Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
I’m so glad the colder weather is finally making it’s way into Texas. I cook in my Crockpot all the time when it’s cooler outside. I mean….I throw stuff in it, check on it several hours later and VIOLA! Dinner is done!
How can you resist that? The only thing I don’t like about cooking in the Crockpot is that I can smell my dinner all day long. It always smells so good and I just continue to wait.
This Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings recipe is one of my favorite things to make for my family. Chicken and Dumplings is a daunting recipe to most, but when you see how easy this is, you’ll be making it all the time!
It only takes 3 ingredients AND…..it only has to cook for about 3 hours. So you’re not even putting in the full 8 hours here!
Best TIP for Crockpot Users: Be sure to use Crockpot bag liners for easy cleanup. I always keep some on hand. They are worth every penny! You can find them at your local grocery store and Crockpot Bag Liners look like this.
I’ve also got to let you know that we do another version too. Check out our Homemade Chicken and Dumplings recipe from scratch. It does have a few more steps to the process but I promise you will fall in love with the flavor and texture of this dish.
I use both of these recipes and love them both in their own way. I certain can appreciate a simple recipe for a busy day but also love a homemade dish too.
Now, if you are a fan of easy crockpot recipes then you MUST check out our other very popular recipe called the Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing recipe. It’s been popular on our site for a long time with rave reviews from others!
Have you seen all the recipes you can make with these canned biscuits? We love, love, love the Pull Apart Pizza Bread recipe too! It’s also make with this premade dough. I love it because it’s fast. Kids love it because it’s yummy. It’s definitely a favorite around our house.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 cans chicken broth or 2 (32 ounce) containers
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1-2 (10 count) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
- black pepper to taste, optional
Instructions
- For this size recipe, I use the larger, oval Crockpot. Start by turning the Crockpot on high heat and pour in all 4 cans of the chicken broth.
- Cut the 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small bit-size pieces.
- Put the chicken into the Crockpot and let it cook on high for 2 hours.
- Once the chicken is done, open the can of biscuits and tear each biscuit into 2 or 3 pieces (these are the dumplings) and add to the Crockpot.
- The biscuits will float on the top. Once there is a full layer on top, take the back of a large serving spoon and gently push all of the dumplings into the broth. This will coat each dumpling with the broth and keep them from sticking to each other.
- Cook, covered and on high, for 30 minutes.
- Take the lid off and stir chicken and dumplings up. Continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
- Turn the Crockpot off and serve warm.
Get the printable recipe below!
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When I make this Easy Crock pot Chicken and Dumplings for my family, we use both cans of biscuits. The more dumplings the better! And this makes a pretty good amount, so we always have left-overs for the next few days. If you don’t have a large Crockpot, try THIS ONE! You can lock the lid down and take it with you, which is so convenient.
You can see all of our Crockpot recipes HERE! Or just straight to our popular Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing Recipe here.
Note: If you want to take this recipe up a notch, you can always add extra vegetables like celery, frozen peas, carrots, onions, bay leaf, and garlic. Adding these veggies can help stretch this recipe even further so you have leftovers to enjoy later!
Also, there is no need to add any additional salt as the chicken broth adds plenty of flavor and sodium.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Nutrition
Serves 8
Calories: 77 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 2g | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 0.1g | Net Carbs: 2g
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store leftover chicken and dumplings?
To store leftover chicken and dumplings, place them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
Can I put dumplings in the slow cooker?
YES! You can absolutely put dumplings in the slow cooker. In fact, it’s a great way to cook them if you don’t want to deal with boiling water or standing over the stove.
How do I know when my dumplings are done?
You look at the dough and make sure it is cooked all the way through. There should be no uncooked flour or doughy parts. The dumplings will also be slightly firm to the touch.
How do you make chicken and dumplings thicker?
The flour on the dough adds the thickness to the soup. If you want to coat the refrigerated biscuits in a light coat of flour, this will make the soup thicker.
Why are my dumplings hard?
