Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (2024)

• Chicken breasts – This recipe shreds the chicken breasts after it slow cooks but if you want to skip this step, you can cut the raw chicken into bite-sized pieces instead. You can also substitute chicken breasts with chicken thighs or use another shortcut with rotisserie chicken. Add rotisserie chicken at the same time as the dumplings since the chicken is already cooked and you just need to warm it up.
• Onions and garlic – Using fresh onions and garlic is always the best but you can substitute them with onion and garlic powder in a pinch.
• Butter – I like using Land O Lakes half butter sticks which measure out the tablespoons for you. Simply slice out each tablespoon from the stick and skip washing a measuring spoon! Adding a bit of butter gives the gravy more richness and flavor.
• Canned soup – The recipe uses one can each of cream of celery and chicken soup but you can use two cans of chicken soup instead for more chicken flavor. If you go this route, substitute the lack of celery by adding fresh sliced celery with the chicken before slow cooking or adding 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed. Celery enhances the taste of chicken and should not be left out.

• Poultry seasoning – Poultry seasoning is usually a blend of spices like thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg. If you don’t have any on hand, substitute it with any of those spices you have at home or try some Italian seasoning, which is close enough. Add a pinch of nutmeg to bring out and enhance the cream sauce.
• Water or chicken broth – The recipe uses water since there’s a lot of sodium in the canned cream soups and the assumption when making them is to usually just add some water. If you really want a stronger chicken flavor though, you can substitute water with low-sodium chicken broth.
• Salt – There’s no need to add salt to the recipe because the salt from the canned cream soups is more than enough to flavor everything.
• Veggies – Frozen peas and carrots are easier to use but you can also use the canned versions. If using fresh carrots, add them in at the beginning of the slow cooking since they take some time to cook. You will still only add the peas at the end because they are too delicate to cook for extended periods of time.

• Biscuits – I used refrigerated buttermilk biscuits which come with 8 biscuits in a can. Let the biscuits sit on the counter and bring them to room temperature before adding them to the slow cooker – it should help them cook faster. Quarter each biscuit which is more than enough for a generous-sized dumpling.

  They will look compact and dense when raw but will puff up and expand after cooking. For the best flavor, submerge the biscuit quarters in the gravy and spoon some gravy over them before cooking.

  See Also

  Thicken Up Your Chicken and Dumplings Like a Pro - Go Cook Yummy

• Steaming the dumplings – Try not to lift the lid after adding in the dumplings as they need to steam to cook fully and fluff up. Cooking time will increase each time you lift the lid.
• Leftovers and reheating – This will keep up to 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave until warm. You can add a splash of milk or chicken broth and mix it up before reheating to loosen up the gravy again.
• Stovetop method – In a Dutch oven, saute onions and garlic in the butter until fragrant. Add all the other ingredients except for the biscuits and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and fork-tender. Shred chicken and return to pot. Add quartered biscuits, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the dumplings are done.

Customize It!

• Add more veggies – Add more veggies like celery or mushrooms.

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