Serve this old fashioned creamed chicken on biscuits, with toast, or over rice or mashed potatoes for easy, Southern comfort food! The simple weeknight dinner is ready in just 20 minutes, and is delicious alongside a crisp green salad, Arkansas green beans with bacon, or oven-roasted Brussels sprouts.
Creamed chicken is exactly what it sounds like — tender chicken stirred into a creamy gravy. Add vegetables like sautéed mushrooms, peas, or carrots, if you like, and swap out the chicken for leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving feast if you’ve got it. Spoon the mixture over fluffy buttermilk biscuits, cooked white rice, mashed potatoes, or toast points. It’s a flexible, fast, and easy recipe that comes together with ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of creamed chicken. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: to sauté the vegetables and help make the roux. I like salted butter, but unsalted butter works fine, too.
- Celery and onion: savory ingredients that pair nicely with the chicken.
- All-purpose flour: combine with the butter to make the roux that thickens the cream sauce.
- Whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream: gives the dish its classic creamy taste and texture.
- Chicken broth: to thin the gravy. Chicken stock also works!
- Chicken: you’ll need about 2 cups of cooked diced or shredded chicken. I typically use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a flavorful, convenient shortcut, but you can use leftover chicken (or turkey), canned chicken, or cook your own chicken at home. Those details are included below.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Biscuits: for serving. Use my go-to 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuit recipe, prepare store-bought canned biscuits, or use another favorite biscuit recipe.
The Chicken
You’ll need cooked chicken for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:
- Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs until cooked through (about 15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken into bite size pieces. You’ll need a total of about 2 cups shredded. I find that 1 lb. of raw chicken breasts yields about 2 cups of pulled chicken, but there’s some flexibility here — it doesn’t need to be exact.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed. One large rotisserie chicken should yield about 3-4 cups of meat, so you might have some extra to use in a different dish.
- Leftover Chicken or Leftover Turkey: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal, or leftover turkey from a Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner, put those extras to good use in this dish.
- Canned Chicken: Yep, you can even use canned chicken in this recipe.
The Biscuits
Serve the dish over these easy 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits. If you prefer, you can use a can of store-bought canned biscuits, these drop biscuits, cheese biscuits, butter swim biscuits (no rolling or cutting necessary), or any other biscuit recipe that you enjoy.
How to Make Creamed Chicken Over Biscuits
Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, and bake your biscuits in advance, because this easy creamed chicken recipe comes together very quickly!
- Cook the onion and celery in a large skillet with melted butter until tender.
- Add the flour to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Cooking the flour adds flavor to the dish and removes that “raw” flour taste.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and cream, cooking for another minute or two until the mixture thickens.
- Add the chicken and stir to combine.
- Cook over low heat, just until the chicken warms through.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Split the biscuits in half and spoon the creamed chicken over top. Garnish with fresh herbs.
What to Serve with Creamed Chicken
Pair the cozy chicken dish and buttery golden brown biscuits with any of your favorite Southern vegetable sides, such as:
- Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, a Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Corn Salad, Jiffy Corn Casserole, or Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Roasted Asparagus, Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus, or Sauteed Asparagus
- Broccoli and Cheese or Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Sauteed Zucchini
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots or Carrot Raisin Salad
- Cranberry Sauce
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Tomato Salad with Basil and Balsamic or Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Zucchini Fritters or Sauteed Zucchini
- Roasted Cabbage or Braised Red Cabbage
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, Roasted Green Beans or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli or Broccoli and Cheese
- Sauteed Kale with Bacon or Sauteed Spinach
- Southern Collard Greens
- Roasted Root Vegetables or Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Succotash
Storage
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the chicken in a saucepan or small skillet over low heat, just until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through.
Do not freeze the creamed chicken, since dairy-based sauces have a tendency to “break” or separate when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of biscuits, serve the creamed chicken on toast, over rice, or over mashed potatoes.
- Add extra veggies to the chicken and gravy, such as frozen peas, sauteed mushrooms, or frozen peas and carrots. You might also like to add a clove of garlic or some garlic powder.
- Instead of cooked chicken, use leftover turkey in this dish.
- Season the gravy with fresh herbs or with dried herbs from your pantry. Good options include thyme, tarragon, rosemary, parsley, and chives.
- Stir a dollop of sour cream into the gravy for a bit of acidic tang.
- Melt cheddar cheese into the sauce or add it to the biscuits.
Tips for the Best Creamed Chicken Recipe
- Stir constantly while cooking the flour and making the gravy so that the ingredients don’t burn or stick to the bottom of your pan.
- Gradually add the chicken broth and cream to the skillet — don’t just pour it in all at once. This gives the flour mixture a chance to absorb the liquid, preventing a lumpy gravy.
- Serve the creamed chicken over our favorite 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits. If you prefer, you can use canned store-bought biscuit dough, these butter swim biscuits (no rolling or cutting necessary), drop biscuits, or cheese biscuits.
More Chicken and Biscuit Recipes
- Country Chicken and Biscuits
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Creamed Chicken and Biscuits
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (half of a stick) salted butter
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken (or use leftover turkey)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Biscuits, for serving (or use rice, toast, or mashed potatoes instead)
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Soften the vegetables: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Cook the flour: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 full minutes.
- Add the liquid gradually: While whisking constantly, stream in the chicken broth and cream a little at a time.
- Thicken the gravy: Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Warm the chicken: Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cook over low heat just until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
- Season: Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Split the biscuits in half and spoon the creamed chicken over top. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Cook the flour for a full 2 minutes. This removes the raw flour taste and builds the base flavor of the gravy.
- Add the liquid gradually: Stream in the broth and cream while whisking so the flour absorbs it slowly. If lumps do form, lower the heat and whisk hard, or strain the sauce before adding the chicken.
- Half-and-half gives the best balance: Whole milk makes a thinner gravy and heavy cream makes a richer one.
- Use whatever cooked chicken you have. You need about 2 cups. Rotisserie, boiled and pulled, leftover roasted chicken, leftover turkey, or drained canned chicken all work. One large rotisserie chicken yields 3 to 4 cups, which makes this easy to double.
- Bake the biscuits first. The creamed chicken is ready in about 10 minutes and does not hold well.
- Biscuits are not the only option: This is just as good over cooked rice, buttered toast points, or mashed potatoes.
- Add extras in the last minute: Frozen peas, sautéed mushrooms, or peas and carrots all work. A spoonful of sour cream adds tang, and melted cheddar makes it richer.
- Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of broth or milk to loosen the gravy. Do not freeze, since dairy-based sauces break and separate when thawed.
This is so good! It took less than 30 minutes to put together, even with making the biscuits homemade. And it’s very adaptable if you want to add different ingredients like cheese or more vegetables. Great comfort food for a chilly Spring day. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Mae!
This was great – quick and easy!
Thank you!
So good. And quick and easy. I was surprised how much flavor just the celery and onions gave it. I served over rice as I didn’t want to mess with biscuits. Will have to double the batch next time. And venture into trying homemade biscuits
Thank you, Christina! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.