Juicy chicken breasts cooked to tender perfection in the slow cooker in a rich creamy sauce.
Shortcut dumplings make this deliciously comforting meal effortless for a family favorite everyone will agree on.
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Chicken and Dumplings are probably the ultimate comfort food. Tender juicy shredded chicken and soft dumplings in a rich creamy brothy gravy.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings from scratch but having a busy household with kids, I know that sometimes time is short and I don’t have hours to spend cooking a full Sunday dinner from scratch.
This recipe uses a few little short cuts to make it really quick and easy to put together while not skimping on flavor.
The best part about this recipe is that it cooks up in the slow cooker all day long.
That means you can spend about 5 minutes prepping and head on out and run your errands (or go for lunch with your friends which sounds much more fun).
The slow cooker does all of the work but the results are just as amazing as a from scratch recipe (there’s a reason this recipe has a five star rating ★★★★★)!
Quick prep with optimal results is my kind of cookin’.
I use a can of premade biscuits to make the dumplings to make this dish totally effortless.
You’re going to want to roll them extra thin as they do puff up a little while they cook.
If you don’t want to use (or don’t have) canned biscuits, feel free to mix up a batch of your favorite homemade biscuits to create your own dumplings (or use Biscuit Mix).
Once you shred the chicken and stir it back in, your dumplings will break up a little bit but don’t worry; the edges soak up a bit of the sauce making for a perfect bowl of comfort.
While I know not everyone likes vegetables with their chicken and dumplings, I sure do!
I love the addition of frozen veggies for color, flavor and some extra nutrients (plus frozen veggies are pretty effortless).
If veggies in your chicken and dumplings isn’t your thing, feel free to leave them out (but don’t skip the onion, it adds lots of flavor)!
How to Make Perfect Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
As easy as this recipe is, here are a few tips to make sure it turns out perfectly for you!
- This recipe is best made in a 6QT crock pot.
- While this chicken and dumplings recipe uses frozen veggies, they should be defrosted before adding to the slow cooker.
- My biscuits are always perfectly cooked after 60 minutes however some slow cookers may require extra time to cook the biscuits.
- Open the lid as little as possible as the slow cooker can lose heat quickly and this can cause your biscuits to not cook properly.
- Boneless chicken thighs make an excellent addition to this recipe.
- Once the biscuits are cooked through they should still have a soft, slightly doughy dumpling-like texture.
- Depending on the size of your slow cooker, this recipe may not double well. To double this recipe, cook the chicken portion as directed. Additional dumplings can be cooked on the stovetop or baked in the oven as biscuits.
Dairy (such as cream or milk) doesn’t always do well in the slow cooker; it can often separate or curdle so I’ve subbed in condensed soup in this recipe.
Condensed soups make a great addition to crock pot recipes as they tend to hold up very well in the slow cooker (plus they add lots of flavor to this recipe) without the risk of curdling.
Once you try this easy recipe, it’ll quickly become your go to for slow cooker chicken and dumplings.
Ensure your slow cooker is on high and the liquid should be bubbling along the edges when you open the lid to add your vegetables and biscuits.
It’s really important that you open the lid for as little time as possible and that your vegetables are completely defrosted.
Note: Buttermilk, Country or Homestyle Biscuits work best in this recipe. When adding the vegetables/biscuits ensure the lid is left off as little as possible. Leaving the lid off for long periods of time will drastically increase cooking time.
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- black pepper to taste
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen vegetables or peas and carrots, thawed
- 1 (16.3 ounce) can refrigerated biscuits Buttermilk, Country, or Homestyle
Instructions
- Add onion to a 6-qt slow cooker and top with chicken breasts.
- In a small bowl, combine cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, parsley, poultry seasoning and pepper. Spread over chicken breasts. Top with chicken broth and cook on high 5 hours.
- Approximately 1 hour (I allow 60 – 90 minutes) before serving (after 4 hours of cooking time), roll each biscuit thin and flat. Cut into 4 strips. Add vegetables to the slow cooker and stir. Add biscuit strips on top. Replace lid as quickly as possible.
To Serve
- Remove chicken breasts and slightly shred. Add back into slow cooker and stir (this will break up the dumplings somewhat which is ok). Let cook an additional 10 minutes and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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I love this recipe. I have made it many times. I was just wondering, can it be frozen?
Hi Amanda, a lot of readers have frozen this meal with success. Just freeze in an airtight container and, when ready, thaw fully overnight in the fridge. We reheat it on low on the stove or for single portions you can reheat it in the microwave as well.
