Chicken and Dumplings Casserole
This easy Chicken and Dumplings Casserole is pure, traditional comfort food, but lightened up and so simple to make! There’s no forming or dropping dumplings, and no simmering on the stovetop required. You’ll simply saute some vegetables and layer them with cooked chicken, a magic mixture of self-rising flour and milk that perfectly mimics the flavor and texture of dumplings, and a quick, stir-together sauce that bakes up rich and creamy. I adapted this recipe from The Country Cook and The Southern Bite Cookbook, and the first time I made it I was a little skeptical about the “dumpling” layer. However, I was totally wrong and my first bite of this casserole contained every bit of chicken and dumplings flavor I was looking for. This Chicken and Dumplings Casserole comes together quickly and easily and delivers so much rich, comforting casserole goodness you won’t believe it’s light! The casserole makes 6 servings, and each serving is just 277 calories or 6 WW Points. To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
I usually pre-cook my chicken in the slow cooker for easy shredding (click the link for details), but you can also use rotisserie breast, or boil, bake, or grill your chicken breasts. Whatever is easiest for you! Don’t have self-rising flour? No problem, I included a substitution below (though self-rising flour is great for 2-ingredient dough recipes, so you may want to pick some up)!
Looking for more lightened up comfort food casseroles? Check out my Deep Dish Taco Casserole, Chicken Divan, Bubble Up BBQ Chicken and Beans Bake, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Chickpea Bake, Meat and Potatoes Bake, Spinach and Chicken Phyllo Bake, Bubble Up Chicken Alfredo Bake, Cottage Pie, One-Pot Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Bake, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Potato Bake, Chili Cornbread Bake, Bubble Up Pizza Casserole, Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake, Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole, Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, Bubble Up Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake, Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole and many more in the Casseroles section of my recipe index!
Chicken and Dumplings Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons light butter, I use Land O’Lakes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium ribs of celery, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 lb cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
- 1 cup self-rising flour, (if you don’t have self-rising flour you can mix together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt as a substitute)
- 1 cup fat free milk
- 1 (10.75 oz) can of Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken condensed soup
- 2 cups reduced sodium nonfat chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir together to coat. Saute the vegetables for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish and spread in a single layer across the bottom of the dish. Top the vegetables with a layer of the shredded cooked chicken.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the self-rising flour and milk and stir together until well combined and smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the chicken layer. Do NOT mix the layers together!
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper until fully combined and smooth. Pour this mixture over the top of the other layers in the baking dish. Do NOT mix or stir the layers!
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Notes
7 per (1 ¼ cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers brand PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below) Adapted from The Country Cook and The Southern Bite Cookbook
HI Emily when i go to print on my e-mail half of each page is blanked out. is there some place else i can get this recipe please ?
Hi Kenneth! Did you use the print-friendly button? If you’re using a computer, to the right of the recipe section of the post you should see a yellow icon that says “print” and if you click it you’ll be brought to a reformatted page with just the recipe ready to print.
Here’s a direct link to the print version for this recipe
Hope that helps!
This sounds delicious! I’m prepping some meals for my family, as I will be away for surgery for a few days. I was wondering if this casserole would freeze well. Thoughts? Thank you!
I would think so, but you should probably be warned that I almost never freeze anything, so I am in no way an expert on what freezes well, lol
I never freeze either, so I am out of my element here. Ha! I will give it a try and see how it turns out. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us!
am going to try this looks good and easy!
This is definitely our kind of a meal! I see that you did everything which I would also do, in order to make it not only delicious, but also healthy. I plan to make this within the next couple of days. Thank you very much,
Hi-looks so yummy! I have a daughter that is dairy-free; ever made it with Almond Milk or any other kind of non-dairy product? Thanks!
I haven’t tried that, but I’m betting it would work with unsweetened almond milk and DF margarine!
Has anyone tried it with the non dairy milk? My toddler has an allergy, but he would love this.
I just made it with almond milk. We sub that for everything. And use vegan butter but what do y’all do for the cream of chicken?
I found a recipe on another site for cream of chicken soup with no cream. I used chicken broth, almond milk, a bunch of flour, and some spices and heated it on low boil for five minutes. I haven’t made it with regular cream of chicken, but it tasted great with that sub. I used it in another recipe and turned out well there too. It was one of the first results google popped up.
