This easy, homemade chicken and pastry recipe is Southern comfort food at its best! Some might call the hearty twist on chicken soup “chicken and dumplings,” but Southern chicken and pastry includes thin, flat strips of a basic flour dough, rather than puffy biscuit-like dumplings. This is a great meal for the whole family. Serve it in a warm bowl with green beans, fried okra, fried apples, or a wedge of cornbread.
What is the Difference Between Chicken and Dumplings and Chicken Pastry?
Chicken and dumplings and chicken pastry are both traditional Southern comfort foods. They are similar in some ways but different in others. You can choose which dish to make for your next hearty, down-home meal by learning about its history, ingredients, cooking methods, textures, flavors, and nutritional value.
Chicken and dumplings and chicken pastry both come from the American South, but they come from different regional cooking traditions. Soul food, which was made by African Americans during slavery from simple things like chicken scraps and flour, is where chicken and dumplings got their start. It became a budget-friendly one-pot meal to feed entire families. Chicken pastry evolved from British-influenced Appalachian mountain cuisine. It was made with cheap ingredients like chicken and vegetables that were rolled out and topped with a pastry crust. The pastry provided extra carbs to fill up hungry families.
Ingredients
While both dishes contain chicken, the other ingredients differ significantly. Chicken and dumplings features chicken simmered in broth with small dough dumplings, traditionally made from flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and sometimes eggs. Chicken pastry consists of chicken and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn baked under a blanket of pastry dough. The dough contains flour, butter, milk, and sometimes eggs. Chicken and dumplings has fewer ingredients overall.
Cooking Method
The cooking methods vary between the two dishes. Chicken and dumplings involves dropping spoonfuls of raw dumpling dough into simmering chicken broth and cooking until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Chicken pastry requires sautéing chicken and vegetables, preparing a pastry dough, laying it over the filling in a baking dish, and baking at 375°F until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown, about 30-45 minutes. The extra steps of preparing, shaping and baking the crust makes chicken pastry more labor intensive.
Texture
One of the biggest differences is texture. Chicken and dumplings features soft, pillowy, almost noodle-like dumplings contrasting tender chicken and vegetables in broth. Chicken pastry delivers a crispy, flaky pastry crust topping a rich chicken and vegetable filling. The crust provides crunch while the steam-cooked dumplings have a uniform softness.
Flavor
In terms of flavor, chicken and dumplings highlights the savory robustness of the chicken broth, enhanced by aromatic vegetables and tender dumplings. Chicken pastry often has a richer, creamier taste from the pastry crust and sauce in the filling. However, both dishes can be seasoned to taste. Chicken and dumplings lets the chicken broth shine while chicken pastry’s flavors are more integrated.
Chicken and dumplings is usually better for you because it has less fat and carbs than chicken pastry. About 330 calories, 32 grams of carbs, 28 grams of protein, and 12 grams of fat are in a cup of chicken and dumplings. One-sixth of a chicken pastry has about 360 calories, 31 grams of carbs, 21 grams of protein, and 18 grams of fat. Both can be made healthier, though, by using lean chicken, cutting back on fat, and adding more vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
Both dishes pair nicely with sides like biscuits, cornbread, rice, or mashed potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce or broth. A fresh green salad balances the richness. Hot sauce adds a spicy kick. Chicken pastry goes well with roasted or glazed vegetables. Hearty beers or medium-bodied wines complement chicken and dumplings.
Ease of Making: Making chicken and dumplings is usually faster and easier. It only takes dropping dumpling dough into broth that is already simmering and waiting for it to cook. For chicken pastry, you have to spend more time cooking the chicken, making the filling, and putting the pie together before baking. However, using refrigerated pie dough makes chicken pastry easier.
Popularity
Chicken and dumplings edges out chicken pastry in popularity and search interest, likely because it’s faster to prepare. But chicken pastry still has a loyal following, especially in Appalachian regions like West Virginia where it originated. Both have stood the test of time as cherished regional favorites.
Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Variations
- Instead of cutting the dumplings into strips, cut them into squares or diamonds. You can choose how thick or thin they are.
- Skinless, boneless chicken breast: Debbie uses two to three pounds of chicken and dough when she makes her meals. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The skin and bones on the chicken will take away some of its flavor, but this is still a good choice if you don’t want to deal with them.
- Rotisserie Chicken: If you want to save time, use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of sitting down to simmer for 25 minutes. Yes, you will lose some of the flavor that you would get from cooking the chicken with its skin and bones in the broth, but a good broth will still make a tasty pot of chicken and pastry. It’s also often seasoned and tastes better than plain chicken, so that will make up for some of the flavor that was lost.
- When Debbie’s friend makes this recipe, she doesn’t use chicken broth but instead bouillon cubes and water. If you do the same thing, you’ll need about two to three of the bigger cubes for this dish, but you can change the amount to your liking.
Good Sides to Serve with Chicken and Flat Dumplings
With a bowl of chicken and pastry, it’s nice to have a couple of sides. Here are some simple ones that go well with the dish:
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the mixture in a saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat, just until warmed through. You can also microwave individual bowls for about 1 minute.
Yes, the chicken and pastry can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months in a container that doesn’t let air in or a Ziploc freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then transfer to a Dutch oven or saucepan and warm over low heat.
How to Make Chicken and Pastry, a Southern Specialty
FAQ
What is chicken pastry & dumplings?
Chicken pastry (also called chicken and pastry or chicken and slicks) uses flat, thin noodle-like dough pieces that are typically rolled out and cut before cooking. For chicken and dumplings, you drop spoonfuls of biscuit-like dough balls directly into the simmering broth, where they steam and rise.
What is the difference between chicken & dumplings?
For chicken and dumplings, you drop spoonfuls of biscuit-like dough balls directly into the simmering broth, where they steam and rise. Both dishes share similar flavor profiles but differ significantly in texture. Why do my dumplings in chicken and dumplings fall apart?.
What is chicken & pastry?
A variant known as “chicken and pastry” or simply “chicken pastry” features wide, flat noodles rolled from biscuit dough. It is sometimes thought of as a separate dish from “chicken and dumplings,” which is known for having small balls of dough instead of flat strips.
Where can I find chicken & dumpling soup?
Chicken and dumpling soup at Nicoll’s Cafe in Pine City, Minnesota. A variant known as “chicken and pastry” or simply “chicken pastry” features wide, flat noodles rolled from biscuit dough.
What is a dumpling dough?
A dumpling —in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shortening, and liquid (water, milk, buttermilk, or chicken stock). The dumplings are either rolled out flat, dropped, or formed into a ball.
What makes chicken & dumplings creamy?
The creaminess in chicken and dumplings comes from a combination of ingredients and techniques. Many recipes use a roux (flour and fat mixture) to thicken the broth. Some add heavy cream or evaporated milk for richness.
Is chicken and pastry the same as chicken and dumplings?
A variant known as “chicken and pastry” or simply “chicken pastry” features wide, flat noodles rolled from biscuit dough. Where such a distinction is made, it is sometimes considered a different dish from “chicken and dumplings”, which is known for small balls of dough rather than flat strips.
What is the difference between a dumpling and a pastry?
They’re just 2 completely different thing. Chicken and dumplings is a lot thicker, it has a more doughy consistency. Chicken pastry is rolled out a lot more thinner, and it almost has a more soupy.
What are the two types of chicken and dumplings?
Flat dumplings are dense and chewy, while drop dumplings are light and airy. Preparation: Flat dumplings require rolling out dough and cutting it into shape before cooking, while drop dumplings are made by dropping spoonfuls of dough directly into simmering liquid.
What is a chicken pastry?
“Chicken and pastry” or simply “chicken pastry” is a variation of chicken and dumplings that features wide, flat noodles rolled from a simple flour dough (source). By contrast, a more traditional chicken and dumplings recipe is known for small balls of dough rather than flat strips.