Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings.
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.
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.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of celery soup 1 can
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can
- 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
- 16.3 ounces refrigerated biscuits 1 can, Buttermilk, Country, or Homestyle
Instructions
- Add onion to 6 qt crock pot 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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Chicken and dumplings gonna make this thank you do much for the reciepe!
I made the Chicken and Dumplings for a Memorial potluck it was so good. Thank you for sharing.
Do you have to use low sodium broth?
No, you can use regular broth as well.
Just add potatoes diced and you have potpie, though I use cream of mushroom instead of cream of celery (I put chopped celery in instead).
I’m just wondering if you started with frozen or thawed chicken?
You can use either, I use thawed.
Where does the two cups of chicken broth come in?
Step 2 says to top with chicken broth.
I absolutely love this recipe! Your directions were simple, easy to follow, and well explained.
Can this re-heat in the microwave or is the stovetop better?
Re-heating in the microwave should be fine.
This looks really good, but I am used to making homemade dumplings, kinda roundish and fluffy. Do you think I could slightly flatten the biscuits and cut them into quarters (4 pieces)? Maybe 1 1/2 to 2 cans?
You could certainly quarter (or 6th) the biscuits. I wouldn’t recommend more than one can as the slow cooker will be quite full.
Do you make this with frozen or thawed chicken? I was assuming thawed? Thanks!
If I cook this all day, could I cook the chicken on low for 6 hours, then do veggies and biscuits for 60-90 minutes on high? Just trying to figure out a good conversion. Thanks!!!
TFS!! I was thinking about making chicken and dumplings this morning… AND tonight I saw your video…. LOOKS YUMMY!! I have never had them in a slow cooker… So I can’t wait to try this!!
Also wanted to say thank you for replying to everyone… I have been to other blogs…. and u post something or just ask a question… and get no reply…
Aww! Thanks Shannon! I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is one of our favorites! And it is my pleasure to reply to everyone. I am so grateful for our wonderful community! <3
This recipe sounds like it would be delicious. However, is there any way to make it gluten free? I have yet to find cream of any kind of soup that is gluten free. I know what to do with the biscuits but not the soup. Any suggestions wood be welcomed. Thanks
You could search for a homemade alternative to condensed soups however dairy doesn’t often hold up well in the slow cooker so it’s hard to say how this would work.
How would you adjust the recipe if using ready cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco?
While I’ve only made this as written, several readers have used cooked chicken or turkey with great results. I would suggest reducing the cooking time.
Holly, thank you cooking right now, my husband can’t wait! Directions are clear. Thank you
You’re so welcome Frances! I hope your family enjoyed this dish as much as mine!
Im confused… Where does the chicken broth come in at on the chicken and dumplings?
It is added in step 2.
Do the chicken breasts need to be thawed or may they be frozen when adding?
Thank you!
Since my mom and I both had some of the ingredients we pooled our efforts (and most of what she bought!) to make this.
I would vary the amount of biscuit rounds depending on personal preference. The biscuits/dumplings DID turn out well. I just think all 8 was too many and would cut that in half.
My mom and I also agree that it was pretty thick. Maybe because we’re both used to more SOUP and less STEW for Chicken and Dumplings.
I’m open to suggestions on how to thin this out considerably so you end up with has more of a broth at the end than a gravy like rue as a result. Add the water for the soups perhaps? More chicken broth? I think that might make it too salty.
I think I know now what the problem was- we were using a 4 QUART crock pot. So things cooked up faster than normal.
Any chance of converting this recipe to use with 4 qt crock pots instead?
I made this to bring to a crockpot potluck dart tournament ! It was GONE before the others were half gone. This is so delicious, have made it 3x now. I did make 50 % more to make sure it was a full crockpot. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, Gina! This always disappears fast when I make it too!
We love this recipe! My daughter made this for us when were visiting her. It is her husband’s favorite meal. It is in our Crockpot right now.
I am so glad your family likes the recipe!!