Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
This classic Southern comfort food gets an easier, quick-prep makeover. You'll love the cozy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 416kcal
Ingredients
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 10.5 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted
- 1 10.5 oz. can condensed cream of celery soup, not diluted
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 16.3 oz, can refrigerated biscuit dough (I used 8 Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Biscuits, but any similar variety will work)
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: minced fresh parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Spray a large slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- Place celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, condensed soups, uncooked chicken, and poultry seasoning in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the chicken and vegetables are tender and cooked through.
- Shred the chicken with two forks, and then return to the slow cooker. Taste and season the mixture with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Chop each biscuit dough round into 8 bite-sized pieces. Place the biscuits in a large bowl or gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the cornmeal and toss to coat the biscuits in the cornmeal.
- With the slow cooker on the HIGH heat setting, drop the dumplings into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for about 1 more hour, until the dumplings are cooked through. They should be plump and doughy, but not raw. Don't stir the dumplings too much while they cook, or they may fall apart.
- Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
Alternate Oven Directions (NOT the preferred method):
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray.
- Dice chicken into small, bite-size pieces.
- Place celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, condensed soups, uncooked diced chicken, and poultry seasoning in the prepared pot.
- Cover and place the pot in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, chop each biscuit dough round into 8 bite-sized pieces. Place the biscuits in a large bowl or gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the cornmeal and toss to coat the biscuits in the cornmeal.
- After 45 minutes, remove the pot from the oven. Give the chicken a good stir, and then add the chopped biscuit dough. Cover, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes (or until the biscuit dough is cooked through).
- Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
- How to keep the dumplings from falling apart: Once you drop the biscuit dough into the slow cooker, be sure that you do not stir the dumplings. They look like they will stick together as they puff up and float, but resist the urge to stir. The dumplings will not stick to each other because of the cornmeal coating.
- I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs in the Crock Pot, since the dark meat chicken stays juicier and more tender over the low and slow cooking process. You can certainly use chicken breast, but make sure that you don't overcook it or the white meat will get tough and dry.
- Garnish with a fresh herb, such as parsley or thyme, or even a dash of paprika for added flavor and color. Sliced green onion (scallions) is also a nice finishing touch.
- If the chicken and dumplings are too thick for your liking, you can thin the gravy with a little bit of extra chicken broth, milk, or cream.
- Instead of starting with raw chicken, stir about 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken (or other leftover cooked chicken) into the slow cooker just before adding the dumplings.
- Add garlic powder or a couple cloves garlic to the stew for even more flavor.
- Try different vegetables. Sliced fresh mushrooms or chopped green beans would also be nice additions to the pot, or you could add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed) just before adding the dumplings.
- Add fresh herbs to the pot, such as thyme, rosemary, or parsley.
- Any combination of condensed soups will work in this recipe. For instance, swap out the cream of celery soup for cream of mushroom soup, or use two cans of cream of chicken soup.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 878mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3436IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg