Southern Homestead Chicken & Dumplings
Tender chicken. Rich, peppery broth. Hand-rolled dumplings. Southern comfort by the bowlful.
A from-scratch Southern chicken and dumplings made with tender chicken breast and thighs, Homestead Poultry Seasoning, vegetables, a rich chicken broth, and hand-rolled buttermilk dumplings.
No canned biscuits. No condensed soup.
Just chicken, broth, dumplings, and enough time to let everything come together.
Some recipes don't need reinventing.
Chicken and dumplings is Southern comfort food for a reason.
The goal here isn't to turn it into something unrecognizable just to improve the nutrition numbers.
Instead, we're changing the balance.
Plenty of chicken gives each bowl a strong protein foundation. Chicken thighs bring richness and deeper chicken flavor, while chicken breast keeps the dish from becoming unnecessarily heavy.
The broth gets its flavor from onion, celery, carrots, garlic, black pepper, thyme, and Homestead Poultry Seasoning.
And the dumplings?
Those stay dumplings.
Flour, cold butter, buttermilk, and a rolling pin.
Because some things are worth doing the old-fashioned way.
🧪 In Testing — Kirby Kitchen Test Kitchen
This recipe is currently being tested.
The recipe below is the current working version from the Kirby Kitchen Test Kitchen.
We're testing the chicken-to-dumpling ratio, broth thickness, seasoning level, dumpling thickness, cooking time, and balance between chicken breast and thigh meat.
We're also looking for a broth that's rich and creamy without relying on condensed soup or an excessive amount of heavy cream.
You're welcome to test it along with us. If you do, leave a comment and let us know how your dumplings turned out and what you'd change.
Once we're happy with the final result, the In Testing label will come off and this page will be updated with the finished recipe.
Recipe at a Glance
Yield: About 8 servings
Serving Size: About 1½–2 cups
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: About 1 hour
Total Time: About 1½ hours
Ingredients
🍗 Chicken
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp Homestead Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
1 Tbsp avocado oil or beef tallow
🥕 Broth & Vegetables
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Homestead Poultry Seasoning
½ tsp coarse-ground black pepper
1 cup Fairlife 2% milk
½ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, only if needed
🥟 Southern Rolled Dumplings
250 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp coarse-ground black pepper
30 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
120–140 g buttermilk, as needed
Additional flour for rolling
Instructions
1. Season the Chicken
Pat the chicken breast and thighs dry.
Season evenly with:
1 Tbsp Homestead Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
Let the chicken sit while you prepare the vegetables.
Kirby Rule: Season the chicken itself. A flavorful broth shouldn't be responsible for doing all the work.
2. Brown the Chicken
Heat the avocado oil or beef tallow in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken.
Brown for approximately 2–3 minutes per side.
The chicken does not need to cook through at this stage.
Transfer to a plate.
3. Build the Vegetable Base
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the same Dutch oven.
Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds.
4. Build the Broth
Add:
Chicken stock
Bay leaves
Thyme
1 tsp Homestead Poultry Seasoning
½ tsp black pepper
Scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to release any browned bits left behind by the chicken.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.
Bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cook the Chicken
Cover partially and simmer gently for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches at least 165°F and is tender.
Avoid a hard boil.
Remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board or large bowl.
6. Shred the Chicken
Allow the chicken to cool enough to handle.
Shred or roughly chop it into bite-sized pieces.
Keep the breast and thigh meat mixed together.
Set aside while you prepare the dumplings.
Make the Dumplings
7. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together:
Flour
Baking powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper
8. Cut in the Butter
Add the cold cubed butter.
Use a pastry cutter, fork, or clean fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Small pieces of butter should remain visible.
9. Add the Buttermilk
Add 120 g buttermilk and gently mix.
If dry flour remains, add additional buttermilk a little at a time until the dough just comes together.
Don't knead it like bread dough.
Kirby Rule: Work dumpling dough as little as possible. Overworking develops gluten and turns tender dumplings into something considerably tougher.
10. Roll the Dumplings
Turn the dough onto a generously floured work surface.
Dust the top lightly with flour.
