An easy version of the farmhouse classic, these Bisquick Dumplings in a creamy chicken and vegetable gravy are total comfort food! This easy dinner recipe is perfect for busy families -- thanks to help from a few shortcuts!
Southern food at its finest! Just about every home cook south of the Mason Dixon line probably has her own favorite version of this dish. While they're all delicious, this creamy shortcut version that takes advantage of Campbell's soup, frozen veggies, and homemade Bisquick dumplings cuts out the labor and maximizes flavor!
How to make Bisquick Dumplings:
First, let's cook the chicken! Remember, if you'd rather not bother with cooking your own chicken, you can see the recipe below for instructions on using a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead!
Here, we're going to season bone-in chicken pieces (I like thighs and breasts) with salt and pepper, and then dredge in flour. Shake off any excess flour!
Cook the chicken in a large Dutch oven (or other heavy pot) on both sides, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (about 25-30 minutes total).
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick off the meat and discard the skin and bones.
Now it's time for the gravy! In the same pot, whisk together the soups and milk.
Stir in the cooked chicken, simmer for about 10 minutes, and then stir in the frozen peas and carrots. Cook for about 2 more minutes, and then it's time for the dumplin's!
Ingredients for Bisquick Dumplings:
- 1 cup Bisquick baking mix
- ⅓ cup whole milk
Stir together the baking mix and milk to form a biscuit dough. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls into the simmering broth. Don't stir! Just let the dumplings cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Cover the pot with a lid and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes (or until dumplings are cooked through). Then just garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
What to serve with Chicken and Dumplings:
This one pot meal is basically a satisfying, hearty option all on its own -- so you really don't need any additional sides. If you'd like to add some additional veggies to your supper, try one of these easy options:
- Simple green salad with Buttermilk Dressing
- Southern Collard Greens
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Southern Squash Casserole
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations -- Easy Bisquick Dumplings:
- For gluten-free Bisquick dumplings, follow the same recipe but use a box of Gluten-Free Bisquick.
- For Heart Smart Bisquick dumplings, use a box of Heart Smart Bisquick and otherwise follow the same recipe.
- Make it even faster! If you don't want to cook your own chicken, skip that step and just use about 3 ½ cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. It will save you at least 20-30 minutes!
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Why are my Bisquick dumplings hard? You probably cooked them too long. Just keep an eye on them and remove them from the heat once they are cooked through, but still soft (about 20 minutes).
- Why are my Bisquick dumplings doughy? You probably didn't cook them long enough. To tell when your dumplings are done, press with your finger -- they should be firm to the touch. You can also stick a toothpick in the center of a dumpling. The dumplings are ready when the toothpick comes out clean (with no wet dough on it).
- Can you make Bisquick dumplings without milk? Yes, you can make Bisquick dumplings with water or almond milk. While it won't drastically change the taste of the dumplings, they may just be a bit drier and less fluffy. In other words, use the full-fat milk if you don't have a dairy allergy!
- How to keep Bisquick Dumplings from falling apart: once you drop the biscuit dough into the pot, be sure that you do not stir the dumplings and do not let the simmer go too fast. If you bring the broth to a rolling boil or fast simmer, the dumplings may dissolve or fall apart.
- Have leftovers? You can reheat the chicken and Bisquick dumplings in individual portions in the microwave (for 1-2 minutes) or gently on the stovetop over low heat, just until warm.
- Can you freeze the chicken and dumplings? I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as creamy sauces tend to "break" and have an odd texture when thawed and reheated.
- How many calories in Bisquick dumplings? Using 1 cup of Bisquick and ⅓ cup whole milk yields approximately 8 dumplings. With the Heart Smart Bisquick shown here, each individual dumpling includes 60 calories and 1 gram of fat.
More easy Bisquick dinner recipes that you might enjoy:
- Magical Vegetable Pie
- Easy Cheeseburger Pie
- Zucchini Pie
- Breakfast for Dinner: Dump-and-Bake Easy Buttermilk Pancakes
Farmhouse Chicken and Bisquick Dumplings
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 3-4 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (any combination of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or wings is fine – whatever you prefer; I used 2 lbs of bone-in chicken breasts and 2 lbs. of bone-in chicken thighs)*
- Salt and pepper
- Flour (about ½ cup for dredging)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
- 1 cup Bisquick baking mix
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- Optional garnish: 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
PREPARE THE CHICKEN AND GRAVY:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Place the chicken in the pot, skin-side down, and cook for 7-8 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue cooking for about 20 more minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Smaller chicken pieces may be done sooner, while larger breasts may require extra time. Remove chicken to a cutting board.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat off of the bones (discard the skin and bones).
