.
4. When the chicken is done, use tongs to remove it from the stockpot and set it aside. Skim any fat from the chicken broth. 
5. Add sauteed vegetables to the chicken broth. Bring back to a low boil.
6. Shred chicken and return to the stockpot. 
7. Add Cream of Chicken and season with celery salt to taste.
8. Drop 1/4 cup-sized balls of Cathead Biscuit dough into the stockpot. Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.

Tips:

• If the soup is too thick, add water until it reaches the consistency you like. Just make sure you simmer for a bit longer before serving.
• You can use Bisquick to make dumplings. Just follow their directions for making biscuit dough.
• If you prefer, you can use a slurry or roux to thicken the soup instead of Cream of Chicken. I hear you can use Evaporated Milk too.
• You get a better color from using chicken stock instead of the Knorr bouillon cube, but I swear the bouillon just tastes better.