Roll to approximately ⅛ inch thick.
Cut into rustic strips or rectangles approximately 1 × 2 inches.
They don't need to be perfectly identical.
A little flour remaining on the dumplings is fine. It will help thicken the broth.
Bring It Together
11. Finish the Broth
Remove the bay leaves.
Stir the Fairlife 2% milk and heavy cream into the simmering broth.
Bring it back to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
Taste the broth before adding additional salt.
Homestead Poultry Seasoning and chicken stock already contribute salt, so add more only if the broth actually needs it.
12. Cook the Dumplings
Add the dumplings to the gently simmering broth one at a time.
Don't dump the entire pile into the pot or they'll stick together.
Gently stir between batches.
Once all the dumplings are added, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Partially cover and simmer for approximately 12–15 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes.
The dumplings should become tender while releasing some of their flour into the broth.
Kirby Rule: Let the dumplings help thicken the broth. Give them time before reaching for flour or cornstarch.
13. Return the Chicken
Add the shredded chicken back to the Dutch oven.
Gently fold everything together.
Continue cooking over low heat for approximately 5–10 minutes, until the chicken is heated through and the broth reaches the consistency you want.
14. Rest
Remove the pot from the heat.
Let the Chicken & Dumplings rest for 10 minutes before serving.
The broth will continue to thicken slightly as it sits.
Taste one final time and adjust black pepper or salt if necessary.
Performance Notes
🍗 Breast + Thigh
Using both cuts gives us something neither can accomplish as well alone.
Chicken breast provides a large amount of lean protein.
Chicken thighs contribute richer chicken flavor and enough fat to keep the dish from tasting like diet food.
The ratio deliberately favors breast while keeping a full pound of thigh meat.
🐔 Homestead Does the Seasoning
Homestead Poultry Seasoning brings thyme, sage, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt into the recipe.
Using it on both the chicken and in the broth builds flavor in layers.
🥛 Creamy Without a Can
There's no condensed cream-of-chicken soup here.
Fairlife 2% milk provides the primary dairy component, while ½ cup heavy cream across the entire pot gives the broth additional richness.
The flour released from the dumplings provides much of the thickening naturally.
🥟 Dumplings Stay Dumplings
We're not replacing the flour with protein powder.
We're not making Greek-yogurt dumplings.
And we're not pretending cauliflower belongs here.
The nutrition improvement comes primarily from building the dish around plenty of chicken and controlling the dumpling-to-chicken ratio.
🌶️ Don't Be Afraid of Black Pepper
Chicken and dumplings should have a noticeable peppery warmth.
Start with the recipe amount, but fresh cracked black pepper over the finished bowl is highly encouraged.
Make It Your Own
Richer: Increase the heavy cream slightly.
Thicker: Let the finished dish rest longer before adjusting it.
Thinner: Add additional chicken stock.
More Dumplings: Increase the dumpling recipe by 50% for a more traditional dumpling-heavy pot.
More Vegetables: Increase the carrots and celery.
Extra Pepper: Finish each bowl with freshly cracked black pepper.
Fuel Profile — Estimated Per Serving
Calories: ~500 kcal | Protein: ~55 g | Carbohydrates: ~35 g | Net Carbs: ~32 g | Fiber: ~3 g | Fat: ~17 g
Based on approximately 8 servings using 2 pounds chicken breast, 1 pound chicken thighs, Fairlife 2% milk, heavy cream, and one batch of rolled buttermilk dumplings. Nutrition is estimated and will vary depending on the chicken, stock, dairy, flour, and ingredient brands used.
That puts us at roughly 9 calories per gram of protein, so we're right where we want to be without turning Southern Chicken & Dumplings into a "fitness recipe."
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The dumplings will continue absorbing broth while refrigerated, so leftovers will become considerably thicker.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Add a splash of chicken stock or Fairlife milk as needed to loosen the broth.
Stir gently so the dumplings don't break apart.
Kitchen Wisdom
“Some Southern recipes don't need reinventing. They just need good ingredients, enough chicken, and time on the stove.”
