Published 12/13/2021 • Updated 6/24/2022
Chicken and Dumplings in the Slow Cooker
This slow cooker chicken and dumplings is a completely homemade version of a classic recipe. So many classic chicken and dumpling recipes are made with cream of chicken soup and canned dumpling dough. Not his recipe! We make homemade dumplings and a delicious thick and creamy base. You won’t ever go back to a semi-homemade version of chicken and dumplings again.
Ingredients You Need
Though this recipe is completely homemade, we use very basic ingredients to create a delicious slow cooker chicken and dumplings recipe.
Chicken thighs- we used bone in chicken thighs in this recipe to add flavor and depth. You can also use other types of chicken for this recipe since you shred it anyway. Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts. Kosher salt and pepper- don’t skip the kosher salt and pepper. You use them to season the chicken thighs. Spices (garlic powder, pepper, ground cloves, bay leaves) – the depth of flavor in this recipe comes from a mixture of spices. Yellow onions– onion adds to the delicious flavor in the broth. Don’t skip! Garlic cloves– if you are one of those people who double the garlic in recipes, go for it. Chicken broth– use your favorite chicken broth in this recipe. Fresh herbs (thyme + rosemary)– create a bundle of thyme and rosemary. Be sure you tie them together tightly so you don’t have to fish out herb stems when you’re ready to eat the chicken and dumplings. Carrots– chopped raw carrots add color, Vitamin A, and delicious flavor. Mushrooms– another veggie add to this recipe are mushrooms. We used bella mushrooms, but you can use any type of mushrooms that you would like. English peas– our favorite peas to use in this recipe are raw english peas. If you can’t get your hands on raw english peas you can use frozen peas. Heavy cream– using a bit of heavy cream adds richness and thick texture to this chicken and dumplings recipe. Salt– don’t skip the salt in this recipe, it only enhances all of the flavors in this recipe. All purpose flour– to end up with doughy and fluffy dumplings, use all purpose flour. Baking powder– you need a bit of baking powder so you don’t end up with flat and hard dumplings. Eggs- eggs add richness and moisture to your homemade dumplings. Water– don’t skip the water when making dumplings, you’ll need the water to bind all the ingredients together and to add some moisture.
Before You Start: All Your Questions Answered
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken + Dumplings
How to Make Homemade Dumplings
Making homemade dumplings is a lot easier than you think. We use drop dumplings in this recipe which means there is no rolling or kneading necessary. This dumpling recipe is a family recipe and has been made countless times. It is a simple dumpling dough made of all purpose flour, egg, water, baking powder, and salt. You combine all the ingredients together until a dough forms. To keep the dough moist until you drop the dumplings into the slow cooker you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap. The key is to combine the ingredients together until the they are combined and sticky. Don’t overthink it!
Ingredient Substitutions
We combined our favorite ingredients for this version of chicken and dumplings. You can follow our recipe exactly or make some of the ingredient substitutions below. Protein – like we said above, you can use chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs in the place of bone-in thighs. Vegetables- there are many recipes that you could add to this recipe. Any of the veggies below would be delicious.
chopped white potatoes celery frozen corn chopped broccoli
Homemade dumplings- if you don’t have time to make your own homemade dumplings you can use a pre-made biscuit. People like to use pillsbury biscuit dough! You can find the pre made biscuits in the refrigerator or freezer section of the grocery store. Just be sure the frozen biscuits are thawed before placing them in the slow cooker.
6 Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Looking for more crockpot chicken recipes? Look no further! Check out 6 similar recipes below. And for an added bonus, check out our Crockpot Freezer Meals post where we teach you how to turn all of these slow cooker recipes into freezer meals.
Reheating Instructions
We suggest reheating any leftover chicken and dumplings in a saucepan on the stove rather than the slow cooker. You will most likely need to add a bit of broth to the saucepan as the chicken and dumplings will have thickened. in the fridge. Heat on medium/low for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches your desired temperature.
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