Possible to make keto friendlier? Almond flour?
I have never worked with almond flour, so I’m not able to speak to how it would perform in a recipe, I’m sorry! If you try it out, please report back!
I bet Bisquick would be a good sub also.
Hi, I made this recipe last night and it was fabulous! The only thing I changed was instead of 4Tbls of Land o Lakes light w/ canola oil, I used 4Tbls of I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter light. I put all the ingredients into the recipe builder and got 4sp for 1 serving, 1 1/4 Cup. It saved a point. Turned out great! Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
I actually use the Land O’Lakes Light stick butter (not the spreadable canola oil one), but that’s awesome, I’m glad it came out great! Thanks for letting me know you loved it and for giving readers another option for a butter substitution!
Made this last night — It was AMAZING!
Definitely will be making again very soon.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was a hit with the whole family. I let mine cook for another 15 mins for my personal taste to firm up the casserole. Also subbed almond milk for the fat free milk and it turned out great.
I made this last night. It was delicious! I will be adding this to my menu rotation. Thank you for making such wonderful WW friendly recipes that taste so good, in fact, my menu next week is all your recipes.
I made this for dinner and it taste super good. Definitely a keeper. It is very satisfying and flavorful. Now I have dinner for the rest of the week. Thanks Emily for the delicious recipe!!!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING!!! It really hits the spot if you are craving comfort food. This is going on the regular dinner rotation for sure. Thanks so much for the great and easy recipe!
I made this casserole and OMG, it was so good ! I didn’t use any salt, made my own stock from simmering thighs in a pot. The only ingredient that had sodium was the soup. I used creamy chicken with herbs instead of what was called for. Delish and freezes well …..
Holy moly was this good! I made it just as you suggested, and it was a hit with the whole family!
Another recipe hit out of the park!! This is delicious and ever since making it last week all I’ve thought about is making it again. Yum!!!
Hi love your site. Do you think I could use fat free fage yogurt instead of milk?
Hi Michelle,
Nope, I’d suggest using the milk to ensure you get the dumpling texture you’re going for. We’re not trying to make 2-ingredient dough here, so definitely stick to the milk. Enjoy!
Thank you I am out of milk and have 1/2 the casserole made before I knew I was. Could I have the veggies and chicken down in casserole could I do sauce and then have the 2 ingredient dough on top kind of a biscuit topper ?
I haven’t tried that, so you can certainly experiment and try it out that way. I have no experience doing that, so I really can’t say how it would turn out. It will probably be tasty, just not like chicken and dumplings.
Fat free evaporated milk in a can (found in all baking sections) is a good thing to have on hand for “emergencies” such as these
How did it turn out without the milk? I just realized Im out too and have no replacement.
58879268065__7A335661-6E1F-44A9-AC5F-72A9734067D1.JPG It was wonderful and worked well thank you for your recipe.
I’m so glad! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Made this tonight and it was a hit. Hubby loved it. Definitely going in the menu rotation! Thanks!!
Thank you for the delicious taste of home cooking! This recipe is the queen of comfort food.
Made this tonight for my first dinner on WW. So tasty and comforting!
Could I substitute the celery for another vegetable? Maybe broccoli?
When i pour my cream of chicken stuff layer on top of my biscuit layer, it mixes all together. Is it supposed to self mix or am i messing it up? It tastes great, but am not sure if I’m getting the intended texture.
Thanks!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit. Thank you for a great recipe.
This was amazing! Ultimate comfort food and so filling! Question, when I put it in my tracker it came out to six points, did I do something wrong? Totally new to this whole thing. But it was worth every delicious point!!
Hi Crystal,
It’s hard to tell if you did something wrong without seeing your tracker, but different brands have different nutrition information, so what I post is what I got with what I used. For example, if you used a different brand of light butter (I used Land O’Lakes) then it might have altered the nutrition and point values. I’m guessing it’s something like that!