- Wipe out the pot that you used for the chicken and then whisk together the soups and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and whisk to a smooth consistency. Stir in the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and carrots and cook for 2 minutes to heat through. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
PREPARE THE DUMPLINGS:
- In a medium bowl, stir together baking mix and milk. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls into the simmering broth; do NOT stir the dumplings and do not let your simmer go too fast (or the dumplings will fall apart). Cook the dumplings, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Then cover the pot with a lid and continue cooking the dumplings for about 10 more minutes (or until firm to the touch and cooked through). Stay at a gentle simmer – do not let the pot come to a full boil.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve!
Notes
- For gluten-free Bisquick dumplings, follow the same recipe but use a box of Gluten-Free Bisquick.
- For Heart Smart Bisquick dumplings, use a box of Heart Smart Bisquick and otherwise follow the same recipe.
- Make it even faster! If you don't want to cook your own chicken, skip that step and just use about 3 ½ cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. It will save you at least 20-30 minutes!
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Why are my Bisquick dumplings hard? You probably cooked them too long. Just keep an eye on them and remove them from the heat once they are cooked through, but still soft (about 20 minutes).
- Why are my Bisquick dumplings doughy? You probably didn't cook them long enough. To tell when your dumplings are done, press with your finger -- they should be firm to the touch. You can also stick a toothpick in the center of a dumpling. The dumplings are ready when the toothpick comes out clean (with no wet dough on it).
- Can you make Bisquick dumplings without milk? Yes, you can make Bisquick dumplings with water or almond milk. While it won't drastically change the taste of the dumplings, they may just be a bit drier and less fluffy. In other words, use the full-fat milk if you don't have a dairy allergy!
- How to keep Bisquick Dumplings from falling apart: once you drop the biscuit dough into the pot, be sure that you do not stir the dumplings and do not let the simmer go too fast. If you bring the broth to a rolling boil or fast simmer, the dumplings may dissolve or fall apart.
- Have leftovers? You can reheat the chicken and Bisquick dumplings in individual portions in the microwave (for 1-2 minutes) or gently on the stovetop over low heat, just until warm.
- Can you freeze the chicken and dumplings? I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as creamy sauces tend to "break" and have an odd texture when thawed and reheated.
- How many calories in Bisquick dumplings? Using 1 cup of Bisquick and ⅓ cup whole milk yields approximately 8 dumplings. With the Heart Smart Bisquick shown here, each individual dumpling includes 60 calories and 1 gram of fat.
- Nutrition information included below is for ⅙ of the total recipe.
I have ways made my Ickes and dumplings off the bisquick box and boiled a whole chicken.. your recipe was so much more favorable and turned out great! It is my new standard. Many thanks!
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this version, Laurie! 🙂
Very good! I wouldn’t change anything about it. I just made this using what I had on hand. Only things I had to do differently was I baked chicken breasts and cubed them and used 2% milk. Fast, easy, and delicious! Thank you!
So glad that you liked it, Amber! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Can you make this in the crock pot?
Hi, Margaret! Maybe, but I haven't tried that. I find that it's easier to control the temperature of the stovetop pot over the slow cooker, and I like that I can leave the lid off to let the mixture thicken a bit. With the crock pot, you may have dumplings that are not evenly cooked, or a more watered down liquid because of the condensation from the pot.
This recipe was great! I used it as a base because I made a few modifications to suit my family. I slow cooked the chicken breasts and shredded them; instead of frozen veggies, I sauteed a mixture of carrots, celery, and onion in butter; and used about 1/2 can of chicken broth to thin out the soup before adding the biscuit dough.
The flavors were amazing! I will be writing this one down and using it again. We were barely able to leave enough for leftovers!
Thanks, Clare! Your version sounds perfect!
Love it. Great recipe. All i had in the freezer was skinless chicken breasts so I boiled them in chicken bouillon and a pack of ranch dip. I followed the rest of the recipe. However, I saved the juice that I boiled the chicken to the side just to thin it out a bit at the end. What a great experience. Thank you!
Sounds perfect. Thanks for your note!