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
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.
I was wondering, since I really don’t like frozen carrots, could I use fresh raw carrots instead? And if so, when should I add them and how long would they need (on high) until they’re cooked?
Other readers have made this recipe with fresh carrots with great results, Karen. I would definitely recommend adding them at the beginning to ensure they have enough time to fully cook.
Does cooking time need to be adjusted for boneless chicken thighs?
Hi MS, as long as you are using about the same amount of meat (24 ounces) you should be fine without adjusting the cooking time.
Do you think I could shred the chicken first and then add the biscuits?
That should work well, Kathy.
Always on my Fall/Winter menu! So easy and so yummy!
This has become a family favorite!! It’s so easy and delicious. The only change I make is to the amount of poultry seasoning. I use 1/4 tsp. So yummy!!
Hi,
If it seems to be a little thick, which would be best to add:
cream of chicken soup or
chicken stock?
I would add a little more chicken broth to help thin it out.
hi iwas wondering ,i only have one can of cream of chicken soup and one of cream of mushroom soup will that be alright to use or will it hurt the flavor with the mushroom?
It’ll still be delicious.
Awesome! Can leftovers be frozen?
S P, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe however many readers have had success freezing it.
Let us know how it goes if you try it.
Hello! Can I use frozen chicken breasts for this recipe? If so, how long does it need to cook? Thank you!
I would suggest thawing them first.
I’ve used frozen chicken breasts in the past and it worked fine! No adjustment to time. This is great if you forgot to take out your chicken the night before!
My crockoit cooks a chicken breast in about 2.5hrs on high, Should I still cook it for 4hrs before adding dumplings? Can’t wait to try this tonight!! :)
As long as the chicken breast is cooked to 165°F and shreds easily it should be fine!
You may not see this before I make it for Christmas… Just wondering about searing the chicken first
I haven’t tried searing the chicken but you certainly can, there should be no other changes needed.
This crockpot chicken and dumplings is fantastic. I don’t really cook and I was so happy because my husband had two plates. My husband likes Bisquick dumplings so I will make them with stock on the stove then add at the end. Thanks for the recipe and making me feel like I really can cook.
Hi! Would I need to alter the cook time if I use Bisquick drop biscuits instead of tube biscuits?
I have never tried so I can’t say for sure. But other readers have made Bisquick dumplings with great results!
Does it have to be a 6 quart? All I have is a 3 quart and a 8 quart
An 8-quart crockpot should work for this recipe. You will want to ensure your crockpot is a minimum half full. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This recipe is delicious, so easy to put in the crockpot in the morning and finish when you get home from work. It’s really good with peas and carrots .
yo this was straight bussing, no cap
How much time do I need to add for frozen chicken breasts?
Hi there, my brother recommended this recipe and he seems to love it! But I was wondering, would this recipe be okay to cook on low for longer, say 8-9 hours, vs 5 hours on high?
Hi Ginelle, 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.