Southern Chicken and Pastry

This easy, homemade chicken and pastry recipe is Southern comfort food at its best! Some might call the hearty twist on chicken soup “chicken and dumplings,” but Southern chicken and pastry includes thin, flat strips of a basic flour dough, rather than puffy biscuit-like dumplings. Serve a warm bowl with a side salad, green beans, fried okra, fried apples, or a wedge of cornbread for a delicious family-friendly meal!

Homemade Chicken and Pastry Recipe

This recipe comes from my friend Sallie’s mom, Debbie, who received it from her friend in North Carolina. I’ve tweaked it a little bit, but the basics remain the same. The easy chicken and pastry is just good old Southern comfort food at its very best.

Tender, flavorful, and juicy bone-in chicken pieces cook in broth, and then the same rich broth is used to boil wide, flat strips of pastry. The broth becomes nice and thick (thanks to the extra flour and starch from the dough), resulting in a hearty bowl of goodness that’s a nice cross between a soup and a stew.

What is the difference between chicken and dumplings and chicken and pastry?

While some might know this meal as “chicken and dumplings,” there is a distinction. “Chicken and pastry” or simply “chicken pastry” is a variation of chicken and dumplings that features wide, flat noodles rolled from a simple flour dough (source).

By contrast, a more traditional chicken and dumplings recipe is known for small balls of dough rather than flat strips. In the Appalachian region of the United States, this preparation is called chicken and slicks, while the Pennsylvania Dutch version is known as bott boi. No matter what you call it — chicken and pastry, chicken and flat dumplings, or chicken and slicks — this simple, cozy meal is absolutely delicious!

How to Thicken Chicken and Pastry

Debbie starts with more broth, but she also simmers the pastry for about an hour to let the broth cook down and thicken. If you want to thicken your broth even more at the end, you can just simmer the pot (uncovered) until it reaches the desired consistency.

I have found that less broth (about 8 cups) and a shorter simmering time work best because the pastry isn’t too overdone or mushy, but the broth still has a chance to thicken. Feel free to adjust the simmering time to suit your preferences, though!

Good Sides to Serve with Chicken and Flat Dumplings

It’s nice to add a couple of sides with a bowl of chicken and pastry, so here are some easy options that go well with the dish:

• House Salad with Candied Pecans, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, a Classic Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or a Wedge Salad
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
• Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Bread or One-Bowl Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
• Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
• A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread, No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread, or French Baguette
• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Southern Succotash
• Southern Collard Greens
• Fried Okra or Okra and Tomatoes
• Broccoli and Cheese
• Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Variations

• Cut the pastry dumplings into squares or diamonds rather than strips. You can make them as wide or as thin as you like.
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: Debbie makes her chicken and pastry with 2-3 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You will lose some of the flavor from the skin and bones on the chicken, but this is still a good option if you don’t like to mess with those extras.
• Rotisserie Chicken: For a shortcut, use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and skip the 25 minutes of simmering time otherwise required to cook the meat. Again, you’ll lose some of the flavor that you would otherwise get from simmering the chicken with its skin and bones in the broth; however, a high-quality broth will still yield a delicious pot of chicken and pastry. Plus, rotisserie chicken is often seasoned and more flavorful than plain chicken, so that will make up for some of the lost flavor.
• Bouillon Cubes: Debbie’s friend uses bouillon cubes and water instead of chicken broth in this recipe. If you choose to do the same, you’ll need about 2-3 of the larger cubes for this dish, but you can adjust to suit your taste.

Tips for the Best Chicken and Pastry Recipe

• If you have the time, make homemade chicken broth to use in this recipe. You can also use the meat from the broth in this dish.
• Use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces for the most flavor. I used white meat chicken breasts here, but chicken thighs also work great. The dark meat tends to stay more moist and juicy when it’s cooked.
• Stir the pot as you’re adding the pastry to the broth, and continue to stir occasionally as the pastry simmers. This will prevent the strips of dough from sticking to each other.
• The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on your personal taste preference and on the broth that you use. Taste and season as you go!
• For a thicker broth, simmer the chicken and pastry uncovered for a little bit longer.
• Garnish each bowl with fresh parsley or thyme for a bright, colorful touch.

More Chicken and Dumpling Recipes to Try

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumpling Soup

2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Farmhouse Chicken and Bisquick Dumplings

1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Southern Chicken and Pastry

5 from 4 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 414 kcal

Sometimes called "Chicken and Dumplings," this homemade Chicken and Pastry is classic Southern comfort food at its best!

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Ingredients

  

FOR THE PASTRY:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Salt and pepper
• ¾ cup water, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs
• 6-8 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover the chicken)
• Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or thyme

Instructions

PREPARE THE PASTRY:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together water and melted butter. Using a rubber spatula, stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 1 minute, adding additional flour to the counter and to your hands, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Return the dough to the large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside while you prepare the chicken.
  

PREPARE THE CHICKEN:

• Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven. Add enough chicken broth to cover the meat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  

ROLL OUT THE PASTRY:

• While the chicken simmers, roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that it’s ⅛-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, a pastry cutter or a pizza cutter, slice the pastry into ½-inch wide and 3-inch long strips.
  

SHRED CHICKEN:

• Remove the chicken to a plate or large bowl. Set aside.
• Return broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pastry strips, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pastry is tender, about 15 minutes. While the pastry cooks, use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.
  
• Add the chicken to the pot and cook, uncovered, for about 5-10 more minutes, or until the broth is thick. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with parsley or thyme and serve.
  

Notes

• If you have the time, make homemade chicken broth to use in this recipe. You can also use the meat from the broth in this dish.
• Use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces for the most flavor. I used white meat chicken breasts here, but chicken thighs also work great. The dark meat tends to stay more moist and juicy when it’s cooked.
• Stir the pot as you’re adding the pastry to the broth, and continue to stir occasionally as the pastry simmers. This will prevent the strips of dough from sticking to each other.
• The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on your personal taste preference and on the broth that you use. Taste and season as you go!
• For a thicker broth, simmer the chicken and pastry uncovered for a little bit longer.
• Garnish each bowl with fresh parsley or thyme for a bright, colorful touch.

Keyword: braided chicken pastry, chicken and dumplings, chicken and pastry

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in April, 2021. The photos were updated in February, 2023.