Pitmaster Pork Shank & Oxtail Stew
Real smoke. Two slow-cooked meats. One seriously rich pot of stew.
Smoked pork shanks and oxtail slowly braised with rutabaga, carrots, onion, garlic, herbs, and a rich beef broth until the meat falls from the bone and the broth becomes naturally thick and silky.
This is the kind of stew built for a cold evening, a Dutch oven, and enough time to let tough cuts turn into something worth waiting for.
Smoke first. Braise second. Let time do the rest.
Pork shanks and oxtail have something important in common: neither one wants to be rushed.
Both cuts contain plenty of connective tissue that slowly breaks down during a long cook. Oxtail brings deep beef flavor and collagen that gives the broth body, while pork shanks provide another layer of richness and plenty of tender meat.
Instead of simply dropping everything into a pot, the meat gets seasoned with Firehouse Seasoning and smoked first.
Then it moves into a Dutch oven with beef stock, aromatics, herbs, and vegetables to slowly braise until everything becomes tender.
And instead of reaching automatically for potatoes, we're giving rutabaga a chance to do the job.
🧪 In Testing — Kirby Kitchen Test Kitchen
This recipe is currently being tested.
The recipe below is the current working version from the Kirby Kitchen Test Kitchen and is being cooked and evaluated before becoming a finalized recipe.
We're testing the pork-to-oxtail ratio, smoke time, braising time, amount of rutabaga, vegetable texture, seasoning level, broth consistency, and how much acidity the finished stew needs to balance the richness of the meat.
Because pork shanks and oxtails contain significant amounts of bone, fat, and connective tissue, we're also tracking the actual amount of usable cooked meat produced by the recipe so the final Fuel Profile can be calculated more accurately.
You're welcome to test it along with us. If you do, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out and what you changed.
Once the final version is dialed in, the In Testing label will come off and this page will be updated with the finished recipe and finalized nutrition.
Recipe at a Glance
Yield: Approximately 8 servings
Serving Size: About 1½–2 cups
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Smoke Time: 1½–2 hours
Braise Time: Approximately 3–3½ hours
Total Time: About 5–6 hours
Smoker Temperature: 250°F
Braising Temperature: 300°F
Ingredients
🥩 Meat
2½ lbs pork shanks
2 lbs oxtail
2 Tbsp Firehouse Seasoning, divided
Coarse-ground black pepper, to taste
🥕 Vegetables
500 g rutabaga, peeled and cut into approximately 1-inch chunks
300 g carrots, cut into large pieces
1 large yellow onion, diced
4–6 garlic cloves, minced
🍲 Braising Liquid
4 cups low-sodium beef stock, plus more as needed
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Apple cider vinegar, up to 1 Tbsp as needed at the finish
🌿 Seasonings & Herbs
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
or 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Kosher salt, only if needed after cooking
Instructions
1. Preheat the Smoker
Preheat the smoker to 250°F.
Pecan or oak are excellent choices for this stew.
Hickory also works if you prefer a stronger smoke profile.
2. Season the Meat
Pat the pork shanks and oxtails dry.
Season all sides with approximately 1½ tablespoons Firehouse Seasoning.
Finish with coarse-ground black pepper to taste.
Let the meat sit while the smoker finishes preheating.
Kirby Rule: Season before smoking. We're building flavor in layers rather than trying to fix everything once it reaches the Dutch oven.
3. Smoke the Pork & Oxtail
Place the pork shanks and oxtails directly on the smoker grates.
Smoke at 250°F for 1½–2 hours.
You're not trying to make the meat tender yet.
At this stage, we're looking for:
Smoke flavor
Exterior color
The beginning of a bark
Rendered surface fat
The braise will handle the tenderness.
4. Build the Stew Base
Once the meat has finished smoking, prepare a large Dutch oven.
Place it over medium heat.
Add a small amount of avocado oil only if the pot needs it.
Add the diced onion.
Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds.
5. Cook the Ketchup & Seasonings
Add:
3 Tbsp ketchup
Remaining ½ Tbsp Firehouse Seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, if using
Cook for approximately 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently.
The ketchup should darken slightly and become noticeably thicker.