I made this tonight for supper. It was so very good. This goes in my rotation! I was out of parsley so I substituted basil flakes instead. I also had to cook a little longer because I had my rack in the wrong place! Love your website
This was AMAZING!!! I’ve been craving a casserole or something “homey” and this was exactly what I was looking for. This is definitely going to be my new go-to meal if I take food to other people. So easy and filling. The only thing I changed was that I cooked it for 60 minutes so that the consistency was a little bit firmer, but that was based on personal preference. Keep up the good work, Emily!
Hi Emily, I have this in the oven as I am comments and have followed the recipe but it has been in there 50 min so far and it is still soupy on top. Is it supposed to be like that? Do you put aluminum foil on it before you bake it?
Hm. I’ve only ever cooked it the way I wrote and it always works perfectly, but all ovens cook differently, so if yours needs a bit more time, I guess go for it? Not sure why that happened!
Made this last night! I had to make it dairy free but it still turned out great! Husband and I devoured it!
Have you ever tried this recipe with almond or coconut flour? Wondering how that would turn out
We loved this! We used our leftover Thanksgiving Turkey in place of the chicken and it turned out wonderfully!
Voting for this as my fave recipe of the year! I found your blog around September and have tried so many recipes but always come back here!
This is so good. We literally make it once every other week or so – it’s the most requested recipe from my spouse. So easy and so tasty – perfect for weeknights and then there’s leftovers for lunch the next day. Also, pro tip – you can buy mirepoix blend recipe starters at Kroger in the frozen section, usually for cheap. I just heat the skillet and then throw a bag in to start instead of chopping everything.
This dish was so tasty. All 3 of my kids and my husband loved it. It was easy to put together and had such great flavor. I left out the carrots because I didn’t have any so I look forward to making it again with the full list of ingredients. Comfort food for the win!!
I was planning to make this today and the crummy weather here (rain/sleet/snow/high winds) made it a perfect choice.
Based on what I had on hand I did substitute a few things and was so pleased with the result. We always smoke a turkey breast for Thanksgiving so I used the leftover turkey I had frozen instead of chicken. Since I had made broth from the turkey bones I used that. Also, I added some mushrooms with the vegetables just because we like them.
The result was so very good. My dumpling mixture was a bit thick in places after the dish was baked but I may not have put it on top of the chicken in an even layer.
This will definitely be a recipe I return to many many times, especially when the weather is bad. Thank you so much for a definite “keeper”.
Just discovered your blog and made this recipe this weekend. It’s so good! I made ahead to take to work for lunch. Warmed up in the microwave perfectly! Thank you, looking forward to trying more of your recipes
Hi!
Do you think this would work if I halve the recipe for a smaller amount and make it in a 8×8 baking dish?
Thank you!
It’s in the oven now, doesn’t look like the picture! And it’s taking longer than 45 minutes, could be my oven! It smells delicious though!
Followed the directions as written. Very good, filling family meal!
Hi! How would you recommend I double this recipe?
Has anyone ever made this one day ahead? If so, let me know how it turned out.
Yes! I always make and bake the day before as, for me at least, it’s easier to cut and portion once it has set up in the fridge overnight. It loses nothing and is just as delicious…..a family favorite!
I just made this casserole. It was outstanding. Love your recipes!!!!
I made this last week and it was so good – even my picky dad ate it right up. It’s going in my regular rotation! Thanks for a great meal!
I just made this dish for dinner tonight and it’s the ultimate comfort food! Delicious!! Both my husband and I loved it. I hope it reheats well since I have a lot left over with there being just the two of us.
I baked mine for an extra 10 minutes and it’s still pretty liquidy. Smells great! I may reduce the broth to 1 cup or 1.5 cups next time. Serving in a bowl like a stew. Still looks yummy!!
I made this the other day and it was a hit with my family. This is comfort food at it’s best. So easy to prepare yet big on flavor. A keeper of a recipe for sure.
This tastes SO good!!! It’s such a filling and delicious comfort meal that I’m excited to eat all week! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙂
This is SO GOOD and so easy! My family loved it, our 3 year old ate 2 servings! I’ve been on the hunt for good casseroles as a mom with 2 littles and this one is perfect. Thank you for sharing it and for everything you do.
My family absolutely loved this recipe! So amazingly good! Only 7 points for 1-1/2 cups? I feel so guilty eating it! Lol!
DELICIOUS!! Is it possible to make more of the dumpling mixture by increasing the flour and milk to 1 1/2 cup each?
