Oct 24th 2026
You can get hand-rolled chicken and dumplings near you at Cotton Patch Cafe, served by the cup or the bowl at our cafes across Texas and New Mexico. When the first norther of the season rolls through, it’s also the week our Chicken Tortilla Soup and Soup & Salad Combo start disappearing fastest.
Here’s exactly what goes in each soup, how to order it, and how to find the Cotton Patch nearest you.
Key Takeaways
- Cotton Patch Cafe serves two soups: Chicken N' Dumplins and Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Our dumplins are hand-rolled and simmered with roasted chicken, celery, onions and chicken broth.
- Order either soup as a cup, a bowl with one side, or a Soup & Salad Combo.
- Taking soup home? USDA says reheat soups to a rolling boil and leftovers to 165°F.
Where to Get Chicken and Dumplings Near You
Chicken N’ Dumplins is on the Cotton Patch Cafe menu at cafes from Nacogdoches to Lubbock to Clovis, New Mexico. Since 1989, when the first Cotton Patch opened in Nacogdoches, Texas, our menu has been built on the dishes Texans grew up eating at home, and chicken and dumplings is one of the oldest of them.
Pick your cafe on the full menu to see that location’s pricing and order for dine-in or pickup.
What’s in Our Chicken N’ Dumplins
Our Chicken N’ Dumplins is made with hand-rolled dumplins, roasted chicken, celery, onions and chicken broth. Hand-rolling is the slow, old-fashioned way to make dumplins, the way a lot of Texas grandmothers did it, and it’s the detail that separates a scratch kitchen’s bowl from one built on a shortcut.
Dumplings vs. dumplins
"Dumplins" is the Southern spelling of dumplings and matches how it's said across Texas. Same dish, same comfort: soft dough cooked right in chicken broth. Curious where the name came from? Read why it's called chicken and dumplings.
What’s in Our Chicken Tortilla Soup
Our Chicken Tortilla Soup is slow-roasted shredded chicken in a tomato chipotle broth with corn, black beans, onion and sweet chilis. It’s the brighter, smokier choice of the two, with a little heat from the chipotle and body from the black beans, and it’s the one to pick if you want soup next to a Tex Mex Salad.
Cup, Bowl or Soup & Salad: How to Order
Both soups come three ways at Cotton Patch Cafe, so you can make soup a side, a full meal, or a lighter lunch.
How to order | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Cup of soup | A cup of Chicken N' Dumplins or Chicken Tortilla Soup | Starting a meal or adding to a sandwich |
Bowl & one side | A full bowl plus any one side, like fried okra, broccoli rice casserole or garlic mashed potatoes | Soup as the main event on a cold night |
Soup & Salad Combo | A cup of soup and a half-portion of salad | A lighter lunch that still warms you up |
Pricing is set by each cafe, so select your location on the menu for current prices.
What to Eat with Soup When a Norther Blows In
Texans call a sudden Arctic cold front a “blue norther,” named, as Texas Monthly explains, for the blue-looking horizon under the cloud bank that rolls in just before the temperature plunges. That’s soup weather. At Cotton Patch, these are the pairings we’d put on the table:
- Skillet Cornbread — scratch-made cheddar cornbread with cinnamon honey butter, made for dragging through dumplin broth.
- Rolls — warm, fresh-baked yeast rolls.
- Broccoli Rice Casserole or Fried Okra — the classic sides with a bowl.
- Pumpkin Crunch or Peach Cobbler — because it’s November.
Taking Soup Home? Reheat It Right
Soup travels well, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service says to reheat soups, sauces and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil, and to reheat leftovers to 165°F measured with a food thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers promptly, and add a splash of chicken broth when reheating dumplins, since they keep soaking up liquid in the fridge.
Feeding a full house? See our guide to family meals to go in Texas.
Make It at Home: Soups from Our Community Cookbook
Our guests share their own family soups in the Cotton Patch Community Cookbook, and these four are cold-front favorites:
Find Soup Near You
Every Cotton Patch Cafe has its own page with its address and hours. A few to start with:
- East Texas: Nacogdoches · Tyler
- Central Texas: Waco · Round Rock
- Houston area: Spring
- West Texas: Lubbock · Midland
- Dallas–Fort Worth: Frisco · Arlington
- New Mexico: Clovis
Don’t see your town? See all locations.
Soup FAQ
Where can I get chicken and dumplings near me?
Cotton Patch Cafe serves Chicken N' Dumplins at cafes across Texas and in New Mexico. Find the closest one on our locations page, then dine in or order online for pickup from that cafe's menu.
What soups does Cotton Patch Cafe have?
Cotton Patch Cafe has two soups: Chicken N' Dumplins, made with hand-rolled dumplins, roasted chicken, celery, onions and chicken broth, and Chicken Tortilla Soup, made with slow-roasted chicken in a tomato chipotle broth with corn, black beans, onion and sweet chilis.
Does Cotton Patch have a soup and salad combo?
Yes. The Soup & Salad Combo is a cup of soup with a half-portion of salad. You can also order a cup of soup on its own or a bowl with one side.
What's the difference between dumplings and dumplins?
Nothing but the spelling. "Dumplins" is the Southern way to write dumplings. At Cotton Patch, ours are hand-rolled and served with roasted chicken in chicken broth.
How do I reheat chicken and dumplings safely?
The USDA recommends bringing soups to a rolling boil and reheating leftovers to 165°F. Add a little chicken broth before reheating dumplins, because they absorb liquid as they sit.
Cold out? Your bowl's waiting.
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