Slow cooker chicken and dumplings is the ultimate one-pot comfort food meal made easy with a can of biscuits. Tender chicken, pillowy dumplings, and a creamy, seasoned broth make this dish a family favorite. With just a handful of ingredients and a little prep, you can relax and let your crockpot do the work!
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Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Dumplings Slow Cooker Recipe
There’s something so nostalgic about chicken and dumplings for me. Growing up, my mom and I would spend hours making homemade chicken and dumplings with everything from scratch. But these days, with three kids running around, I’m all about finding shortcuts that still taste homemade. That’s why I love this slow cooker version — it’s just as comforting but so much easier and perfect for weeknights! Here’s why I think you will love it too:
- Easy Comfort Food: For a super cozy meal with practically no prep, this is one easy recipe you’ll want to make again and again. Just dump everything in the slow cooker, and let it do all the work!
- Feeds a Crowd: There’s nothing better for dinner than a big bowl of hearty soup and this slow cooker chicken and dumplings will easily feed a crowd.
- One-Pot: Cooked all together in just the slow cooker, clean-up couldn’t be any easier!
- Biscuit Dumplings: The dumplings are made with canned biscuit dough, so there’s no need to make them from scratch.
Looking for more versions of chicken and dumplings fix? Try my chicken and dumplings casserole or easy stovetop chicken and dumplings with biscuits. If you have some extra time on your hands, you may also enjoy my Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings! Of course, you could always save time with instant pot chicken and dumplings.
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for chicken and dumplings in a slow cooker. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chicken Broth: If you have any homemade bone broth or stock hanging around, feel free to use that instead.
- Mixed Vegetables: You can use fresh mixed vegetables if you like, but I find it easier to grab a bag of the frozen ones.
- Onion: Dice up one white onion. If you have a yellow or red onion instead, those will also work.
- Garlic: Finely minced fresh garlic, or you could use powdered garlic in a pinch.
- Italian Seasoning: This versatile seasoning works well in so many dishes. If you don’t have any Italian seasoning on hand though, you can use a mixture of your favorite fresh herbs, such as oregano, basil, parsley, and sage.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or you can use thighs.
- Evaporated Milk: Regular milk can be substituted, but evaporated milk is a little creamier, and it’s less likely to curdle in the crockpot. Win-win!
- Cornstarch: For thickening the chicken and dumplings.
- Canned Biscuits: It’s best to use buttermilk or “southern” canned biscuits. Do not use “flaky” canned biscuits – they do not make good dumplings. Cut the biscuits into quarters.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings!
Just how hands-free is this recipe, you ask? Let’s get cooking, and you’ll see for yourself! Spoiler alert: the slow cooker basically does all the work. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Combine: Combine everything EXCEPT the milk, cornstarch, and biscuits into the crockpot. So pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker insert, and mix in the vegetables, onion, butter, garlic, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Nestle the chicken into the mixture.
- Cook: Cover the slow cooker, and cook on low heat for 4 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and easy to shred.
- Shred the Chicken: Carefully take the chicken out of the slow cooker, and place it on a plate or in a large glass baking dish. Shred it with two forks.
- Add the Milk and Cornstarch: In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the cornstarch with the evaporated milk, and stir it really well to get rid of all the lumps. Then pour this into the slow cooker and stir slowly for 2 – 3 minutes so that it dissolves into the soup mixture completely.
- Finish the Dish: Finally, add the shredded chicken back to the crock pot, and then drop in the biscuit pieces. Let this cook uncovered for about 20 – 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the biscuits are fully cooked.
- Enjoy! Serve the chicken and dumplings hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if desired.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Turkey and Dumplings: You could substitute roasted turkey in this recipe if you prefer. It will have a slightly different taste and texture, but it’s a great way to take advantage of holiday sales on turkey!
- Cooked Chicken/Turkey: If you already have shredded chicken or turkey on hand, that will work here, too. Just add it at the end with the biscuits, so it doesn’t overcook. Make sure to use a good, rich broth or stock if you do this – or add some chicken base to the broth to make sure it is flavorful.
- Cook Time: Slow cookers cook, well, slowly. So if your biscuit dumplings don’t seem to be cooking fast enough, you can crank the heat on your crockpot up to high. Just make sure to stir the soup more often and keep an eye on the dumplings!
- Dumpling Doneness: Dumplings should be moist and chewy on the outside, with fully-cooked centers. To test them for doneness, just cut one in half with a fork, and see if the inside is cooked or raw.
- Homemade Dumplings: If you prefer to make your own dumplings, you should check out my crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe instead!
- Thick or Thin: In general chicken and dumplings should be thick – basically thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but still similar to a soup in texture. If you like yours thicker or thinner, just adjust the amount of cornstarch as needed! This recipe is easy to customize to your liking.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
The great part about chicken and dumplings for dinner? You don’t need sides! Everything is included in the pot: protein, vegetables and a starchy side! However, if you want to add a little something on the side, here are a few suggestions:
- Green Bean Salad: The colors in this easy green bean salad recipe are irresistible, and so is the flavor: light, creamy, salty, and summery.
- Candied Carrots: Candied carrots are one of the easiest sides you’ll ever make, and their buttery sweet-sour flavor will keep you coming back for more.
- Greek Salad: This Greek salad is my go-to basic garden salad, perfect with Greek dressing or any dressing you like.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter, optional
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup whole milk, or evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 (12-oz) can buttermilk biscuits, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces
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Instructions
- Pour the chicken broth into crockpot. Mix in the frozen vegetables, onion, butter, garlic, Italian herbs, salt and pepper then nestle the chicken into the broth.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low heat for 4 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked and easily shredded.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred it with two forks on a large plate.
- In a separate bowl, mix the milk and cornstarch together until smooth. Pour the mixture into the crockpot and stir for 2-3 minutes to fully incorporate it.
- Mix the chicken back into the pot then add the biscuit pieces to the pot and stir.
- Place a paper towel, or thin kitchen towel, over the top of the crockpot and then place the lid back on. (This will catch any condensation water from falling into the crockpot.) Cook for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every so often until the biscuits are fully cooked. (The dumplings should be wet and chewy on the outside and fully cooked in the centers.)
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Storing leftover slow cooker chicken and dumplings is easy – just put them in the fridge! Cover the slow cooker insert tightly with plastic wrap, or transfer the dish to an airtight container. Properly stored, chicken and dumplings will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat, or in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
- Cook Time: Slow cookers cook, well, slowly. So if your biscuit dumplings don’t seem to be cooking fast enough, you can crank the heat on your crockpot up to high. Just make sure to stir the soup more often and keep an eye on the dumplings!
- Dumpling Doneness: Dumplings should be moist and chewy on the outside, with fully-cooked centers. To test them for doneness, just cut one in half with a fork, and see if the inside is cooked or raw.
Nutrition
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This turned out pretty good! Only problem I had was with the dumplings being doughy.
To fix, I did the following:
Cover and cook on high for 60-90 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through (stir occasionally during this cook time). Worked out pretty good.