Dumplings can become hard for a few reasons. The dough was not cooked all the way through so there is still some uncooked flour. Or, the dumplings were overcooked and became too firm.
Why did my dumplings turn to mush?
Stirring the recipe too much can cause the dumplings to turn into a mushy consistency. Another reason could be that the dough was not cooked all the way through so there is still some uncooked flour.
Be sure to pin this to Pinterest for later!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 cans chicken broth or 2 (32 ounce) containers
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1-2 10 count cans refrigerated biscuit dough
- black pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- For this size recipe, I use the larger, oval Crockpot. Start by turning the Crockpot on high heat and pour in all 4 cans of the chicken broth.
- Cut the 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small bit-size pieces.
- Put the chicken into the Crockpot and let it cook on high for 2 hours.
- Once the chicken is done, open the can of biscuits and tear each biscuit into 2 or 3 pieces (these are the dumplings) and add to the Crockpot.
- The biscuits will float on the top. Once there is a full layer on top, take the back of a large serving spoon and gently push all of the dumplings into the broth. This will coat each dumpling with the broth and keep them from sticking to each other.
- Cook, covered and on high, for 30 minutes.
- Take the lid off and stir chicken and dumplings up. Continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
- Turn the Crockpot off and serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy.
Enjoy!
My family is dairy free so I can’t use canned biscuits. Has anyone had any luck with crescent rolls or even canned pizza crust? Chicken is going in soon so trying to figure out what the best alternative is 🙂
What kind of biscuits should be used?
I used flaky biscuits and they stuck all together….BUT.. It could be due to my inexperience with cooking as well.
I’ve always used Homestyle Buttermilk bisquits, not butter tastin’ because the taste becomes very overpowering after the first few bites. The way my dad taught me was to flatten each bisquit in your hand then tear it into 5-6 pieces, not the 2-3 that this recipe says
I use the home made frozen biscuits in section with frozen pizzas etc. they are made out like your h.made biscuits.
let them thaw in fridge then take as many as you would like out of the bag & tear them apart roll like dumplings,put in crockpot finish cooking..
MUCH BETTER THAN CAN BISCUITS…
If you’ll look at the picture that goes along with the recipe, it shows walmart great value buttermilk biscuits. The flaky ones become too gooey and the butter ones too greasy. The buttermilk biscuits work great. I agree with other replied that you need to press them and use smaller pieces.
Just coat the pieces of biscuit in a little flour. They won’t stick
Does anyone know if you can use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes! I’ve done that too! Same process
My first time making chicken and dumplins ever and they turned out Awesome!!! Very flavorful and everyone loved it. Thanks hun.
You are very welcome! I’m glad you liked it!
Made this exactly as directed and it turned out perfectly. I used the cheapest canned Kroger buttermilk biscuits. It even was great as a left over the next day.
made it by directions and is awesome plus made on stove top! everybody needs to fix both ways and taste the difference. dont use buttermilk biscuits ladies.
But if you are a man, buttermilk biscuits are fine.
Making tomorrow for dinner sounds amazing I am gonna use regular homestyle biscuits and I’m gonna mix it up and add a can of cream of onion soup and 2 whole carrots and one and a half celery stalks while the chicken is cooking…can’t wait to try!! Thanks for the recipe 😉
Yum! Let us know how it turns out.
It does not mention any seasonings….true. Don’t write it off, try it first!!!! Add your own seasonings!! That is the fun thing about recipes….you can follow them to a tee or can mold them to fit your taste!!! MAKE IT YOUR OWN!!
Hello! Thank you for this recipe. My dumplings turned out dough-y as well. That was a bummer because I like flaky dumplings. When you created the recipe, were you able to get the dumplings flaky, or are they supposed to be dough-y?
The flavor in mine was fantastic…my husband and I both really enjoyed the flavor…we just didn’t like the biscuit dumplings. I have a great dumpling recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I’m going to try to scoop out the biscuit dumplings and replace them with these dumplings. Here’s the recipe (super easy!)
