Better than Cracker Barrel® Chicken 'n Dumplings

I am the author of this recipe and I want to add a couple of notes. First use a roasting or stewing chicken not a fryer as they have less fat. More fat, more flavor. Don't scimp on the flour, the more flour you use the thicker your broth will be. When you take the chicken out to remove from the bones and add your dumplings you should remove the lemon as well. If you add frozen vegetables it is important that you bring your broth back to a boil BEFORE adding your dumplings. These are flat dumplings from the Kentucky region NOT drop dumplings which are similar to matza. When I say a pinch of salt I am talking old school grandma used her hand to measure, it's probably more like a tablespoon, just taste and adjust accordingly. Hope this helps

Love love love this recipe! This is where my heart is! With so many people trying to recreate the wheel, this was a comfort recipe and a comfort food. Love this technique, I love using the broth to make the dumplings! If you think your dumplings will be plain Jane, you're so wrong. The seasonings of the broth transfer right over to the dumplings. I used left over chicken breasts and drum sticks. Deboned them then threw it all (bones and all) in the pot to boil and make a broth. Pulled out the bones with tongs before adding dumplings. Whole family ate it and loved it. Thank you so much! This is definitely a keeper. I feel recipes like this are hard to come by, felt like it came with a little peice of history. (For me. I realize this maybe old hat for some.) Couldn't be happier. Next time I will take a picture.

I made this for my mom on her 69th birthday. I added fresh peas and sliced carrots. She said that it was just like her grandma used to make for her birthday when she was a child.

Perfect comfort food and my kids said it was just like Cracker Barrel but better! I’d never made dumplings and they were easy and came out perfectly using this recipe. Even my mom (who is an incredible cook that makes everything from scratch) asked for the recipe. Classic and delicious!

Made it just as the recipe called for was verry good will be making again

Have made this a few times... absolutely delicious. It is better than Cracker Barrel. I however did not add the lemon and added some frozen peas.

This recipe is the way I make my chicken and dumplings, it's no fail, and delicious. The only thing I'd add is to be sure to let the dumpling dough rest for about 20 min or so, the dumplings will roll so much easier.

This recipe is very similar to the one my grandma taught me. The broth makes it the best. Season your broth because that is what your dumplings will taste like. My recipe uses an egg in the dumplings but that is the only difference.

Loved the dumplings this way! I did use boneless chicken breasts and cooked them in the crockpot with broth and the lemon, then I continued the dinner on the stove and added more broth and veggies. Yum!

I made this recipe as directed except that I added a bag of mixed vegetables. The dumplings were heavy and not too appetizing. I won't be making this recipe again.

I have made this recipe several times. I strained the broth after the chicken was done. I also juiced the lemon--did not use entire lemon. Just like CB chicken-so good and NO leftovers! The dumplings are not supposed to rise--they are like thick noodles that cook down to thicken the broth.

I would recommend not leaving the lemon in while cooking the chicken. It's way to acidic. Other than that it's a fantastic recipe! Making it again today for my family(minus the lemon).

I felt that this was a rather easy recipe for the dumplings...I tend to be scared away from making scratch dumplings/pie crusts/etc. because I haven't always had the best results. But the dumplings were delicious! I added garlic powder and extra pepper and they were so tasty, plus I really truly love the flat or "slippery" dumplings best. Big balls of dough (i.e. drop dumplings) are not my cup of tea. Sadly, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of a bone-in chicken so my broth was seriously lacking some flavor. That was MY fault, but next time I know better. I thought this was rather easy and hassle-free. Thank you for a delicious recipe!

I would like to know why there is a lemon added to this stock?? My stock is sour and I can’t bare the taste.

Not much flavor. Added a bit of salt, that helped a lot. Needs more vegetables. When you think you have enough, double it. Will make again but I’m thinking about pan frying the vegetables with soy sauce for a little extra salty flavor. Why not.

Delish! Using the lemon elevated the flavors. I will definitely make this again!

If you need more fat add 3 beef soup bones

I followed exact directions. Used a small lemon. The broth tasted like lemon pith. Strong bitter after taste. I was able to salvage the chicken, vegetables and dumplings and will make my own thick broth and it will be edible.

Really good. My husband gobbled it up!

I added some herbs and Adobo seasoning. This is very tasty! Definitely better than Cracker Barrel. :-)

First time making this. Followed the directions all the way and was not impressed. I thought it would come out thicker but it didn’t. I thought it was lacking flavor. Will not be making it again.