Hello, I have made this several times and it’s delicious. Thinking of using fresh baby carrots when would I put them in at the beginning or when you normally add the frozen vegetables? Thanks!
I would add them at the beginning of the cooking time to ensure they are fully cooked when ready to serve.
so easy and yummy
im making it now…but is really on high for five hours or just the last hour?
Yes, you want to cook on high for 5 hours. Enjoy Judy!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and my husband and I LOVE IT. I do cook it on low for about 7-8 hours but when I put the biscuits in I flip it up to high for an hour and it works great. I even used onion powder instead of an onion (forgot to buy it) and it was still amazing. I always use a little more chicken broth and the gravy is perfect. Thank you for this recipe. I love it
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe Danielle!
I have 4.5 lbs of chicken tenderloin on hand how much should I use for this recipe and how long should I cook it for. Appreciate your feedback, ty!
I would use about 1 ½ lbs of chicken. They might be cooked through a little sooner since they’re small, I’d check them after about 3.5hrs or so.
I went into this recipe very skeptical because I’ve made some lackluster crockpot chicken recipes lately, but I wanted something easy to throw in the crockpot on a Sunday afternoon. This was delicious and so easy! The biscuits took maybe an hour and a half to seem pretty much baked for me. I was pleasantly surprised!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Trina!
Will using fresh carrots change cooking time? I have lots
Other readers have made this recipe with fresh carrots with great results, Suzanne. I would definitely recommend adding them at the beginning to ensure they have enough time to fully cook.
This is absolutely AWESOME!!! I have a provider that helps me with some daily needs and I like to cook when I can. this recipe is so easy and doesn’t take all day to cook. I did omit the wine and didn’t miss it. AlMy provider is a single mom and she liked it so much I asked her if she wanted to take some home for her and her 14 year old. she texted me later that night and said her daughter loved it!!!
love this recipe but my husband is not a fan of making the dumplings in the crockpot….any suggestions to thicken the liquid without adding the dumplings.. cornstarch slurry maybe??
A cornstarch slurry should work just fine!
I followed the directions exactly and it came out so dry, it was just awful!
I will not be making this again, I would rather make homemade dumplings over using canned any day!
Oh no! This recipe is very saucy and is normally a hit, so I can’t say for sure what happened Sarah. Thank you for trying it.
I decided to shred a rotisserie chicken to use and don’t pre plan well so my veggies are still frozen i feel like the chicken will cook faster considering. opinion of the veggies will cook at a more equal rate
Excellent soup and dumplings!
There were only two of us eating it and there was only enough leftover for one bowl at lunch the next day!
I am sure I’ll be making this again!!
Thank you
Apparently people who are not salt restricted don’t realize that canned soups are a problem for us that are salt restricted. Suggested substitutions? It looks like a good recipe but I might not try it because of the canned soups.
Hi Colleen! You’re so right—canned condensed soups can be really high in sodium, which makes it tricky when you need a low-sodium option. You could try buying “low-sodium” or “no salt added” condensed soups, or control the sodium by making your own condensed cream of chicken soup. Enjoy!
What would the time frame be if set on low?
While I haven’t tried it, many readers have cooked this one on low for 7-8 hours successfully. You may need extra time for the dumplings or I might suggest baking them and adding them to the broth 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
what is the serving size. the nutrition information does not say.
The serving size is approximately 2 cups or so.
Hi! I realized I accidentally bought chicken thighs instead of breasts. I have already started the cooking process. Would you recommend I do anything different in terms of cooking temp/time since it’s chicken thighs?
No, you do not need to adjust the cooking temperature or time! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs hold up exceptionally well in the slow cooker and won’t dry out like chicken breasts, so you can follow the same cook time. Just ensure you use about 1 ½ lbs of skinless, boneless thighs.
I would love to know how I would make more? I have a huge crockpot and I am feeding a large family. I would like to double it but you advised against it how can I increase this recipe?
Hi Debbie, to double this recipe, cook the chicken portion as directed. Additional dumplings can be cooked on the stovetop or baked in the oven as biscuits.
Do I double the chicken amount then too? I’m so excited to try this.
Hi Debbie, you can get ingredients amounts for a double recipe by clicking the “2x” box that is near the ingredients. It will double the ingredients, but will not adjust the instructions, so keep that in mind that you would double the amounts in the instructions. Enjoy!
Just use another crock pot and make another batch. If you have a large family, you will most likely be in need of 2 anyway. Especially during the holidays! :-)