2/3 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (ok to sub dried parsley)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
For the flavor, I used bouillon granules and made the chicken broth (yum, yum…there is a super-tasty chicken herbs and spices one I’m going to use next time…I was out this time). I also added a couple of tablespoons of poultry seasoning to the pot when I put the chicken in. I also put the chicken breasts in whole, then shredded them when they were done because my husband likes the chicken shredded.
my dumplings cooked for 40 minutes and looked completely raw, but it occurred to me that i ought to try to flip them, so i took a large spoon and did that. the undersides were much more cooked then the tops. i covered them and cooked them for about 20 more minutes, and they were fine. you have to realize though that these will not be cakey or bready dumplings. they will be doughier than what you would get by mixing up your own. if you don’t like that texture, i would probably stick with the stock pot on the stove and drop your own dumplings.
I followed the recipe and they came out great! Thank You!
This recipe doesn’t list a serving size. What would be an approximate serving size?
I would say about six.
Made this tonight! Came out great. We got the cheap 4 pack of biscuits and I used 2. I admit they were a bit doughy like others said, but I like it that way. I also used 3 cans of broth and 2 cans of cream of mushroom. The taste was amazing. Even my very picky 4 year and 6 year old boys ate it. Will make this again!
I followed the recipe to the t. Excellent flavor but the biscuits melted away. So disappointed.
Yeah,mine did too
Trying this tonite but with my own twist. Used 2 cartons of chicken broth & family size cream of chicken soup with 6 cubed chicken breasts (big eaters at my house). I cut biscuit dough into 4ths & dusted them with seasoned flour (salt, pepper, onion powder & chicken seasoning). Anxious to see how it turns out
This is better done by stove top.
Boil your chicken. Let cool. Shread it. Boil broth. Add 4 pack cans of Pillsbury biscuits. Tear them up in pieces and put them in the broth. Stirring occasionally. Add chicken. Stir then add small carton of whipping cream. Salt and pepper and mix and serve. I get so many complements on this recipe. Anyway thats how to make them without any complications. Takes about 15 minutes after chicken is boiled. Just a suggestion from my kitchen to yours….
I followed the recipe exactly. I used the Grands Jr. buttermilk biscuits. My biscuits started dissolving almost as soon as I put them in the crockpot. It turned into big, wet, sticky blob. I knew we wouldn’t be able to eat it, so I scooped all of the blob out of the crockpot with a slotted spoon, so I could at least save the chicken I had cooked. The broth wasn’t even boiling when I put the biscuits in, so I don’t understand why they started dissolving so fast! 🙁
Never use butter milk or any other home style is the best
I cook on stove top
2 32 ounce container of chicken broth 2 23 ounce can of cream of chicken soup
8 cans of homestyle biscuits cut in half and then into three pieces
4 hard boiled eggs
Fill pot up with chicken broth two containers of chicken broth
then add the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup mix well stir until it comes to a rapid boil
prepared ahead of time flaten Biscuits into a handful of flour cut in half and then cut each half into 3 pieces
drop pieces into rapid boiling pot. push down with the back of your spoon continue adding the biscuits each time pressing down with the spoon touching the bottom and stir
once all your biscuits are in the pot reduce the heat to low for about 20 minutes put a lid on and set to the back burner stir every 30 minutes once you have done this take you out a dumpling and make sure it doesn’t look like bread inside if it does it needs to cook a little longer if you have a dull looking texture inside then you are done and your chicken and eggs eat and enjoy
if you add the chicken and egg and while cooking the number you will make everything sink to the bottom and dissolve
Kind of late to comment…but some styles of the Grands biscuits have chunks of butter throughout which may have contributed to the dissolving. When I use canned biscuits in dumplings I don’t cut them to small…maybe in half for the small biscuits. Plus, I don’t stir them until after them dumplings have cooked through.
Don’t use the buttermilk ones, use the basic cheaper ones.
was delicious! The only problem was that when my husband went back for seconds the dumplings had dissolved! He was like…. WHAT HAPPENED… I’ve never ever had that happen… Lol. If anyone has any idea to why or how this happened let me know.
i’ve made this work by using the cheapest non butter regular canned biscuits I can find. I pulled them into pieces and pressed them with my fingers before putting them in the broth.
