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Slow cooker chicken and dumplings is the coziest set-it-and-forget-it dinner, with tender shredded chicken, soft vegetables, and pillowy dumplings in a rich, creamy broth. I started making this every chilly fall Sunday because it feeds the whole family with almost no effort, and Lizzie always asks for the dumplings first. If you love an easy crockpot comfort meal, you will also want our Mississippi pot roast.
Also called crockpot chicken and dumplings, this hands-off version lets the slow cooker do all the work for a comforting bowl of homemade goodness.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 504kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Cozy, creamy, and comforting with tender chicken and fluffy dumplings
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy and hands-off, like our award winning slow cooker chili
Quick Answer
To make slow cooker chicken and dumplings, season chicken breasts and place them in the bottom of a slow cooker, then add diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and chicken stock. Cook on low for about 4 hours until the chicken is tender, then shred it and stir it back in. Add torn frozen dumplings a few at a time, cook on high for another 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring often, until the dumplings are puffed and the broth is thick and creamy.
Jump to:
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings FAQs
- Other Recommended Comfort Food Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The slow cooker does the work. Hours of gentle, low heat make the chicken fall-apart tender with zero babysitting.
- Whole breasts, then shred. Cooking the chicken whole and shredding it after keeps the meat juicy instead of dry and stringy.
- Frozen dumplings are a shortcut. Store-bought frozen dumplings skip all the rolling and cutting, and they puff up perfectly in the hot broth.
- Add the dumplings last. Stirring them in near the end keeps them from turning to mush and lets them thicken the broth as they cook.
- Stir often at the end. Gentle stirring every 15 minutes keeps the dumplings from sticking together or to the bottom of the pot.
- The starch makes it creamy. As the dumplings cook, they release starch that naturally thickens the broth into a rich, velvety gravy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ultimate comfort food. Tender chicken and fluffy dumplings in a creamy broth is the coziest bowl on a cold day.
- Almost no effort. The slow cooker handles everything, the same hands-off magic we love in our Mississippi pot roast.
- Feeds a crowd. This big-batch recipe serves eight, so it is perfect for family dinners or leftovers all week.
Key Ingredients
A handful of simple ingredients makes this slow cooker chicken and dumplings so comforting. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one matters.
- Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless breasts cook up juicy and shred beautifully. Our homemade chicken tenders use the same lean cut.
- Frozen dumplings. Frozen noodle-style dumplings are the easy shortcut that puff up tender and thicken the broth.
- Carrots, celery, and onion. This classic mirepoix builds the cozy, savory backbone of the dish.
- Chicken stock. A full carton of good stock becomes the rich, flavorful broth that everything cooks in.
- Garlic and seasonings. Fresh garlic, salt, and pepper season the broth simply so the comforting flavors shine.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This slow cooker chicken and dumplings is easy to make your own.
- Use chicken thighs. Boneless thighs make the dish even richer and more forgiving than breasts.
- Rotisserie shortcut. Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken during the last hour to cut the cook time way down.
- Biscuit dumplings. No frozen dumplings? Drop in pieces of canned biscuit dough and cook until puffed.
- Make it creamier. Stir in a splash of heavy cream or a can of cream of chicken soup at the end.
- Add more veggies. Frozen peas or corn stirred in at the end add color and a touch of sweetness.
- Serve it Southern-style. Pair leftovers with a side of our Southern fried chicken for a true comfort-food spread.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
- Add the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a large slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
- Add veggies and stock. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic on top, then pour in the chicken stock.
- Cook until tender. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Shred the chicken. Shred the chicken, stir it back into the pot, and taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Add the dumplings. Break the dumplings into thirds and add them a few at a time, stirring after every few additions.
- Cook and serve. Cook on high 1 to 1.5 hours more, stirring every 15 minutes, until the dumplings are puffed and the broth is thick. Garnish with parsley.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not lift the lid early. Every peek during the low-cook phase adds time, so let the slow cooker do its thing.
- Add dumplings one at a time. Dropping them in gradually and stirring keeps them from clumping together.