Kirby Rule: Treat the ketchup like tomato paste. Cooking it before adding the stock concentrates the tomato flavor and takes away the raw ketchup character.
6. Deglaze
Add the Worcestershire sauce and approximately 1 cup of the beef stock.
Scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven thoroughly to release everything that has developed on the bottom.
Add the remaining beef stock.
Stir in the bay leaves and thyme.
7. Add the Smoked Meat
Nestle the smoked pork shanks and oxtails into the broth.
The liquid should come approximately two-thirds of the way up the meat.
It does not need to completely cover it.
Add a little additional beef stock or water if necessary.
Cover the Dutch oven.
8. Braise
Place the covered Dutch oven in a 300°F oven or smoker.
Braise for approximately 2–2½ hours.
Check the meat.
It should be noticeably tender and the connective tissue should be beginning to break down, but it doesn't necessarily need to be falling from the bone yet.
9. Add the Rutabaga & Carrots
Add:
500 g rutabaga
300 g carrots
Gently work the vegetables into the braising liquid.
Cover again.
Continue cooking at 300°F for another 45–60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and both the pork and oxtail are nearly falling from their bones.
Kirby Rule: Add the root vegetables later in the cook. They need enough time to absorb the broth without spending four hours turning into purée.
10. Pull the Meat
Carefully remove the pork shanks and oxtails from the Dutch oven.
Allow them to cool just enough to handle safely.
Remove the meat from the bones.
Discard the:
Bones
Tough connective tissue
Large pieces of unrendered fat
Shred or roughly chop the usable meat.
Return it to the Dutch oven.
11. Reduce the Stew
Remove the bay leaves and any woody thyme stems.
Leave the Dutch oven uncovered and simmer for approximately 10–20 minutes if the broth needs additional thickening.
The collagen from the oxtail should naturally give the broth considerable body.
No flour or cornstarch should be necessary.
12. Taste Before You Finish
Taste the stew.
Only now decide whether it needs additional salt.
Between the Firehouse Seasoning, Worcestershire, ketchup, and beef stock, it may already have enough.
Then judge the richness.
If the broth feels heavy, add apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon at a time.
Taste after each addition.
Use up to approximately 1 tablespoon, but stop as soon as the stew tastes balanced.
Kirby Rule: Acid should make a rich stew taste brighter. You shouldn't actually think, “This tastes like vinegar.”
13. Rest & Serve
Turn off the heat and allow the stew to rest for approximately 10–15 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, making sure every serving gets pork, oxtail, rutabaga, carrots, and plenty of that smoky broth.
Serve hot.
Performance Notes
🐂 Why Oxtail?
Oxtail contributes more than beef flavor.
Its connective tissue contains collagen that breaks down during the long braise and turns into gelatin.
That's what gives a properly cooked oxtail broth its rich, silky body.
🐖 Why Pork Shanks?
Pork shanks give us another collagen-rich cut with plenty of meat and deep pork flavor.
Using pork alongside the oxtail creates a stew with multiple layers of flavor without requiring the entire pot to be made from oxtail.
🔥 Smoke Before the Braise
Smoking the meat first gives us something a Dutch oven alone can't create.
The meat develops smoke flavor and exterior color before spending several hours surrounded by liquid.
The braise then takes care of breaking down the tough connective tissue.
🥕 Give Rutabaga a Chance
Rutabaga brings a slightly sweet, earthy flavor and holds up well to braising.
It also absorbs the pork, beef, smoke, and seasonings as it cooks.
No potatoes are necessary.
The rutabaga gets to do the job.
🍅 No Tomato Paste? No Problem.
Ketchup works surprisingly well in a stew like this when it's treated properly.
Cooking it for a few minutes before adding the stock concentrates the tomato flavor and reduces the recognizable ketchup character.
Because ketchup already contains sweetness, acidity, and salt, the rest of the recipe is seasoned accordingly.
