Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
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Chicken and dumplings in the crock pot? Oh yes! This reader-favorite recipe is easy and yields perfect results. Plus, as it gently simmers away in the slow cooker, your home is filled with comforting, delicious smells. Make Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings for dinner tonight!
Or try our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings.
This Recipe Is Famous!
This easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumpling recipe comes from our cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker, and was good enough to make national television. Seriously! Check out this segment of us cooking Chicken & Dumplings on Hallmark Home & Family!
Ingredients Needed
You won’t find any processed ingredients in our recipe, like cream soups or store-bought biscuits. That’s because this “from scratch” recipe isn’t difficult, it tastes so much better, and is healthier! Here are the ingredients you’ll need.
How to Make Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies
While we would love to not have to pre-cook vegetables for this slow cooker meal, we found that they don’t get cooked enough in the 3-4 hours it takes for the chicken to get done in the slow cooker. Plus, sautéing vegetables adds lots of flavor.
Step 2: Season the Chicken and Slow Cook in the Crock Pot
Transfer cooked veggies to the slow cooker.
Add seasoned chicken, broth, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours. (The chicken is done when it registers 165°F internally.) Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaves and return the lid to the cooker quickly.
Step 3: Make the Dumpling Batter and Add to the Crock Pot
Set the slow cooker to High. While it heats up, make the dumplings.
Working quickly uncover the slow cooker, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter, and drop into the stew.
Tips for Success:
- Wet your hands to prevent sticking and use them to help slide the batter off the spoon and into the stew.
- Spread the dumplings out so they cover the whole surface
- Get the lid back on the cooker as soon as possible.
Cook on High for 30 to 40 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size and a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean.
Step 4: Stir in Chicken and Peas
Shred or chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
When the dumplings are done, gently stir the chicken and frozen peas into the stew. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
How to Freeze Chicken and Dumplings
You might be surprised to learn that Chicken and Dumplings can be packaged as a freezer meal. We’ve devised a way that it can be frozen and thawed and still taste like a fresh, delicious meal.
Read our article for all our pro tips on how to freeze chicken dumplings. I promise it will taste like a fresh meal if you follow our instructions.
What to Serve With Chicken and Dumplings
We love that this recipe is a one-pot wonder. You’ve got vegetables, protein, and bread/starch all in one delicious bowl! But, if you’d like to add something on the side, here are a few ideas to round out this comfort meal…
- Salad: Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Side: Crockpot Cinnamon Apples
- Dessert: Pumpkin Dump Cake
Can I Make This in the Instant Pot?
Oh yeah! I make it this way all the time using our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe.
It’s easier and faster than the slow cooker. Give it a try!
FAQs
Yes, while canned chicken won’t be as flavorful, it will work. Just stir it in at the end when you stir in the peas. Another shortcut would be to use a shredded rotisserie chicken from the store.
Yes, there are ways to make this in advance. You can read detailed instructions in our post written about freezing Chicken and Dumplings.
Yes, I think that would work fine.
It should fit in a 6-quart crockpot if you double it. I think tripling it would be too much.
More Crock Pot Comfort Meals
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Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipes is the ultimate comfort food. This one-pot-wonder stew is filled with tender vegetables, juicy shredded chicken, and topped with tender dumplings.
Instant Pot directions are here.
Ingredients
Stew
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
Dumplings
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (You can sub white whole wheat flour, but we do not recommend subbing whole wheat flour.)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup milk (sub: plain, unsweetened almond milk or oat milk)
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Instructions
Make It Now
- For the stew: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring, until they just begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper and stirring in the poultry seasoning and garlic during the last 30 to 60 seconds of cooking. Watch to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker. Add the broth and bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours. (The chicken is done when it registers 165°F internally.) Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaves (make sure to return the lid to the cooker quickly). Set the slow cooker to High.
- For the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and parsley. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and milk together until warm, about 1 minute, then whisk to melt the butter and combine. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined (do not overmix).
- Working quickly and using a soup spoon or tablespoon, uncover the slow cooker, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter, and drop into the stew. (Wet your hands to prevent sticking and use them to help slide the batter off the spoon and into the stew.) Try to spread the dumplings out so they cover the whole surface and aren’t on top of one another. Get the lid back on the cooker as soon as possible. Cook on High for 30 to 40 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size and a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
- When the dumplings are done, gently stir the chicken and peas into the stew. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Freeze for Later:
Follow step 1. Let the veggies cool. Season both sides of the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place the chicken in a gallon-size freezer bag or container. Add the broth, bay leaves, and cooled veggies. Seal and freeze. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and parsley in a quart-size freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze alongside the stew.
