Warm up to a bowl of slow cooker chicken and dumplings made with tender shredded chicken, veggies, and fluffy dumplings simmered in a creamy, savory broth. Come home to this deliciousness at the end of the day!
My chicken and dumplings recipe is one of my favorites, but it is a 30 minute meal. I wanted to create a slow-cooked version for the days I need to prep before work or errands. This slow cooker chicken and dumplings can be set and let it cook for hours!
It’s made with tender pieces of chicken, hearty veggies, and fluffy dumplings in a creamy broth. It’s wholesome and comforting, perfect for chilly nights and busy weekdays. And because it’s all made in one pot, there’s minimal mess to clean!
Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s made with ingredients you probably already have.
- It’s thick like a stew and creamy like a chicken pot pie filling!
- You’ll love the easy, from-scratch dumplings.
- It’s make-ahead and freezer-friendly!
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Veggies and aromatics: Celery, onion, carrots, and garlic.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, dried parsley, and dried thyme.
- Chicken stock: During soup season, I usually have a jar or two of homemade slow cooker chicken stock that I use. If not, use your favorite carton.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast: Trimmed of excess fat.
- Whole milk: Gives the broth a richer, creamy consistency.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the broth to almost a gravy-like texture (almost).
- Frozen peas: Added at the end, as they take very little time to thaw.
- For the dumplings: All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, whole milk, and vegetable oil.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Dumplings
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Add diced onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and seasoning to the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to stir. Place chicken on top.
- Step Two: Cover with a lid and cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours or on LOW for 4.5-5 hours.
- Step Three: Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the veggies are tender, use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken to a plate. Let it rest for 5 minutes and then use two forks to shred them.
- Step Four: Return the chicken to the crock pot and turn the heat to high. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and allow it to come to a simmer and bubble for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step Five: In a small mixing bowl, make the dough for the dumpling. Add in the frozen peas, and drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling dough into the slow cooker.
- Step Six: Cover and cook on high for another 1-1.5 hours until the dumplings are cooked and puffed. Enjoy warm with a garnish of salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
How to serve it
We love it with a side of bread to dip in the broth or to use it to mop up any remaining crock pot chicken and dumplings in your bowl!
You could go with a quick and easy beer bread, One hour dinner rolls, or copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls.
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs if preferred.
- Add the peas during the last 30 minutes of cook time to keep them bright green.
- If, after you’ve added the cornstarch slurry for 20 minutes, it still looks thin, add a small amount of additional slurry. Do this before adding the peas and dumplings.
- Do not overmix the dumplings. This will cause them to be tough and doughy.
- Dumplings will steam in the crockpot. After an hour, take one out and cut it in half. You should see a biscuit-like center. The outside will remain doughy and chewy due to the steam.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep any leftover slow cooker chicken and dumpling stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions
If you know you’ll be freezing it, I suggest leaving out the dumplings. Store everything else in a freezer-safe container to keep frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and add fresh dumplings once you reheat it.
Reheating Instructions
You can reheat this recipe on the stove or in the slow cooker until warmed through.
Need more slow cooker recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Alice Springs Chicken
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Pasta
Click here to view my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots 2-3 medium carrots
- 1 cup diced celery 2 stalks
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast trimmed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 ounces frozen peas
Dumplings
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- To a 6 quart slow cooker, add the diced onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme. Add the chicken stock and mix together using a wooden spoon. Place the chicken breast on top.1 cup diced yellow onion, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, 4 cloves fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, 3 cups chicken stock, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours or LOW for 4.5-5 hours. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F and the vegetables should be tender.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Use two forks to shred the cooked chicken and then return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stir, and turn the heat to HIGH.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk with the cornstarch to create a slurry, then add it to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Allow it to simmer & bubble in high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.1 cup whole milk, 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the milk and oil. Using a spatula or wooden spoon to stir until completely mixed with no dry spots.1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup whole milk, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Add the frozen peas to the crockpot and stir until combined.6 ounces frozen peas
- Using two large spoons, mold and drop heaping tablespoons of the dumpling dough into the slow cooker (yield 12-13 dumplings). Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 1-1.5 hours, or until the dumplings are cooked through and puffed.
- Serve while warm and garnish with salt, pepper or fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To keep the peas green, you add them in the last 30 mins of cook time. You can add them earlier but they will discolor.
- Make sure to add the cornstarch/milk slurry after the shredded chicken is mixed back into the recipe. Allowing the dish to bubble (come to a slow boil) allows the cornstarch to activate and thicken. Cornstarch needs to hit a simmer (around 200° F) to gelatinize. If it still looks a bit thin after 20 minutes, make an additional small slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold milk) and mix completely. Do this before adding the peas and dumplings, if necessary.
- Dumplings will steam in the crockpot. Check for doneness after an hour by cutting it in half to see a biscuit-like center. Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this recipe as written. It was a success! Will definitely make it often. I also made the copycat Texas roadhouse rolls to go along with it. Great easy to follow recipes. I plan on trying other recipes from your site as well. Thank you so much.
Thanks, Agi! Great combo with the rolls.
I made this recipe and liked how easy it was including the dumplings. The one thing my sister commented on was you don’t see chicken and dumplings normally with peas and carrots, maybe that’s a southern thing and I do put them in chicken pot pie. I think I would like this more traditional without the peas and carrots next time.
Oh, hmm, I’ve always had them in mine! I’m glad you liked it otherwise 🙂