It’s always a good time to pull out your slow cooker to make Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings. Fluffy biscuit dumplings (made with canned biscuits!) along with creamy chicken are an easy chicken dinner made in the crockpot in 4-5 hours using simple ingredients. If you like having chicken for dinner, this is a chicken recipe that will have you coming back for more!
Being in the South, I am no stranger to Chicken and Dumplings. I learned how to make this Southern classic comfort food by watching my mother-in-law make it on the farm. While she made it on the stovetop, this slow cooker adaptation will put your Crockpot to good use.
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- By using your slow cooker, you free up your time by not having to babysit the dish as it cooks. It’s especially nice if you work from home and only have a few minutes here and there to make dinner.
- The dumplings are made using canned biscuits – it’s a great shortcut with great results.
- It makes a large batch. It can easily feed 6 hungry folks or can be stretched to serve 8.
How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings with Canned Biscuits
For this recipe, you need the following items:
- Cream of chicken soup
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with fatty bits removed
- Unsalted butter
- Water
- Grands biscuits
- Black pepper
Equipment Needed: 6 Quart Slow Cooker/Crockpot
Instructions
Step 1: Place cream of chicken soup in the bottom of your slow cooker and stir it around. Layer the chicken breasts across the soup base. Top with a stick of unsalted butter. Pour water over the ingredients and place the lid on the slow cooker/Crockpot. Cook on the HIGH setting for 3 hours.
Step 2: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Shred chicken and return it to the pot.
Step 3: Make the dumplings. Open a can of Grands biscuits and place the dough on a cutting board. For large dumplings, cut the biscuits into quarters. If you prefer small dumplings like I do, cut the dough into smaller pieces. The number of dumplings does not matter. Separate the dumpling dough and drop it into the pot along with the chicken and soup mixture. Stir. Replace the lid and cook for 1 hour on HIGH.
Season with black pepper to taste and serve.
Substitutions
Fan of dark meat? You can substitute chicken thighs in this recipe. Just be sure that they are boneless chicken thighs without skin. I recommend that you cut the thigh meat into strips to help ensure that it cooks well.
There are 10 varieties of Grands refrigerated biscuits. Feel free to use any except for those with honey butter or the Hawaiian biscuits.
For added depth of flavor, substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth for the cup of water.
Tips
There’s plenty of salty goodness from the cream of chicken soup, so there is no need to add salt when making this dish. It’s also best to use unsalted butter for this reason. If you are a salt lover and absolutely want to, you can add up to a teaspoon of salt along with the cream of chicken soup in Step 1.
You can add frozen vegetables to this to make it a complete meal. Add 2 cups frozen veggies like frozen peas and carrots during Step 2 (when you return the chicken to the pot).
You can also add flavor by dicing a medium onion and adding it at the beginning with the cream of chicken soup.
Don’t open the lid of the slow cooker while the chicken is cooking in step 1. Three hours is the minimum time for cooking the chicken.
Note
Before making this dish for company, be sure to make it for your family.
The first time that I made chicken and dumplings in the slow cooker, I cooked the chicken (step 1) for 4 hours and the dumplings for 2 hours (step 3). In my Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Crockpot, the dish overcooked. I bought a new Crockpot and the recipe below (3 hours for the chicken, 1 hour for the dumplings) worked wonderfully.
Different crockpots can produce different results. I recommend that you check the chicken after 3 hours. If it’s shreddable, then go with the 3/1 method of making dumplings. If the chicken does not shred easily, cook 30 minutes longer and re-check. (Chicken is done and safe for consumption when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.)
If you prefer a faster version of chicken and dumplings, be sure to check out my recipe for Quick and Easy Chicken and Dumplings which is made on the stovetop, or my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, my (new!) favorite way of making chicken & dumplings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use frozen chicken breasts to make this dish?
I don’t recommend it. According to the USDA, it is best to thaw frozen meats before putting them into a slow cooker. If you are pressed for time, I recommend that you use my Instant Pot recipe.
Can you freeze leftover chicken and dumplings?
That’s a good question. I haven’t tried it and cannot recommend it. (If you have frozen chicken and dumplings, please leave a comment and share how well it worked out.)
Can you overcook dumplings in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can, especially when using the HIGH setting. The minimum amount of time to cook the dumplings is an hour. If they are undercooked, you can cook longer.
Do dumplings float when done?
Yes, they do. Once they have cooked, turn off the slow cooker and stir the dumplings into the creamy chicken mixture.
Do you need to coat the dumplings in all-purpose flour?
That’s totally up to you. Some people like to roll the biscuit dough into balls and then roll the balls in all-purpose flour before adding them to the Crockpot.
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment
- 6 quart Crockpot or slow cooker
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 21 ounces cream of chicken soup (2 cans)
- 1 cup water
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 16.3 ounces Grands refrigerated biscuits
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cream of chicken soup in the bottom of your slow cooker and stir it around. Layer the chicken breasts across the soup base. Top with a stick of unsalted butter. Pour water over the ingredients and place the lid on the slow cooker/Crockpot. Cook on the HIGH setting for 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
- Make the dumplings. Open a can of Grands biscuits and place the dough on a cutting board. For large dumplings, cut the biscuits into quarters. If you prefer small dumplings, cut the dough into smaller pieces. The number of dumplings does not matter. Separate the dumpling dough and drop it into the pot along with the chicken and soup mixture. Stir. Replace the lid and cook for 1 hour on HIGH.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks to the Crockpot, you can enjoy delicious homemade chicken and dumplings without being stuck in your kitchen.
Be sure to come back and tell us how your Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings turned out!
Trudi says
Haven’t tried this yet but definitely will. Question do you cut the butter into pieces or leave it whole?
Lynda says
Leave it whole.
Nancy says
I never buy unsalted butter. The only change I made was using salted butter thinking it would not make a difference. It made a huge difference. Don’t use salted butter. The dish was far too salty and I like salt. Please but 1 stick of unsalted butter! Otherwise dish was perfect!
Lynda says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Christina Perry says
All I have is the hawiian biscuits can I use those? I mean will it still cook the same?
Lynda says
I imagine it would cook the same, but I cannot say for sure. Hawaiian bread products typically have a sweeter taste and may have notes of pineapple. If you make it with them, please let me know how your dish turns out.
Theres Rea says
I havent triedit yet, but if I were to forego the biscuits and add potatoesor rice for the starch, can I? Have you added either of these and how did it work out?
Lynda says
I have not tried that. I think that is a very interesting concept. If you try it, please come back and let me know how it turned out.
Donna Marie Blair says
I bought a bag of frozen cooked yeast biscuits. Can I use these?
Lynda says
No. Unbaked biscuits turn into puffy dumplings. Baked biscuits have already gone through the process of baking and will react differently than unbaked.