I’m new to this but is there any way to actually tell if the biscuits are done? out close to being done?
The biscuits are still doughy even though they were in the pot for an xtra 15 minutes after the first half hour. I did exactly as the recipe says. Maybe its because I used the grands biscuits?
A couple of other people have said the same thing. I don’t know why the Grands biscuits would be the only ones that would not be done, but that may be possible.
I used Grands biscuits. Just tear them into smaller pieces. I also added some onion powder and garlic powder and black pepper.
I always use biscuits ad m rumblings, but have never made it in a crock pot. I followed the directions, but rumblings were not done. Let them cook just 20 min longer and they melted into the both.
I LOVE CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS. I’M READY FOR SOME NOW. SOUNDS EASY!
I loved it! It was very good! Will definitely cook this again.
Great Ashley, glad you liked it!
For those who said they want more seasoning you can just buy one box of regular broth snd one box of Swanson Tuscan starter. It’d broth infused with rosemary, thyme, and garlic. 1 of each and some pepper makes a good balance. Also, if your in a pinch and want something super easy you can use 2 large cabs of chicken and then you only have to let it heat up for 30 min before you add the biscuits. Fresh is better but it is a good last minute sterns time and still turns out pretty tasty
Made this yesterday on a cold and dreary day. It was a huge hit! SOOOO easy! I did add a can of cream of chicken soup, as well as some oregano, and a few other spices I threw in the pot. What I like best about it, is that it gets BETTER the longer it sits (so the leftovers are even better than the original meal).
I use this basic recipe for my crock pot chicken&dumplings however I also use a can or two of diced mild green chilies, salt&pepper or seasoned salt to taste on the chicken as you put it in the crock pot, and a can of cream of chicken soup if its not thick enough for you, maybe this will help those of you who want more flavor. enjoy
Great tip Lorri, thanks!
Add a can of cream of chicken and some butter! Yummy!
The Cambells cream of chicken with herbs is even better in this dish. I still use the same amount of broth; however, I add I can of the cream of chicken with herbs and also a stick of butter. I always turn my crock pot on high before I add the biscuits and I always use the flaky layer ones they poof right up when I drop them in!
Sounds delicious. I am definitely going to try your recipe. Thanks 🙂
How many total ounces of the chicken broth are you supposed to put in??
Hi Meagan! I don’t have any broth in my pantry right now to add it up, but I use 4 regular size cans or two of the squeezable containers. I would guess a regular can is 15 or 16 ounces, so 60 to 64 ounces.
Great! Thanks so much! I’m going to try it tonight!!
Had to post a comment about the pull apart pizza bread. I know traditionally the recipe is for pepperoni but I decided to mix it up. ::)
I love to use my crockpot, thanks for all the great recipes!!
Chicken and dumplings are very bland, as a rule, and requires A LOT of seasonings to make the dish flavorful. The shocking thing about this particular recipe is that it doesn’t include seasonings of ANY kind, not even the stand salt and pepper, much less the thyme, garlic, rosemary, parsley and other various herb seasonings required to make a good chicken & dumpling recipe. 🙁 All thumbs down on this one…sorry.
I did comment to one of the other readers that we do use pepper for this, but only once we have fixed our own bowls. My husband likes more pepper than I do and my children don’t like much at all. The recipe is actually very flavorful on it’s own and doesn’t need a bunch of added ingredients to make it good.
Did you make/try/eat this recipe before you gave it a negative comment? Doesn’t seem justified if you didn’t even try it….
I wish people would ONLY comment on recipes the TRIED and not rate a recipe based on the recipe itself OR rate a recipe poorly because they didn’t follow the recipe (i.e. made a lot of substitutions and changes). So frustrating!
Their loss
i did make this and i agree with the other people saying it was VERY bland and too watery. next time ill use half broth, half cream of chicken. i also added parsley, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
I put a package of Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic (dry) soup seasoning in with the broth and it was awesome!!!!
