Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Classic Southern chicken and dumplings made easy in the slow cooker, with canned biscuit dough standing in for homemade. Tender chicken, soft vegetables, and pillowy dumplings in a thick, creamy broth with about 15 minutes of hands-on prep!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 416kcal
Ingredients
- 3 medium 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 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 (16.3 ounce) 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
- Load the slow cooker: Spray a large slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add the celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, both condensed soups, the uncooked chicken, and the poultry seasoning. Stir just enough to break up the condensed soup.
- Cook until tender: Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken shreds easily and the vegetables are tender.
- Shred and season: Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper, adding more poultry seasoning if needed.
- Cut and coat the biscuits: Cut each biscuit round into 8 bite-sized pieces. Place them in a large bowl or gallon-size zip-top bag, add the cornmeal, and toss until every piece is coated.
- Add the dumplings: Turn the slow cooker to HIGH. Scatter the biscuit pieces over the surface, cover, and cook about 1 more hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean. Do not stir during this hour.
- Stir and serve: Once the dumplings are cooked through, stir gently. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.
Alternate Oven Directions (not preferred)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray.
- Dice the chicken into small, bite-size pieces. Add the celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, condensed soups, diced raw chicken, and poultry seasoning to the pot.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, cut each biscuit round into 8 pieces and toss with the cornmeal.
- Remove the pot from the oven, stir, and add the coated biscuit pieces. Cover and return to the oven for 15 more minutes, until the dough is cooked through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
- Do not stir the dumplings while they cook. They look like they're sticking together as they puff and float, but the cornmeal coating keeps them separate. Stirring early is what makes them fall apart.
- Turn the pot to HIGH for the dumpling hour. LOW doesn't generate enough steam to cook the raw dough through.
- Testing for doneness: insert a toothpick into the center of the largest dumpling. It's ready when the toothpick comes out clean. The dumplings stay soft and doughy rather than crisp, because they steam instead of baking.
- If you double the recipe, add 30 to 45 minutes to the dumpling cook time and spread the pieces in a single layer.
- To thicken: whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water, stir it in, and cook uncovered on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes.
- To thin: stir in warm chicken broth, milk, or heavy cream a little at a time.
- Season at the end, not the beginning. The condensed soups are salty and the broth concentrates as it cooks. Taste after shredding the chicken and adjust from there.
- Soup swaps: two cans of cream of chicken work, or use cream of mushroom in place of the cream of celery for a deeper flavor.
- Rotisserie shortcut: skip the raw chicken and stir in about 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken just before adding the dumplings.
- Storage: refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring as little as possible.
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