Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Packed with delicious flavor, including oodles of tender chicken pieces and pillowy soft dumplings in a rich creamy sauce, this slow cooker chicken and dumplings recipe is Southern comfort food at its finest.
One of my son’s favorite suppers in the entire world is chicken and dumplings. Now, I’ve previously shared my recipe for easy chicken and dumplings with biscuits here. Over the years though, I’ve come up with a few different ways of making it that suit my schedule a little better. Enter, this crock pot chicken and dumplings recipe, which is even easier to make.
It’s packed with delicious flavors, like two different types of creamy soup, chicken broth, and poultry seasoning. Add in tender chicken pieces and pillowy soft dumplings and you have a recipe for success! Nothing beats that rich creamy sauce. The best part is, it’s the easiest chicken and dumplings recipe you’ll ever find. Simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker and walk away. Come back in 4 hours to slowly add the dumplings and in no time at all it’s ready to serve.
Let me tell you, all it takes is one bite, and the next thing you know your plate is empty. It’s just one of those recipes. I love to make chicken and dumplings in the winter, as it’s one of my favorite cozy and comforting main dishes. Luckily my family agrees! Now, let’s get cooking and make this your family’s new favorite supper as well!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken broth
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cream of celery soup
- Poultry seasoning
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- Boneless skinless chicken thigh and chicken breast
- Carrot (I sometimes omit this)
- Frozen dumplings
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the chicken broth, cans of soup, poultry seasoning, salt, onion powder, and pepper; stir well.
Then stir in all of the chicken and diced carrot. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Add the frozen dumpling pieces, one at a time, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high, stirring twice, until dumplings are tender, approximately 1.5 hours.
Sprinkle with additional pepper, if desired.
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Recipes for homemade cream soup can be found in my second book, Come Home To Supper (click here).
- If you like, just add an extra boneless skinless chicken breast in place of the thighs for less fuss.
- If you’d like to add more flavor to your crock pot chicken and dumplings, here are some variations:
- Add 3 chopped celery stalks, 1 cup of diced onion, or 2 diced leeks.
- Substitute the carrot for 2 cups of defrosted frozen vegetables.
- Add more seasoning, like 2 bay leaves, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Serve with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley or a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Instead of frozen dumplings, you can also use a can of refrigerated biscuit dough or make your own homemade flaky biscuits. Here’s my easy drop biscuits recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Can you put raw chicken in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can put raw chicken straight into the crock pot for this slow cooker chicken and dumplings recipe. The extended cooking time ensures it will be cooked by the end.
How do you check if the dumplings are done?
If you want to double-check the dumplings are cooked, you can insert a toothpick in the center. When it comes out clean, you’re good to go!
What do you serve with crock pot chicken and dumplings?
This is already a great family-friendly main meal. But if you like you can make the leftovers stretch further and serve it over mashed potato or rice.
Here are more easy crock pot chicken recipes:
AMAZING & EASY Crock Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Crock Pot Chicken and Cornbread Dressing
Cheesy Chicken And Rice (Crock Pot Version)
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces *
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces*
- 1 cup chopped carrot I sometimes omit this
- 1/3 package frozen dumplings about half a pound, broken into 3 pieces each
Instructions
- In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the chicken broth, cans of soup, poultry seasoning, salt, onion powder, and pepper; stir well. Then stir in all of the chicken and diced carrot. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.3 cups chicken broth, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of celery soup, 3/4 tsp poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 cup chopped carrot
- Add the frozen dumpling pieces, one at a time, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high, stirring twice, until dumplings are tender, approximately 1.5 hours. Sprinkle with additional pepper, if desired.1/3 package frozen dumplings
Notes
Nutrition
I add a bag of frozen peas and carrots to mine, as well as one finely diced onion, sautéed before adding. I also prefer Mary B’s dumplings. I guess that makes it more like a stew. Regardless, it adds vegetables to the meal, and my grandkids love it!
Can I add a can of carrots and peas to this? Should I add it towards the end?
Depends on how you like your peas and carrots. If you like a little crunch then add towards the end.
Hope you enjoy!
I use the frozen peas and carrots and it turns out great. I think canned would turn too mushy if cooked too long.
Is it possible to use frozen pastry in place of frozen dumplings? I can’t wait to make this, but I could only find frozen pastry
I’m sorry to say that I made this the other night and it came out terrible. 🙁 I am already a big fan of Mary B’s frozen dumplings but they pretty much disintegrated in this. And I actually cut the last half hour out once I noticed they turned to mush. It also was quite bland so you have to add a lot of extra seasoning.
I’m planning on making this recipe tomorrow. How many serving does this recipe make? I didn’t see it, but may have just missed it. Thank you!
I love both this and your quick cook recipe. Katy is a smart girl for choosing these as her fav meal. I also like a fluffy dumpling and make a 1/2 batch of drop biscuits and drop them by the heaping tbsp in the pot and let them cook with the lid on (crock pot or reg pot) for about 15 min then gently break them apart and flip them over. I put the lid on and let them cook another 15 – 25 min. I like them a little gummy in the middle sometimes but my son likes them dry.
I always love hearing how you do things and make recipes your own!! I hope you have a blessed New Year sweet Barbara!
When my Mom was still alive, I called her and asked about the frozen dumplings. They were pretty close to what she used to roll out, cut, and dry in white sheets on the table for her chicken and dumplings, so these are Geneva County Alabama Mom-approved.