There’s nothing quite like a good chicken and dumplings recipe to make my night. What’s even better than standard chicken and dumplings? Chicken and dumplings in the slow cooker! This is one of the best Crockpot recipes because it’s made with delicious biscuit dumplings, creamy soup, and slow cooker chicken. It’s the best comfort food I can think of.
If you love traditional chicken and dumplings, you could love this even more. I promise!
One of the reasons I always loved chicken and dumplings growing up was because we ate it all the time at grandma’s house on Sundays. In this recipe, I’ve done my best to recreate the tastes and smells of those Sundays so many years ago — but using simple ingredients that I’ve always got on hand.
In fact, I’ve taken many liberties with this recipe because I don’t have the time to make chicken and dumplings the way my grandma did. This recipe is simple and fast, and it’s made from easy-to-prepare ingredients. Grandma had time — but I don’t. Here’s my easy dumplings recipe made from creamy soup and slow cooker chicken. I think you’re going to love it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There a lot of great reasons to make this recipe, and not a lot of reasons to pass it up. Here’s what to think about:
- Easy to prepare: I’m going to share some tips that can make this traditional dish easier and faster.
- Ingredients I keep on hand: I often have just what I need to make this meal.
- Crowd pleaser: I truly think your kids will ask for seconds when you make this.
- Comforting: This food is like a chicken pot pie, but faster and easier. It’s comforting and delicious!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
There are many different ways to make this recipe – you don’t have to follow my instructions to the tea. Below are some substitutions you can consider, but you can do what you want to make this meal your own.
- Potatoes: Adding diced potatoes to this meal gives it more hearty goodness. Toss them in at the beginning to give them enough time to get soft.
- Garlic: Want to give this meal some garlicky flavor? Add garlic in at the beginning with the onions.
- Fresh herbs: Make this meal with fresh herbs like fresh thyme. Toss it in with the cream of chicken soup to add subtle flavor.
Tips for Success
There are many things I did to make this meal easier for you to prepare. Here are my tips:
- Use canned cream of celery and canned cream of chicken.
- Except for the onions, use frozen vegetables, not fresh. You’ll do less chopping and worry less about getting the veggies thoroughly cooked.
- Don’t make the dumplings from scratch unless you want to. Instead, just buy buttermilk biscuit dough from the grocery store.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerating leftovers is easy. Allow the meal to cool, then put it in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. You can warm this recipe on the stovetop or in the oven. You could also consider cooking this meal in the microwave, but if you do, I suggest cooking it for about 30 seconds at a time until it’s warm.
If you want to save this meal for the future, place your chicken and dumplings in an airtight freezer-safe container. I like to freeze it in individual portions so I don’t have to thaw the whole thing just to have a little. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours and then heat it on the stovetop.
Serving Suggestions
This meal is so hearty that you don’t need to serve it with anything. It covers all the bases — meat, vegetables, and bread. However, if you would like to serve it with something, consider serving it with mashed or baked potatoes, or a salad.
FAQs
Will homemade dumplings work?
Of course you can make your own dumplings, or make your own buttermilk biscuits to put in this meal. Prepare the dough in advance and place them in the slow cooker when there’s about an hour left.
What kind of chicken is best?
Boneless skinless chicken thighs work well for this meal, but you can use other chicken options.
Notes
There’s nothing quite like this recipe to make me smile. I think of delicious dinners growing up when I remember chicken and dumplings. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Creamy Southern Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless skinless chicken thighs Cut into uniform 1-inch bite-sized cubes
- 1 Large yellow onion diced
- 1 Can 10.5 oz Condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 Can 10.5 oz Condensed cream of celery soup
- 2 Cups Low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp. Poultry seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh parsley chopped
- 2 Cups Frozen mixed vegetables Peas, carrots, and corn, fully thawed
- 1 Can 16.3 oz Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (Grands-style)
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Scatter the finely diced yellow onion across the bottom of a greased 6-quart slow cooker pot.
- Lay the cubed chicken thighs uniformly over the bed of onions. Pro Tip: Swapping traditional chicken breast for chicken thighs is a total game-changer for the slow cooker. Thighs contain more natural intramuscular fat and collagen, which allows them to stay incredibly juicy and tender over hours of cooking instead of turning stringy and chalky.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, poultry seasoning, black pepper, and fresh parsley until completely smooth.
- Pour the thick soup mixture evenly over the chicken, then pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pot. Cover with the lid and cook on High for 4 hours.
- Once the 4-hour mark hits, remove the lid. Stir the thawed frozen mixed vegetables directly into the hot chicken gravy.
- Open the can of refrigerated biscuits. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each dough round slightly on a clean surface, then slice them into thin strips or small bite-sized squares using a pizza cutter. Drop the biscuit pieces one by one onto the surface of the chicken stew. Use the back of a spoon to gently press them down just enough to moisten the dough with the warm liquid—do not stir them in completely.
- The High-Steam Cook: Immediately replace the lid and turn the slow cooker heat setting to High for 60 to 90 minutes. Crucial: Keep the lid tightly sealed and resist the urge to peek. The biscuits cook and expand purely through the hot steam trapped inside the crockpot. Lifting the lid lets that heat escape instantly, which will cause your dumplings to deflate and turn into heavy, gummy dough balls instead of light, pillowy clouds. Serve hot once the dumpling centers are entirely cooked through and no longer shiny.