- Stir every 15 minutes during the dumpling phase to prevent sticking and help the broth thicken evenly.
- Cook on high for the dumplings. They need the hotter setting to puff up and cook through properly.
- Taste before serving. The stock and dumplings add salt, so adjust the seasoning at the very end.
- Let it rest a few minutes. The broth thickens as it sits, so give it a short rest before ladling into bowls.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Slow cooker chicken and dumplings is a full meal in a bowl, but it loves a few cozy sides. Serve it with warm, crusty bread or buttery biscuits for soaking up the creamy broth, and a crisp green salad to balance all that richness. It is the ultimate stick-to-your-ribs dinner for a chilly night.
For a bigger Sunday spread, pair it with other comfort-food favorites like our Southern fried chicken or a steaming bowl of homemade wonton soup. A simple vegetable side or some roasted potatoes rounds out the table beautifully.
Leftovers reheat wonderfully and taste even cozier the next day. Store them in the fridge and gently rewarm with a splash of stock, or set out a slow cooker buffet next to our award winning chili for an easy crowd-pleasing comfort-food night.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings FAQs
Slow cooker chicken and dumplings is a classic comfort-food dish of tender chicken and soft dumplings simmered in a creamy, savory broth, all made hands-off in a crockpot. The slow cooker turns simple ingredients into a rich, cozy one-pot meal with very little effort. It is a Southern-style favorite that is perfect for cold-weather dinners and feeding a family.
Frozen noodle-style dumplings are the easiest option and what this recipe is built around, but you do not have to use them. You can drop in pieces of refrigerated canned biscuit dough, use homemade dumpling dough, or even wide egg noodles for a different texture. Whatever you choose, add it during the final cooking phase so it cooks through and thickens the broth.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are used in this recipe because they shred easily and stay lean, but boneless skinless thighs work great too and turn out even more tender and rich. You can also stir in shredded rotisserie chicken during the last hour as a time-saver. Whole breasts cooked and then shredded give you the juiciest results.
Gummy dumplings usually mean they were crowded or not cooked hot enough. Add the dumplings a few at a time, stirring between additions so they do not clump, and make sure the slow cooker is on the high setting for this phase. Stir every 15 minutes and give them the full 1 to 1.5 hours so they puff up and cook all the way through.
The dumplings naturally thicken the broth as they release starch, so the longer they cook on high the thicker it gets. For an even thicker, creamier result, stir in a splash of heavy cream or a slurry of cornstarch and water at the end, or mash a few of the cooked vegetables into the broth. The dish also thickens as it rests and cools slightly.
Yes. Slow cooker chicken and dumplings keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, and the flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of chicken stock, since the broth thickens as it sits. It can be frozen, though the dumplings soften, so freeze with that in mind.
Keep the slow cooker comfort coming with our easy slow cooker chicken marsala.
If the crock is already out, our slow cooker creamed corn is the five minute side to add to the menu.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion medium diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 64 ounces chicken stock
- 24 ounces frozen noodle style dumplings
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts into the bottom of a large slow cooker (I used an 8-quart slow cooker). Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery on top. Pour the chicken stock on top. Place the cooker on low for 4 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Shred the chicken and add it back to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Break the dumplings into thirds and add them one at a time to the pot. Stir them in after every 5 or so dumplings you add in.
- Place the cooker on high and cook an additional 1 to 1 and ½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes, this will help prevent the dumplings from sticking together and sticking to the pot.
- It is ready when the dumplings are tender, puffed up, and the broth is thickened. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, optional.
Notes
- We like to use frozen dumplings out of convenience but you can also make your own homemade or use biscuits.
- We use chicken breasts for this recipe, but chicken thighs can be substituted.
- If you wan’t to play around with vegetables you can, add in some other ones that you like, peppers, mushrooms, peas, etc.
- This makes a hearty batch, if you wan’t to double it you will need to make it in 2 8qt slow cookers.
- Chicken and Dumplings get thicker as they sit, you can add some chicken broth to thin it up.
Nutrition
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I love this recipe but I add Better Than Bouillon chicken flavoring. I eliminate the salt and use low sodium chicken broth.