Prepare From Frozen:
Note: You will need to have butter, milk, and frozen peas on hand to complete this meal. Thaw. Transfer the chicken-vegetable mixture to the slow cooker and follow steps 3 through 7, using the bag of dry mix to make the dumplings in step 4.
Notes/Tips
Instant Pot Instructions: Try making this same meal using our Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe.
Veggie Shortcut Tip: Instead of sautéing the veggies over the stove, place all the chopped veggies in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter (or olive oil) and stir. Cover with a napkin and microwave for 4-5 minutes, until tender.
Can I Make This Gluten-Free? While I haven’t tested gluten-free flour for the dumplings, our readers have reported trying without much success. The dumplings seemed to fall apart for them and melt into the soup. Your best bet may be to make the stew, leaving off the dumplings, and make some gluten-free biscuits to serve on the side.
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, grass-fed beef, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
Delicious and easy! I prefer to soften the veggies in the microwave because it’s more hands off and less worry about the veggies burning (especially the garlic).
Glad you found a method that works for you Sonya! Thanks for sharing.
PS: the second time, I made this in my instant pot using saute function for the veggies, and then the slow cooker mode. Perfection!
Hi Anna. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how you made it the second time. We appreciate the feedback!
EXCELLENT! The only change I made was to use 2 cups of broth rather than 4, plenty of juice.
Hi Anna! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review!
Easy and so delicious. I thought I might mess up the dumplings but the directions were fool proof. We’ll make this again.
Hi Tara. So glad you took a chance on the dumplings and found the directions fool-proof. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Can you use canned chicken? Of course the taste will be better cooking the chicken thighs with it, but I didn’t have time to run to the store. I’m assuming to just put it in at the end with the frozen peas since the canned chicken is already cooked?
Sure, I think that would work just fine how you suggested.
This was fabulous! I doubled the cut veggies, and made a batch for dinner and froze a batch. Even my “picky eater” child who usually won’t even try soup tolerated it. Win! I’m making it for the second time tonight.
Yay! I’m not gonna lie, we love hearing picky eater wins. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it Anna.
I have not made this yet, but it sounds delicious. I am considering making it for a family that just had a baby and need some meals for their freezer. So they won’t have to mix up the dumplings themselves, could I go ahead and do that and just freeze the batter? All they would have to do would be to thaw the batter and then drop the dumplings into the stew while it is heating up.
Hi Ruth! We have a separate post about freezing Chicken and Dumplings. We recommend mixing all of the dry ingredients for the dumplings together and then adding the butter and milk in when you are ready to cook. We have not tested just freezing the batter completely ready to be dropped in. Good luck. What a blessing you are to that family with the new baby!
Can you use Bisquick dumplings?
Yes, I think that would work fine.
Love the chicken and dumplings recipe.
Aw, thanks Lynn!
My husbands grandmother used to make Chicken and Dumplings, and I KNEW I couldn’t compete with that…WELL ACTUALLY I CAN WITH YOUR RECIPE! He went back for seconds and I LOVED how I could serve it from scratch and push the EASY button by using the crock pot. A FAN!!!
That’s so great to hear Wren. We love pushing the easy button around here, but also love to make as much from scratch as we can. Thanks for letting others know that this was a hit for your family!
What a wonderful idea to use the crock-pot. Thank you for the recipe. I have been making dumplings for years and this is the best! Gayle.
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is almost like my recipe . So good, only I make it Steve top & make dressing to go with it.
I could eat the stew all day long. So delicious. First time I ever made dumplings. My technique needs work. Great recipe. Easy too.
I’m with you on the stew thing, Mary. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve found that making the dumplings smaller (just a 1 tablespoon scoop) and making sure they are covered in the liquid is helpful.
If I double or triple recipe will it fit in 6qt crockpot?
It should fit if you double it, but I think tripling it would be too much. Hope you enjoy it! It’s a fave in our family.
Making for group camping trip. Everyone has a meal while we are there. Will let you know how it turns out. We aren’t roughing it but close. Taking crock pot
I really don’t like the texture of chicken in a pot can I make it on top of the stove?
I have made this on the stove top and it works well that way. You’ll saute the veggies, add in the broth and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the chicken breasts or thighs. Simmer for about 12-15 minutes or until it’s done (165°F internally or no longer pink.) Remove and shred. Meanwhile bring the soup to a boil and drop in the dumplings. Cover loosely with the lid and simmer until done (about 10-12 minutes). Stir in the peas and shredded chicken at the end. Hope that helps!