Creamy Chicken Stew with Dumplings
This creamy chicken stew with dumplings is comfort food at its best. The deliciously creamy chicken and vegetable stew is topped with easy homemade dumplings that are light and fluffy. You don't want to miss this easy one-pot dinner!
Stews are a cool-weather favorite. Try this instant pot beef stew, chocolate Guinness stew, or this quinoa vegetable curry.
This recipe was originally published in 2014. We've added some new photos and some more information, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
Creamy Chicken Stew
This stew is all things warm and cozy.
It's got the most tender shredded chicken, a lusciously creamy broth, and soft stew veggies – then the pot is topped with fluffy buttermilk dumplings that will keep you coming back for seconds. And thirds.
So go ahead and treat yourself and your family to this delicious hug in a bowl.
How to make chicken stew with dumplings
Chicken and dumplings are quite easy to make. Once the stew is cooked and the dumplings are on top, the pot goes into the oven to finish cooking while you relax.
- Start by sauteing the vegetables in butter until they're soft.
- Next, you'll add the potatoes, chicken stock, chicken, and seasonings and simmer the stew until the chicken is tender.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and put the cream cheese in. Shred the chicken using 2 forks then return it to the pot and mix until the cream cheese melts into the stew.
- Mix a little wine with some flour and stir this into the pot. It will thicken the stew slightly as it cooks.
- Now all you have to do is mix the dumpling ingredients together and drop the batter on top of the stew in little mounds. Put the lid on the dumpling-covered stew and go relax while dinner finishes cooking itself.
Creamy chicken stew ingredients
Onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and potatoes – Traditional stew veggies work well to make this dinner feel cozy. If you like other vegetables in your stew, feel free to add them!
Poultry seasoning, sea salt, and pepper – Poultry seasoning is a blend of spices that are traditionally used on chicken. If you're using table salt, use half the amount.
Chicken stock – homemade chicken bone broth will give the stew the best flavor.
Chicken breast – you can substitute four chicken thighs instead.
Cream cheese – this is where the creaminess comes from, and it's so delicious!
Flour + white wine – Rather than mixing flour with water to thicken the stew, we use white wine for extra flavor. You can also use chicken stock instead.
Creamy chicken stew FAQs
Yes! This chicken stew is delicious served with some buttered bread or no yeast bread with herbs and cheese instead
Store any leftovers in your fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently on the stovetop or in a microwave.
Yes! Although it is best frozen without the dumplings.
What to serve with chicken and dumplings
While this creamy chicken stew could easily be served by itself as dinner, you may want to round out the meal with some more vegetables. A simple salad is a perfect side to chicken stew. Here are a few of our favorites:
More delicious stew recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Chocolate Guinness Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Pork Rib Stew with Beans, Tomatoes, and Spinach
- Curried Quinoa Vegetable Stew
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Cozy chicken recipes
Creamy Chicken Stew
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon EACH: poultry seasoning, sea salt, black pepper
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 4 ounces cream cheese, can be light
- Ā¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Ā¼ cup dry white wine, can sub chicken stock
Buttermilk Dumplings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Ā¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Ā¼ cup butter
- Ā¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.2 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion, 2 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the potatoes, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir the pot. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring the pot to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until the chicken breasts are tender, about 18-20 minutes.2 medium potatoes, 1 teaspoon EACH: poultry seasoning, sea salt, black pepper, 6 cups chicken stock, 2 large chicken breasts
- When the chicken is tender, remove it from the pot and put the cream cheese into the pot. Shred the chicken using 2 forks then add it back into the pot and stir until the cream cheese is melted.4 ounces cream cheese
- Mix the flour and white wine in a small bowl then pour it into the pot. Bring the pot to a boil to thicken the stew then turn the heat to medium-low.Ā¼ cup all-purpose flour, Ā¼ cup dry white wine
Buttermilk Dumplings
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Ā¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl then add the buttermilk. Stir in the flour mixture just until the dough forms. Do not overmix!Ā¼ cup butter, Ā¾ cup buttermilk
- Drop heaping spoonfuls of the dough on top of the stew. Cover the pot and simmer gently until the dumplings are cooked, about 20 minutes.
More recipes to try
Can you make it with out the Is cream cheese
Sure! It just won’t be creamy.
This recipe is a winner! I didn’t bother with the dumplings but instead added 1/2 cup of wild rice and it was spectacular. This will definitely be on rotation during the chilly months to come.
Once the dumplings are dropped in the pot it cooks covered for 20 minutes. Can it also cook in the oven for 20 minutes instead of stove top? The intro mentions placing the pot in the oven to finish cooking.
Love your recipes, Janice
While I haven’t tried that, it should work!
Looks great. Can’t wait to try it. What can I use in the stew portion to replace the 1/4 c of flour to make this Celiac friendly? Starches work, but I find the stew “thins out” once reheated. Any suggestions appreciated.
You’re right, starches do thin if cooked too long. I’m assuming that you’ll skip the dumplings on top? If you do, you can add cornstarch or tapioca starch right at the very end to thicken it.
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a hit all around the table! Hearty and flavorful; easily, a new favorite stew!
This stew turned out fabulously when we made it for dinner last night! It was thick and hearty, creamy and flavorful. Perfect for the cool fall weather we’ve been having!
I love homemade chicken and dumplings! Such a great comfort food dinner for Fall. Will make this for dinner again soon. š
I’ve been craving all the comfort food lately, and this chicken stew totally hit the spot last night! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Excellent recipe! Very easy to follow. I did not add the teaspoon of salt, added green beans and spinach. I did not make the dumplings, but served thick grilled Pugliese batard bread slices, soaked in olive oil, with it.Ā
It was a big hit!Ā
Very mellow flavor, just fantastic. I found the cream cheese and the white wine – flour mixture added a lot to the great taste.
I loved the recipe, but I found the cream cheese over powering. Next time will put half of what I put in it or not at all because it was already thick and delicious without it.
Thanks!
It definitely is creamy! I bet it would be good without it, too. š
I only recently started making stew as well and couldn’t believe how simple it was to prepare! The cooking time can sometimes take long depending on the type of meat used, but this one is fairly quick. I’ll be sure to try chicken instead of beef next time for a change!
I know, right?! I’ll definitely be making more stews š
Chicken does make it pretty fast. No long braising needed to get it tender. Do love beef stews though. They’re always so rich and yummy š