Southern Dumpling Biscuit Dough

The secret to a great pot of chicken and dumplings is homemade biscuit dough. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, these tender dumplings cook right in the broth, becoming light, fluffy, and full of flavor. They may not all be the same size, and that's exactly how they're supposed to be. Homemade is always better.

Why This Dough is Different

This recipe is made specifically for chicken and dumplings, not breakfast biscuits. The dough contains just enough butter to create a tender texture while remaining sturdy enough to hold its shape as it cooks in the broth. Rolling the dough to about 1/8-inch thick creates the classic Southern-style dumplings that are hearty, soft, and full of flavor.

Makes: Enough dumplings for one pot of Southern Chicken & Dumplings (about 10 servings)Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

• 3/4 cup cold milk (add a little more if needed)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. Add the cold butter pieces and cut them into the flour using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pieces of butter remaining. (If you're making a larger batch, pulsing on a food processor works too.)

3. Slowly add the cold milk, stirring just until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the dumplings tough.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 3–4 times until smooth.

5. Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into small squares or strips.

   
   

   Now they're ready for the best part... a warm broth bath! Head over to the Southern Chicken & Dumplings recipe to let these little pillows of goodness take the plunge.

   
   

Nutrition Information (Estimated)

Yield: Dough for approximately 10 servings of chicken and dumplings

Per Serving (1/10 of recipe):

• Calories: 125

• Total Fat: 6g

• Saturated Fat: 4g

• Cholesterol: 17mg

• Sodium: 280mg

• Carbohydrates: 15g

• Dietary Fiber: Less than 1g

• Sugars: 1g

• Protein: 3g

Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the brands and ingredients used.

Tips from my Kitchen

• Here's a little trick I always use. After kneading the dough, I place it back in the bowl and pull off small handfuls to roll out instead of tackling the whole dough ball at once. It's much easier to handle, takes up less counter space, and makes cutting the dumplings quick and simple.

• A pizza cutter is perfect for cutting these dumplings!

• For the softest dumplings, keep your butter cold and handle the dough gently.

Make it a Family Affair!

This is a great recipe for little helpers! Once you've rolled out the dough, hand the kids a pizza cutter and let them cut the dumplings into squares. They don't have to be perfect. In fact, the different shapes and sizes are part of what makes homemade chicken and dumplings so special.

You'll make the memories while they make the dumplings, and years from now, they'll remember standing at the kitchen counter helping long after they've forgotten what was for dinner.

Have Extra Dough?

Go ahead and make homemade biscuits! Pat the dough to about 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass.

Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Brush with melted butter immediately after baking for a soft, buttery finish.

You can also refrigerate the unbaked dough, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days.