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.
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
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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Can someone tell me what the dumplings are supposed to look/feel like? After an hour and 20 minutes, they were starting to look semi cooked but still doughy in the center, now it’s been nearly 2 hours and not much has changed. I don’t want to overcook the chicken trying to brown these biscuits. I think I may just put my whole pot in the oven to speed it up, but I just wanted to make sure this isn’t how they were supposed to be. I followed the instructions to a T, same brands, same everything. So I’m not sure what’s going on
I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the dumplings, I haven’t had that problem. There is a video that you may help you to see the consistency. The dumplings are cooked in liquid so they will be moist on the outside. If you do feel like you need to cook them longer, you could try transfering them to a parchment line baking sheet and bake them.
when do you add the chicken broth in?
It is added in step 2.
2. 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.
This is my favorite chicken and dumpling recipe. The only one I use! Thank you
This is the first time Making this recipe. I love chicken and dumplings and cooking in the slow cooker makes it even better for me. It turned out great minus the parsley (I was out).
I am looking to cook this over the weekend and I’m wondering- would this recipe be good with some fresh thyme and fresh oregano? I am not a fan of pultra seasoning, but I am game to try out fresh herbs instead. I want to make sure I keep the great flavors of the poultry seasoning though!
Yes, I think thyme would be lovely in this recipe. Let us know how it goes!
Cook on high for 5 hours? You sure about that? I am thinking low setting
The recipe is correct as written, if cooking on low, you may need to add extra cooking time.
Loved the refrigerated biscuits as dumplings!
I managed to make this is with a 5 quart crock pot but it definitely is a 6 quart crock pot recipe. I took the chicken out about 4 1/2 hours, shredded it, and left on the side while cooking the dumplings for one hour. Both will not fit so this is the only way to make it work! After about two servings, everything fits in the crock pot. Great recipe!
I have been using this recipe for a few years now and it’s perfect every time. I am, however, too lazy to roll the biscuits and cut them so I pinch off each biscuit into 4 to 5 little peices and throw them on top (do not stir)… equally as good. My kids love it
I LOVE this shortcut and will be using it today – maybe I will even let me kids try to rip off the pieces. They’d love that. Thank for sharing your tip!
Excited to try this tonight! I am wondering if you can shred the chicken before you add the dumplings? Is it tender enough? I was just thinking this might prevent from messing up the dumplings. Thoughts?
I have only ever made this recipe as listed but that should work well if the chicken is tender enough at that point. I would love to hear how it turns out for you.
So I just did this with mine, i literally stuck a hand mixer in my crockpot and shredded it after about 3 hours of cooking (just to get ahead) and it was fine. I had the same thoughts when looking at the recipe
Absolutely delicious however the biscuits cooking in 1 hour after putting it in the pot, absolutely did not work. I even gave it an extra 30 minutes after it had cooked for 5 hours. If I had to do it again and I do think I’ll do the recipe again, I will put the biscuits in at the 3-hour mark and let them cook for 2 hours. an extra hour and 10 minutes and they were still doughy which was a little frustrating and rather disappointing.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. We have not had that problem with this recipe. I hope you were still able to enjoy them.
After the 60 mins of dumplings cooking. Just pop your whole crock pot in the oven, lid off, at 375 for about 10 mins (keep eye) and your biscuits will be perfectly cooked through and golden brown!
I wonder if your pieces were too big/thick? If using the biscuits whole and laying them on top I would bake in the oven or if mixing bigger pieces in then stovetop would work. Also make sure your crock pot is on high and not low? Hopefully one of these helped.
I am going to make tomorrow but want to do it before I go to work, what would the low cook time be?
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.
Wondering why mine turn brown, more like a beef stew color, vs the white cream color? Still smells good and sounds good just wondering about color difference – thank you!
Do you mean your biscuits go brown? Or the entire stew? It could be a difference in brand names or ingredients you are using. If it’s just the biscuits, they could be slightly overcooked. I hope you enjoyed it!
Can anyone tell me if this recipe uses 4 full chicken breasts? Or an approximate weight for the chicken. Thanks.
A boneless chicken breasts weight approximately 6 oz. So for this recipe we use roughly 24 ounces of chicken. I hope that helps!
Hi! Excited to try this. Can I cook it on low for 6-8 hours? I was planning to start it before I leave for work in the morning.
While I haven’t tried it, many readers have cooked this one on low for 7-8 hours successfully.
Do I cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 5 hours ?
On high for 5 hours.
Very nice and easy recipe. Taste and looks like restaurant quality. I just wish there was a real dumpling recipe from scratch.
I have not tried a real dumpling recipe in this soup but I think it would work great. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Awesome recipe and so easy to make
I made this today for the first time, and it was a big hit! We used the buttermilk Pillsbury biscuits, but like one commenter, I laid down some flour and rolled them out. This definitely thickened it up and made it more stew-like which was perfect!
Thank you!
Making for about the 5th time today. Love this recipe, simply delicious! Adding boneless thighs this batch.
Can I make this the day before (need it for a football concession stand)? I am up around 7 am and need this for 12 pm. Can I somehow reheat it in the crockpot and add the biscuits that morning?
Hi Jaclynn! You should be able to make this recipe the night before, store in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the crockpot in the morning and add the biscuits.
I made this recipe today, and while the taste is great, I had trouble with the dumplings! I think it was a mistake to stir them because they totally disintegrated! Well, it did make it nice and thick haha.
Did you use Pillsbury brand biscuits? If you used a different brand, that could be why. I hope that helps!