In This Recipe

Why It Works

• Dried mushrooms add depth and umami to the broth.
• An egg binds the dough, producing light, fluffy dumplings that don’t disintegrate in the broth.
• The starchiness of the dumplings helps thicken the stew as they cook, turning it into a rich, creamy, velvety dish.

Chicken and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food. As a kid, I loved how the rich, gravy-like broth soaked into the soft, pillowy dumplings and how the tender chicken pulled apart easily. Unfortunately, because the dish takes hours to make—and involves simmering a whole chicken, straining the broth, and thickening it with a roux—my mom didn’t make it very often. Now that I’m an adult, I make it a priority to cook it whenever the craving strikes—even if that means ditching the chicken to save time in the interest of getting my dumpling fix.

This version made with mushrooms instead of chicken is one of my go-tos. It comes together much faster than the original and is just as hearty and satisfying. It’s a go-to weeknight dinner for when I’m craving something cozy but can’t be bothered to simmer an entire bird. The mushrooms are hefty and meaty, and give the dish plenty of umami flavor, so much so that I don’t even miss the meat—and I suspect you won’t, either.

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Brown Your Mushrooms and Vegetables Well

For the most flavorful stew, it’s crucial to brown the mushrooms and vegetables well. This allows the Maillard reaction—a series of chemical reactions that occur when heat transforms the proteins and sugars in your food—to take place. Browning the mushrooms is the most time-consuming part of the recipe, requiring up to 10 minutes per batch, but it’s essential, as it enhances the mushrooms’ deeply savory flavor. I like to use cremini or portobello mushrooms, but feel free to substitute a few ounces of shiitake or trumpet mushrooms for variety. Once the mushrooms are nicely golden, I remove them from the pan and sauté the chopped leeks and celery until they’re soft and beginning to brown, a step that highlights their sweet, earthy notes.

Dried Mushrooms Deliver Big Flavor

While fresh mushrooms make up the bulk of this soup, dried mushrooms—which have a concentrated earthy, umami flavor—do most of the heavy lifting in flavoring the broth. I prefer a mix of morels, shiitakes, chanterelles, and lobster mushrooms, but you can use any type or blend of dried mushrooms you like. I recommend using a dry pastry brush to dust off any dirt, then breaking the mushrooms into small pieces by hand before adding them to the stew. As the stew simmers, the mushrooms rehydrate, becoming plump and bouncy while also infusing the broth with deep savoriness.

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The Secret to Fluffy Dumplings That Don’t Disintegrate

The dumplings in my recipe are much like buttermilk biscuits, except they’re gently poached in the rich mushroom broth rather than baked. These dumplings are my ideal ones: soft, light, and fluffy, not gummy or dense. The dough is a simple combination of flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, brought together with buttermilk, an egg, and melted butter. The acidic buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to help leaven the dumplings and gives them a wonderful lightness, while the butter provides richness and tenderness. Most recipes for this kind of dumpling don’t call for an egg, but in my testing, I found that adding one made for lighter dumplings that held their shape. Not only were egg-free dumplings flatter and denser, but they were also more likely to disintegrate into the broth.

The Dumplings Help to Thicken the Broth

Classic chicken and dumplings is a thick, stew-like dish with a velvety broth, traditionally thickened with flour and enriched with cream. Here, I use a small amount of flour to start, but most of the thickening occurs once you add the dumplings. Don’t panic if your stew looks watery after 30 minutes of simmering—once the dumplings go in, their starch helps thicken the dish and give it much-needed body.

You’ll know the soup is ready when the dumplings have at least doubled in size and cooked through (cut one open if you’re not sure). Serve the stew immediately while the dumplings are at their fluffiest, as they’ll get heavier the longer they sit in the broth. Two or three dumplings per bowl is a good starting point, but if you’re like me, you’ll probably find yourself going back for seconds—or even thirds.

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Keep Screen Awake

For the Stew:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces; 56 g), divided

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) cremini, button, or portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

2 medium leeks (about 1 pound; 454 g), light green parts only, finely chopped

3 medium ribs celery (5 ounces; 141 g), finely chopped

2 medium cloves garlic (10 g), minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons (12 g) all purpose flour

5 cups (1.2 L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium mushroom, vegetable, chicken, or beef broth, plus more as needed

1/2 ounce (14 g) dried porcini, morel, chanterelle, lobster, or shiitake mushrooms

2 teaspoons (10 ml) light soy sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

For the Dumplings:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (6 3/4 ounces; 192 g)

1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk

1 large egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 ounces; 42 g), melted and slightly cooled

In a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are light golden brown all over and tender, 4 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt, then remove to a medium bowl; set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat and repeat with remaining mushrooms.

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Add remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once melted, add leeks, celery, and garlic, seasoning with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft and beginning to turn golden 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are evenly coated and flour begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.

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Add broth, dried mushrooms, soy sauce, and thyme, stirring to incorporate. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened and the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

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**Meanwhile, Prepare the Dumplings: **In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to combine. In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, whisk egg, buttermilk, and parsley to combine. Pour buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Using a fork or flexible spatula, gently mix ingredients until fully combined and a wet dough forms. (Avoid overmixing, which will result in tough dumplings.) Set aside.

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Uncover pot and reduce heat to low. When stew is gently simmering, stir in cream, followed by the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Using 2 large spoons, work quickly to gently drop tablespoon-size portions of dumpling dough into gently simmering soup; you should have about 14 dumplings. Cover and gently simmer until dumplings are fluffy, cooked through, and have doubled in size, 12 to 15 minutes. The broth should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (If broth still seems watery, give the pot a gentle stir, taking care not to fully submerge or break the dumplings. Let pot sit, uncovered, until broth is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add broth to loosen as necessary.)

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Serve immediately; the broth will continue to thicken as it sits.

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Special Equipment

Large Dutch oven

Make-Ahead and Storage

This dish is best enjoyed the day it’s made. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that dumplings may absorb more liquid as they sit, resulting in a thicker soup.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
444	Calories
23g	Fat
47g	Carbs
16g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts Servings: 4 to 6 Amount per serving Calories 444 % Daily Value* 23g 29% Saturated Fat 13g 63% 88mg 29% 966mg 42% 47g 17% Dietary Fiber 5g 17% Total Sugars 10g 16g Vitamin C 8mg 40% Calcium 149mg 11% Iron 4mg 23% Potassium 977mg 21% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)