★★★★★4.9/5
Jump to RecipeRate Recipe
By: Rachel Tiemeyer
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Table of Contents
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!
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
FAQs
Can I use canned chicken?
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.
Can I make this ahead or freeze it?
Yes, there are ways to make this in advance. You can read detailed instructions in our post written about freezing Chicken and Dumplings.
Can I use Bisquick dumplings?
Yes, I think that would work fine.
Can I double the recipe?
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
Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
Crockpot Mexican Chicken
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
★★★★★4.9 from 16 reviews
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.
Yield: 6 1x
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 3 hoursTotal: 3 hours 20 minutes
Print RecipeRate Pin for Later
Units:
Scale:
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)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
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.
© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine:americanMethod:Slow Cooker
