With winter coming, no doubt you will love this easy, creamy, and rich chicken and dumplings in the crockpot. Set it and go; the seasoned chicken breasts are fork tender while the biscuits use pre-made dough, keeping the whole recipe easy.
Chicken and dumplings are a minimal prep recipe (but with all the rewards) that makes dinner time a breeze.
Why you will love this slow cooker chicken recipe!
The perfect comfort food, this slow cooker recipe is so super simple. And using refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (in place of homemade dumplings with biscuit mix) combined with seasoned chicken breasts keeps the dish quick and easy.
Picky eaters? Picky no more! The creamy chicken soup base incites a warm and fuzzy feeling, perfect for curling up on the couch and watching a family movie.
And do not wait till the fall months to enjoy. This meal is perfect year-round.
Siple Ingredients
- Fresh chicken breasts: Thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts work best.
- Onion – I always use white onion with my dishes because I prefer the flavor, but it’s OK to use diced yellow onion.
- Cream of chicken soup + cream of celery soup – Creamy chicken soup and cream of celery make this classic chicken dish taste like the best homemade chicken meal ever!
- seasonings – parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt & black pepper
- Frozen peas and carrots (keep frozen) – Peas and carrots make some of the best and prettiest vegetables to add to this dish, but frozen green beans are commonly used. Any frozen veggies that you love will go great in this family favorite.
- Chicken broth – I have tasted my fair share of chicken and dumpling recipes that use water, and I highly recommend using chicken stock. I purchase low-sodium chicken broth boxes, but you can also make your own with chicken bouillon. While water would bring moisture to the dish, the chicken broth brings excellent seasoning and flavor to the biscuit dough and acts as a secret ingredient for the BEST dish.
- Biscuits – We prefer to use crescent rolls from a can and cut them down. This is incredibly easy to do for even and fast cooking and doesn’t require any time at all.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
- Add thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large 6-quart slow cooker and top with chopped onions.
- In a small bowl, combine creamed soups, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper, and mix all ingredients well. Spread cream of soup mixture on top of chicken breast in a single layer.
- Add frozen vegetables to the slow cooker and pour the chicken broth on top.
- Cover crockpot and continue to heat on high for 4 hours.
- After four hours, flatten each canned biscuit and cut into thin strips, approximately 1/4″ strips.
- Open the lid and place the biscuit strips on top of the mixture.
- Replace lid and continue to cook for another 1 hour. Stir well and shred chicken and dumplings with two forks. Chicken should fall apart, and cooked dumpling dough (biscuit pieces) will begin to break apart.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Helpful items in the kitchen
- Crockpot – Every kitchen should have a few reliable slow cookers. I keep a 6-quart and an 8-quart in my kitchen. This particular dumpling recipe is made with 6 quarts.
- Meat Thermometer – Although you should not need a cooking thermometer with this dish (the chicken should easily tear apart once fully cooked), it never hurts to keep one on hand to make sure meats are cooked to their safety level.
- Crockpot Liner – Soups and stews can wreak havoc on a clean crockpot. Keep cleanup accessible by adding a disposable slow cooker line before adding food. Then once done, toss and put your crock pot away. Get some liners here.
- Onion chopper – Tears no more! Once I discovered an onion chopped, it made chopping up onions a breeze. Now I add slices to the chopper, and it does all the work for me. Single-handedly my favorite kitchen gadget. This is the one we have in our kitchen.
Expert Biscuits & Chicken Tips
- Flatten biscuits out so they cook quickly. Biscuits can also be rolled out in a bit of flour to prevent over-sticking in the crockpot (optional).
- Biscuits should be cooked in an hour, but depending on the heat in your slow cooker, some cooking times may vary slightly. While I always say it’s best to check food timing, lifting the lid of the crockpot too much can cause steam to escape and longer times for the biscuits.
- Add only thawed-out chicken to this dish, not frozen.
Recipe FAQ’s
Can canned vegetables over frozen be used?
While drained canned vegetables CAN be used, canned vegetables will tend to get a lot mushier in the crockpot. Although a quick solution, we always recommend using frozen vegetables in slow cooker dishes.
Can chicken thighs be substituted for chicken breasts?
Any dark or light meat can be used, but be aware not to add proteins that have bones, or they can get lost and be a choking hazard.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
You can use rotisserie chicken in place of boneless, skinless breasts; however, you would need quite a bit to add as much meat as the original recipe.
How long do crockpot chicken & dumplings keep?
All leftover chicken should always be sealed in an airtight container and placed in the fridge. This crock pot recipe of chicken and delicious dumplings should keep approximately three days. Remember that the chicken mixture has a creamy sauce, and that may continue to soften any of the dumplings as it sits n the fridge.
Can crescent rolls be used over canned biscuits?
Yes, but crescent rolls tend to already be a flatter dough. Just cut into quarters before adding to the dish.
Related Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
- Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken and Pasta
- Slow Cooked Spicy Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
- Slow Cooker Refried Beans
- Slow Cooker Collard Greens
- Slow Cooker Velveeta Dip
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Clusters
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Comments & Reviews
Kathy Soule says
I’m a little worried @ the canned biscuits and how do I know when the biscuits are done. Guess I will cook them a hr take the lid off a taste one. The reviews were not glowing. Talked @ tasted like raw dough. Stringy and totally not cooked! Take my chances and pray they cook all the way through! I know my crock pot well and I think mine cooks hot!
Ariadne says
This was delicious exactly as written, and very easy to make.