Recipe is…..okay. I would recommend not using the lemon or maybe take it out a lot faster. It makes the soup have a weird acidic taste that it hard to get out of your mouth. To make the lemon taste not as strong I had to add a variety of seasonings, add a LOT of water, and add some sugar. I would also double up the veggies. I love veggies and didn’t think there was enough. I also added peas because they were in the picture but not in the recipe. I liked the dumplings and they were easy to make but they were hard to handle since the broth was so hot. I do like the southern dumplings that are like biscuits in chicken n dumplings, but I was actually looking forward to these dumplings and they are pretty good. The only really bad thing was the darn lemon! Since it is boiled into the broth and chicken it is SO hard to get rid of. It’s boiled into your chicken, your broth, and since you make your dumplings with the broth it’s even built into your dumplings! A little lemon may be okay……but just be cautious. My family loves lemons too. We love lemon flavored foods, but the lemon in this soup just makes it……not enjoyable.

It was very very good! I did not make the dumplings, I put it over biscuits. I will definitely make this aging!

I made this dish with the addition of rosemary and adobo to the broth while cooking. Some other reviews made me leery of the lemon, so I removed the two lemon halves halfway through cooking. I'll leave them in next time for even more deliciousness. I'll also double the carrots and celery, and maybe add peas, as suggested. I allowed the dough to rest 20 minutes before rolling out to 3/16" thick. This recipe is wonderful! If you don't like flat style dumplings, feel free to make drop dumplings, but we love them made this way.

Perfect! I did add a little sage, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes to give the broth a little pop. Week definitely make again.

This came out delicious exactly as written. I’ve never made chicken and dumplings and have only eaten it very few times so I had no idea what to expect. Will make this again and again for sure!

It was excellent! I added some chicken bouillon, garlic salt and thyme to the broth to enhance the flavor and a little cornstarch to thicken the broth. Will definately make this again!

We are eating this for dinner as I type this. Perfect comfort food for the cold snowy night we’re having! My husband’s only complaint is that he wanted it saltier but it was plenty salty for me. My chicken nugget obsessed two year old devoured a bowl of this and didn’t even realize he was eating veggies. I will definitely make this again.

I added more carrot and also peas. My husband didn’t care for the lemon but I couldn’t taste or smell it. It’s to die for when heated up on day two!! YUM!!

I found this recipe frustrating, with not enough information.

It was very good, I altered the recipe by using chicken broth and 4 chicken breast

I had doubts about putting lemon in the soup, but I did... don’t make the same mistake! Tastes horrible! It’s bitter and sour! Would’ve been much better without

I loved it, this is just like my grandmas. i used chicken leg quarters and doubled everything so it made a huge pot...at the end of cooking before you take out the chicken you can throw in a few bouillon cubes if its not seasoned enough for you or try some Bells chicken seasonig... LOVE THIS LOVE THIS LOVE THIS !!!!!!!

I omitted the lemon. Just preference. I've made this several times and I love it. I add garlic and parsley and extra carrots. I thicken some too. One of my favorite recipes!

I would call these noodles, not dumplings but I'm not from the south. I make my own noodles for my soup. To me, dumplings are plump and rise.

While the flavor is delicious, this is Chicken noodle soup, not Chicken n' dumplings. Dumplings are doughy balls of goodness. This recipe makes flat noodles. It is really the best chicken noodle soup i've made, but will not be my go to recipe if i want dumplings...

This was SO good! The one thing I did different was that I used chicken broth instead of water. It was very flavorful but added salt. I didn’t adjust the amount of salt I put in and it was a bit salty. Other than that, we loved it. Oh, and the lemon was SO good in it too.

Awesome recipe. I added 1/2 stick butter with the veggies. My family ate it all up.

Followed the recipe to the letter and found it to be a bit thin. Next time I’ll add more veggies to make it heartier (I’m thinking some mushrooms, more carrots and celery, and whatever else is in season).

I love these dumplings and I sometimes make fluffy ones but I think you should change the name or add in the description that it is a recipe for hearty homemade noodles or noodle dumplings or something similar so the people will know its not a fluffy dumpling it's a dense flat dumpling. Otherwise it's a great recipe. People should know that they can add more and different kinds of vegetables if they like after all it is soup :)

THIS IS DELICIOUS! I love cooking the whole chicken and making this deliciously flavorful broth. And using the broth to mix into the dumplings is a genius idea. I made as directed the first time and every time after that I’ve doubled the carrots and celery and like it even more. The house smells so wonderful and I look forward to making this every time.

I found the recipe easy to follow and the family enjoyed it.

I gave it 3 stars because it wasn't awful, but my family didn't care for it. The general comment was that it tasted like chicken pot pie filling. They aren't fans of that either.

I am making this right now and I find the recipe is too vague. Roll out dough into a large rectangle???how about how thick the dough should be. I have added more seasoning to the broth because a pinch of salt seems like nothing. I cut the dumplings into circles just because. oh, and I added a bit of baking powder too the dough because you should. when I first looked at it It looked good, but now I am leary. I'll let you know. so my dumplings didn't rise at all. I think next time, make a dough more like a biscuit dough, and drop spoonfuls in, as I have made other dumplings this way. this is the first time a recipe on this site has disappointed me.

It was very bland, the chicken should have had more salt initially.