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
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Had to add more of some Ingredients, and substituted cream of celery for cream of mushroom. But this was WAYYYY too much onion and I only added half of one
Do you cut up all 8 biscuits? I only cut up about 5 and covered the entire top of the crockpot with the biscuit strips and have some leftover but didn’t want to layer them snd have them all stick together?
Yes, we use the full 8 biscuits.
Looking forward to making this! Do you think it can be made in a 3 quart slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Steph, we haven’t tried this in a 3qt slow cooker so I can’t say for sure but it seems that it would be half of the recipe. Let us know how it goes!
Did it end up working for you? I have a 4qt and thinking about halving the recipe!
My husband fell in love with this dish!
As a broke college student, this recipe is my go to for something that tastes like home! So simple, easy and most importantly, delicious! Not to mention… leftovers for days that don’t disappoint. I’m not exactly a chef but I don’t know how you could mess this up. Two thumbs up from my boyfriend as well.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe Caro! I love having leftovers for quick meals too!
I’ve made this a few times and LOVE it! Question though: my local grocery was out of the southern/homestyle biscuits and only had the flakey ones… think these would still work ok?
They should work just fine.
Reallly great. Easily 8 servings though. Thanks for the yumminess!
Could I cook this on low for 6.5 hours
Many readers have cooked this one low successfully. When adding the biscuits, you’ll want to turn in onto high. It may need a little big of extra time to heat up.
I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a recipe online before, but I had to leave a review for this one! This recipe has been my go-to for a couple years for meals for new moms, people who had surgery, and anyone else who needs a meal! It’s always a hit and I think every single person I’ve cooked it for has asked me for the recipe. I’m not typically a chicken and dumplings person, but the flavor in this is amazing. Kids and adults love it, and you can’t beat how easy it is to cook. You won’t regret making this meal!!
This was so easy and absolutely delicious!!! I will definitely be adding this meal to the rotation of family dinners
I love looking up your recipes thank you for sharing.
Hi! I’m using boneless thighs- because I’m just tired of breast for the moment. Haha
Would there be any problem with shredding them up at the 4hr mark, and adding the biscuits right afterward to prevent further breaking up of the dumplings? Mainly asking because I won’t be home, and my 14yr old will be finishing this recipe.
Also, any thoughts on adding a little cream cheese at the beginning? If so, how much would you add?
I think it would be ok to shred at that point, the only concern is that the chicken could possibly fall apart further as it cooks longer. You could try a little cream cheese, maybe 4oz? Let us know how it goes!
How many chicken thighs did you use?
Love this recipe!!!! Are the nutritional facts for the whole meal or serving? If serving, what is the serving size?
The nutrition is for 1 serving which is ¼ of the recipe. This can vary slightly based on the size of your chicken breasts.
Accidentally added the veggies in with everything … will it be ok??
They might be a little soft but the recipe should still work fine.
Hello, you mentioned subbing condensed milk for milk in your writing but the recipe at the bottom calls for neither. Can you clarify.
Thank you
This recipe uses condensed soups (not condensed milk). Hope that helps.
I followed this recipe to a “T” and microwave chicken and dumplings were better. I saved it in the end by making it a casserole and adding another can of buscuits to the top.
Loved this recipe! Could I freeze this if I wanted to make a double batch? If so, how would you reheat it and would you wait to put the “dumplings” in?
Thank you,
Joanie
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe however many readers have had success freezing it. I would suggest reheating on low on the stove. You could perhaps bake the dumplings and put them into the dish at the end.
Let us know how it goes if you try it
I made this tonight. I used canned mixed vegetables, and used vegetable broth because I was out of chicken broth and used a tablespoon of chicken flavored better than bouillon. I made bisquick mix for the dumplings and it turned out so delicious! My husband loved it. Thank you for this recipe!!
Hey! I want to try this recipe this week but I like having lots of left overs. If I double the recipe, what would I do for the cooking time?
I haven’t tried doubling this recipe. My concern is that once you add the dumplings the slow cooker is VERY full and it might not fit.
Loved this recipe! Such a heart warming meal for the fall season! I was worried that the biscuits might stick together so I covered them in flour before placing them in the crockpot. Turned out beautifully! Definitely adding this one to the book and making again soon!