2 Simple Tips for Making Perfect Chicken and Dumplings (2024)

FAQs

How to cook dumplings perfectly? ›

The Two Easiest Ways to Cook: Boiling and Steaming

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot and cook them until they float. Let them cook an additional two to three minutes. Fish them out with a strainer, drain them, and serve.

A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

So that they cook perfectly, the dumplings need to steam, so cover the pot with its lid. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer when cooking the dumplings. An aggressive simmer or boiling will break them apart. Keep the heat low and cover the pot so that they steam.

Don't Overwork the Dumpling Dough

Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.

Fill your pan or pot with water that is about 1 inch deep and bring to a boil. Place the steaming vessel over the boiling water, cover, and steam for about 10–15 minutes (this depends upon what you have inside—if you have raw ingredients like meat, steam for longer, whereas cooked ingredients will take less time).

Drop in the dumplings, one at a time, and give the whole pot a gentle stir after every 5 or so dumplings. This will help keep them from sticking together. After all the dumplings have been added, continue to cook on medium, stirring regularly, for 7-10 minutes.

Use Cornstarch to Thicken Chicken and Dumplings

To give that a little thicker texture we're going to add 1 cup of cool water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir it up well. Make sure the soup is brought back to a good boil and go ahead and stir in the cornstarch mixture.

The chicken isn't tough/overcooked: It's never brought to a full boil (this is what makes chicken tough). The diced/uncooked chicken is added to the soup just before the dumplings are added and are gently simmered for 15 minutes to allow them to finish cooking.

Double-check that you added the correct amount of baking powder and that it's not expired. Additionally, if the dumplings don't have room to grow in the pot, they may not rise properly. Make sure to drop them spaced apart and on top of the meat and vegetables so that they don't sink into the stew.

How do you know if dumplings are cooked enough? ›

How do you know when dumplings are done? Most recipes will give you a time to cook them—the one I use says 10 minutes without a lid on the pot and then 10 minutes with a lid, so 20 minutes total in simmering soup broth. To test, take one out and open it up—if it's done in the middle, it's done.

Carefully place the dumplings into the boiling water and boil for 20-25 minutes until they start to float. (You can boil in two batches depending on the size of your pan.) Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them on a plate. Serve hot with your preferred stew or veggies.

Once all of the water evaporates, remove the lid and check the bottom of the dumplings for a golden brown colour and flip them over. If they're not yet golden brown, continue cooking the dumplings. 4. Once the bottoms are golden brown, flip them over and cook the other side of the dumplings until golden brown.