Any update on the extra dumpling mixture?
Very good! I’ve made it a handful of times and it’s super easy to put together. Warm and comforting for a cold night in.
This is the most incredible chicken and dumplings ever! I’m on WW and my husband usually turns his nose up to anything “diet”. He went bananas over this and so did I. This will definately be a frequent dinner at our house! Thank you so much!
Thanks for such a yummy recipe that doesn’t taste “diet-y” in any way! I made a couple of changes to bring the points down to 20 total points, which gives you either 4 servings for 5 sp. or 5 servings for 4 sp. First, I cut the light butter back to 1 TAB, and added an additional carrot and celery rib. Then, for the cup of milk, I used 1/2 cup almond milk (0), 1/4 cup fat-free half and half (1), and 1/4 cup chicken broth.
Other changes I made were to reduce the amount of thyme to 1/4 tsp. (personal preference), and cut back the chicken broth to 1 1/4 cups, because the soup/broth mixture already looked pretty runny after adding only 1 cup of the broth. After 30 minutes of baking, the casserole still looked completely liquid-y, so I turned the oven up to 400, and baked another 20 minutes. Next time I will probably just increase the oven temperature to 375 from the start. Such a delicious comfort food meal! Thank-you!
So good! Even my picky husband loved it! We have now had it for dinner twice since I found this recipe two weeks ago! Great for WW because it doesn’t feel like diet food for sure! I switched the cream of chicken for cream of mushroom because something about cream of chicken just doesn’t appeal to me and it was still so yummy!!!
OMG! This was fantastic! Its not a pretty dish, but the flavor is fantastic. So easy and quick!! I found non-fat cream of chicken soup (store brand) and that worked well also. Definitely a keeper!
Made this last night, house still smells great! Very easy, very filling, delicious. We used low far buttermilk in the dumpling section, really added an interesting flavor to the overall dish. Great value for the points/portion.
Lightened comfort food recipe? For real? This is so yummy!
I modified using frozen mixed veggies that I like and almond milk. Turned out great. Will be adding this to my regular rotation!
This is delicious! It tastes just like chicken & dumplings but better for you. The only thing I did different was I left out the celery because I loathe it. But that’s just me . I love this website. I get so many great recipes from here. Thank you for all you do
Alright, so make this. Do yourself the flippin favor and make this supper. It’s cozy, it’s warm, it’s filling and everything I wanted it to be. The dumplings are doughy, there is plenty of sauce to keep everything moist and wonderful. We added a couple of potatoes into it and a few extra carrots to stretch supper and it was a hit. The entire 9×13 went at supper and I was thoroughly disappointed I didn’t have leftovers for tomorrow at lunch. I have a go to recipe I usually do for chicken stew and dumplings (my husbands #1 favorite supper) and honestly this one may take the place in my recipe box. Delightful and perfection.
I’ve made this quite a few times and LOVE IT! I do use almond milk but everything else just as written.
Any idea if this could be made in the crock pot? I’m always looking for good food to take to church pot lucks, dinners at work, etc.
THANK YOU for making a way to calculate the Personal Points directly in the app – genius time saver! We made this with double the chicken, 2/3 C celery and 1.5 C carrots and that made it more filling. Very tasty!
This is a super easy and delicious casserole! Tonight will be my 3rd time making this and I can’t wait for dinner! Thank you Emily for your awesome recipe! I’m definitely a big fan!
Comfort food without the guilt. It’s so freaking good.
Delicious! This is a family favorite around our house.
Hi! Love this recipe! Quick question: have you every doubled the recipe and cooked in one of the large aluminum lasagna pans? I am bringing this to a family dinner and need more servings then the recipe provides…. trying to get around using two glass baking dishes. 😉
Any thoughts? Thank you and happy holidays!!
This is so delicious! We loved it.
Have you ever tried this with raw chicken? I’d like to not have to cook the chicken first. It certainly seems like it cooks long enough to cook diced chicken breasts through.
This was awesome!!!
Absolutely going into my rotation. I used mushrooms instead of celery since I don’t like cooked celery. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk and baked for 55 min.
We loved it.
I LOVE this recipe!!! It’s one of my favorites in my household. I cook mine about 55 minutes.