Fuel Profile — Current Estimated Per Serving
Calories: ~430 kcal | Protein: ~35 g | Carbohydrates: ~16 g | Net Carbs: ~12 g | Fiber: ~4 g | Fat: ~25 g
Based on approximately 8 servings using 2½ pounds bone-in pork shanks, 2 pounds bone-in oxtail, rutabaga, carrots, beef stock, ketchup, and seasonings. Nutrition is a preliminary estimate because the actual yield of edible meat and rendered fat from the pork shanks and oxtail is not yet known.
🧪 Macro Testing Note
The final Fuel Profile will be updated after testing.
Bone-in pork shanks and oxtails make nutrition particularly difficult to estimate before cooking because a substantial portion of their starting weight consists of bones, connective tissue, and fat that may not end up in the finished stew.
For a more accurate final calculation, weigh the total pulled edible meat after removing the bones and unwanted fat before returning it to the stew.
Make It Your Own
More Heat: Increase the red pepper flakes.
More Smoke: Use hickory instead of pecan or oak.
More Vegetables: Add celery, mushrooms, or additional carrots.
Thicker Stew: Simmer uncovered longer after returning the meat.
More Broth: Add additional beef stock if you prefer something closer to a soup.
Brighter Finish: Add another small splash of apple cider vinegar immediately before serving.
Storage
Refrigerator
Cool the stew and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
This is one of those dishes that may taste even better the next day after the flavors have had more time together.
Freezer
Freeze in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop.
The broth may become almost jelly-like when refrigerated.
That's a good thing.
It's the gelatin created by all that collagen. It will melt back into a silky broth as the stew reheats.
Performance Tip
“Tough cuts don't need shortcuts. They need smoke, time, and enough patience to let them become something better.”
Firehouse Cumin Beef & Peppers
Performance Dinner (or Lunch if you're meal prepping)
Bold cumin, savory garlic, colorful bell peppers, and tender ground beef come together in one skillet for a simple, protein-packed meal. Served over fluffy jasmine rice, this recipe is inexpensive, meal-prep friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights.
Every great weeknight meal should be simple, satisfying, and built from everyday ingredients.
Firehouse Cumin Beef & Peppers takes humble ground beef and transforms it into a flavorful skillet meal with warm cumin, aromatic garlic, sweet bell peppers, and a touch of tamari for depth. Served over jasmine rice, it's hearty enough for dinner while making excellent leftovers for lunch throughout the week.
Whether you're cooking for the family or filling meal prep containers, this is the kind of recipe you'll find yourself making again and again.
Yield: 2 Servings | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients
Beef & Vegetables
425 g ground beef
150 g red onion, diced
180 g mixed bell peppers, diced (red, yellow, and orange)
Seasoning
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp tamari soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
For Serving
400 g cooked jasmine rice (200 g per serving)
Instructions
Brown the Beef
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks.
Add the diced onion and bell peppers.
Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5–7 minutes.
Drain the rendered fat and return the beef and vegetables to the skillet.
Build the Flavor
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the sesame oil.
Sprinkle over the cumin, garlic powder, ginger, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt.
Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, to bloom the spices.
Finish
Stir in the tamari.
Cook another 1–2 minutes, allowing the sauce to coat the beef and vegetables evenly.
Serve immediately over warm jasmine rice.
Performance Notes
Better Than Basic Ground Beef
The combination of cumin, ginger, tamari, and sesame oil creates a savory, slightly smoky flavor that transforms everyday ground beef into something much more exciting.
Meal Prep Friendly
This recipe reheats exceptionally well and makes an excellent lunch the next day. Store the beef and rice separately for the best texture.
Color Adds Flavor
Using a mix of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers adds natural sweetness and freshness while creating a more colorful, balanced dish.
Performance Tip
Blooming the spices for one minute after draining the beef unlocks their full flavor and creates a richer, more aromatic finished dish.
Fuel Profile — Estimated Per Serving
Calories: 690 kcal | Protein: 47 g | Carbohydrates: 67 g | Net Carbs: 62 g | Fiber: 5 g | Fat: 25 g
Based on 2 servings with 200 g cooked jasmine rice per serving. Nutrition is estimated and will vary depending on the ground beef, tamari, sesame oil, rice, and other ingredient brands used.