Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

The first time I made chicken and dumplings, I did it the hard way. I stood over a pot on the stove for two hours, stirring and fretting, convinced the dumplings would turn into soggy lumps. They were fine, but I was exhausted, and my kitchen looked like a flour bomb had gone off. Years later, a neighbor told me she made hers in the slow cooker while she was at work, and I honestly laughed at her. Then I tried it. I have never gone back.

This slow cooker chicken and dumplings recipe is the version I make on the gray, chilly Sundays when nobody wants to leave the couch. You toss everything into the crockpot in the morning, go live your life, and come home to a house that smells like somebody loves you. The chicken turns fall-apart tender, the broth thickens into the silkiest gravy, and the dumplings steam up light and fluffy right on top. It tastes like the kind of dinner a grandmother makes, except the grandmother in this scenario is a very tired modern person with a slow cooker and zero patience for fuss.

I have made this recipe at least thirty times now, tweaking it every which way, and what I am giving you today is the final version. The one my family asks for by name. The one that got my picky nephew to eat celery. Let us make it together.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

First, it is genuinely easy. There is no browning, no searing, no separate steps on the stove. Everything goes into the slow cooker raw, and the slow cooker does all the work. If you can chop an onion and open a can, you can make this dinner.

Second, the dumplings. A lot of slow cooker dumpling recipes give you gummy, dense little hockey pucks. Not these. I make the dumpling dough with cold butter cut into the flour, the way you would for biscuits, and I drop the dough onto the hot stew near the end of cooking. The steam puffs them up into tender, pillowy clouds that soak up the gravy underneath. They are the best part, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

Third, it feeds a crowd for very little money. Chicken breasts, a few vegetables, pantry flour and milk. This is the kind of meal that stretches a grocery budget without anyone feeling deprived. Leftovers reheat beautifully, which brings me to my favorite feature: tomorrow’s lunch is already handled.

Ingredients

For the chicken stew:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning (optional but lovely)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving

Step-by-Step Instructions

Load the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Scatter the diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic over the top. This layering matters: the vegetables on top steam gently and will not turn to mush.
Add the broth and seasonings. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine; they will cook out. Pour this over everything in the slow cooker and tuck in the bay leaf.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. If you are home, give it one stir halfway through. If you are not home, do not worry about it at all.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred them with two forks into bite-size pieces. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir in the thawed peas and the heavy cream. Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. This is your moment to make it yours.
Make the dumpling dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-size bits of butter still visible. Pour in the milk and stir with a fork just until a soft, shaggy dough comes together. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the parsley. Overworked dumpling dough is the number one cause of tough dumplings, so be gentle and quick.
Drop the dumplings. Using two spoons or a small cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the surface of the hot stew, spacing them slightly apart. You should get 12 to 14 dumplings. They will look small. They will grow.
Steam the dumplings. Put the lid back on and cook on HIGH for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dumplings are puffed, firm to the touch, and cooked through in the center. Here is the hard part: do not lift the lid to peek. Every peek lets out the steam the dumplings need. Trust the process. To check doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the largest dumpling; it should come out clean with no wet dough.
Serve. Ladle the stew into wide bowls, making sure everyone gets two or three dumplings, and shower with extra fresh parsley. Serve immediately while the dumplings are at their fluffiest.

Pro Tips

Keep the butter cold. Those little pockets of cold butter in the dumpling dough are what make the dumplings tender and flaky instead of dense. If your kitchen is warm, cube the butter and pop it in the freezer for ten minutes before you start.

Do not use chicken broth with added salt and then salt aggressively. Broths vary wildly in saltiness. I use low-sodium broth and season at the end, after the cream goes in, because dairy mellows salt. Taste before you serve, always.

Thighs work beautifully too. If you prefer dark meat, swap in 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They are even more forgiving in the slow cooker and stay juicy through the long cook.

The cream of chicken soup is a shortcut, not a requirement. If you would rather skip it, whisk 3 tablespoons of flour into the cold broth before pouring it in, and add an extra 1/2 cup of broth. The stew will thicken up just fine on its own.

Resist the lid lift. I know I said it already, but it bears repeating. The dumplings cook in trapped steam. Every time you lift the lid, you add about ten minutes to the dumpling time. Set a timer and walk away.

Variations

Herb and cheddar dumplings: Fold 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar and an extra teaspoon of dried herbs into the dumpling dough. Rich, savory, and dangerously good.

Turkey and dumplings: After Thanksgiving, swap the chicken for 4 cups of shredded leftover turkey and use turkey or chicken broth. Add the turkey in step 4 instead of cooking it from raw.

Lighter version: Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, skip the canned soup in favor of the flour-thickened broth, and make the dumplings with 2% milk. It will not be quite as luxurious, but it will still be deeply comforting.

Add mushrooms: Toss 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms in with the vegetables at the start. They add a wonderful earthy depth to the gravy.

Storage & Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The dumplings will absorb some broth as they sit, which honestly makes them even better the next day. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth to loosen the stew back up. Stir carefully so you do not break up the dumplings too much, though a few crumbles melting into the gravy is no tragedy.

For longer storage, freeze the stew WITHOUT the dumplings for up to 3 months; dumplings do not freeze and reheat well, they turn gummy. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, and make a fresh half-batch of dumpling dough to steam on top. It is a little extra work, but future you will be grateful.

FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken breasts in this recipe?

You can, but you will need to add about an hour to the LOW cook time, and I recommend thawing them first if you can. Frozen chicken releases a lot of water as it thaws, which can thin out your gravy. If you do start from frozen, hold back 1/2 cup of the broth and add it later only if the stew looks too thick rather than too thin.

Why are my dumplings gummy instead of fluffy?

The three usual culprits: overmixed dough, lifting the lid during steaming, or dumplings that are too large. Mix the dough just until it comes together, keep the lid on the whole time, and keep your dough mounds to about a tablespoon each. Also make sure your baking powder is fresh; old baking powder loses its lift.

Can I make this on the stovetop instead?

Yes. Simmer the stew ingredients in a large Dutch oven for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender, shred the chicken, stir in the peas and cream, then drop the dumplings on top, cover, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed and cooked through.

What do I serve with chicken and dumplings?

Honestly, nothing. It is a complete meal in a bowl. If you want a little something green alongside, a simple side salad or some roasted green beans are nice. Crusty bread is overkill but I will never judge you for it.

If cozy slow cooker dinners are your love language, you will also adore my slow cooker pulled pork for sandwiches, and the whole collection of comforting recipes on my slow cooker recipes page. For weeknight-friendly dinners, browse dinner recipes. And if you are new here, come say hello on my about page — I would love to tell you what this little blog is all about.

RECIPE CARD DATA

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours (HIGH) or 7 hours (LOW), plus 1 hour for dumplings

Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes (HIGH method)

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 480 kcal per serving (estimated)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving

Instructions:

Place chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker; top with onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
Whisk broth, cream of chicken soup, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; pour over. Add bay leaf.
Cover and cook on LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 3 1/2-4 hours, until chicken shreds easily.
Shred chicken on a cutting board; discard bay leaf. Return chicken to cooker; stir in peas and cream. Season to taste.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder; cut in cold butter to coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until a soft dough forms; fold in parsley.
Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the hot stew (12-14 dumplings).
Cover and cook on HIGH 45-60 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.