Reddit Is Divided Over Cracker Barrel's Chicken And Dumplings

There are so many decadent dishes that come to mind when imagining Southern food staples: fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, pecan pie, cornbread, barbecue, and so on. While these are all delicious tastes that we have long associated with the Southern region of the United States, there's one dish you may sometimes overlook: chicken and dumplings. For those unaware of what chicken and dumplings are, it's basically shredded or chopped chicken in a cream-like sauce similar to gravy and served alongside thick hunks of biscuit-like dough. A dish born either from the hardscrabble years of the Great Depression or during the American Civil War (via Southern Kitchen) or perhaps having roots in the culture of early 19th-century German immigrants (via Wide Open Eats) chicken and dumplings is known to be a hearty and filling comfort food for many families. And who better to serve food that brings to mind comfort and family than Cracker Barrel?

Cracker Barrel has certainly served up its fair share of Southern and Southern-inspired dishes, such as its fried chicken, its biscuits, its mac and cheese, and so on. But it seems that some customers are divided as to whether or not the chicken and dumplings (or as Cracker Barrel calls them "Chicken N' Dumplings") are even good at all. If chicken and dumplings is meant to be a very simple dish, how could it be seen as bad? Or do those naysayers actually have a point about Cracker Barrel's take on this famed comfort food?

It would seem that some Redditors who patronize Cracker Barrel have been disagreeing on the quality of the chicken and dumplings from the old country store slash restaurant. Unlike the sausage situation, the discussion was spurred on by the image of a chicken and dumpling dinner, which consisted mainly of tiny clumps of pasty-looking dough and shreds of stringy chicken swimming in a combination of thin, watery gravy, mac and cheese, and green beans.

"Chicken and Dumplins is honestly the worst thing on the entire menu. It's only popular because Cracker Barrel caters to an older demographic, and old people like it because they barely have to chew and it isn't seasoned," claimed one user, who apparently worked at Cracker Barrel for over four years. "If you want something actually good, you need to try a grilled BLT." Another user quipped, "at least it comes pre-digested."

Some, however, were a bit more sympathetic towards the dish, chalking it up to a one-time mistake made by the chefs. "Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings taste like nostalgia and comfort for me," said user u/CoconutxKitten. "I love their chicken and dumplings when they're made right and they aren't stingy with portions," wrote user u/BananaRaptor1738. "Looks like that serving is mostly broth smh."

It appears that the quality of Cracker Barrel's chicken and dumplings depends on the location and kitchen. To some, they're a filling treat. Others see them as a waste of perfectly good poultry.