Making as I type this!! About to add the biscuits! Smells great!
If you like your dumpling thinner you can roll you biscuit out then cut it up.
The dumplings vary on the type of can biscuits you use such as flaky, double stacked, buttermilk etc. That could be the reason for some dumplings coming put to doughy for some. Try a different type next time, I personally use the regular, it works best for me.
You are exactly right Lisa! We use regular buttermilk (not butter flavored) biscuits, which is what works best for us too.
Has anyone calculated calories, fat etc. per serving
430 calories 6.8 fat
Do you cook the chicken uncovered or covered for the 2 hrs?
Hi Jessica, you cook the chicken covered for the first two hours. Enjoy!
My dumplings were pretty doughy. Should I have let it cook longer?
Hi Phil, sorry you didn’t like the way the dumplings turned out. Someone else felt the same way, but I have always liked mine. Make sure to tear the biscuits into small pieces because they will swell when they are cooking.
Could I use homemade gluten free biscuits in this? I know it might not be as creamy depending on the type of flour, but has anyone tried it?
BTW-it Looks Fantastic!
this was my question too!!
You dont mention any seasonings?????
There are no additional seasonings Carol 🙂 I will sometimes add a bit of chicken bullion, and we pepper our own bowl to taste. That’s it!
I am making this today. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
I’m cooking these right now just as Mindi’s recipe suggests with one exception. I’m using crescent dinner rolls because that’s what’s on hand. If I make any other changes after we try these, the recipe will become my recipe.
add a can of cream of chicken soup, really good
Do you use 20 biscuits or 10 biscuits?
I end up using 20 biscuits, but we like a lot of dumplings in ours. And these are the very small biscuits. If you use the large ones that only have 5 or so in a can, then it would still be 2 cans. You can judge how many you want to use as you start adding them to the crockpot.
Lisa has anyone tried bisquick home made dumplings in this mreceipe
I used grand jr biscuits they just desendgrated and we had no dumplings! I was so disappointed. I went exactly by the recipe.
I have never had that happen Kim 🙁 I’m not sure why they would have done that. They should plump up almost immediately after they are put into the broth.
They did then when I went to stir them and let them cook the 20 more minutes they were gone! Not sure what happen!
I’m not sure…has anyone else had that happen? I would give it one more try 🙂 I have used several different brands/kinds of biscuits, but never had that happen. Sorry 🙁
I’ve had the dumplings cook out before in regular pot preparation. In fact, that was my first question when seeing the recipe – how do you not cook out the dumplings? However, since it’s only 30 minutes, that makes sense, and they shouldn’t cook out prior to serving.
Perhaps try another type of biscuit (Grands, etc.) and see if the dumplings stay. You could also adjust the temp down or not wait the full 30 minutes.
Sounds great! Can’t wait to fire up a crockpot of chicken and dumplings!
Thanks for your input Brett. I’ve never had that happen to me, so I’m not sure how to help those that are having this problem. As you can see from the picture, I used Great Value “Walmart brand” buttermilk biscuits. So it doesn’t have to be anything special. Hope you enjoy the crockpot version 🙂
Kim, the same exact thing happened to me, and I also used the Grands Jr’s. They started dissolving soon after I put them in the crockpot!! 🙁
That seems to be the common factor when this is happening. I don’t know why those specific biscuits would do that, but several people have had that happen. For things like this, I buy the Great Value brand of small buttermilk biscuits. They have a 4-pack and that’s usually what I grab.
Ive had this happen when broth was too hot. Some crock pots even on low/warm get super hot! Ive even had noodles dissolve.
Just wondering if anyone has put the ingredients in and started cooking on low in the morning or around lunch time in order for it to be ready at dinner time? Working mom trying to multi-task?
I have not tried that Shannon. Since the chicken only takes 2 hours on high I’m guessing you could do it on low for 4 hours and then add the dumplings once you are home. I hope it works! Please come back and let us know if you try it.
I’m thinking that the chicken needs to be cooked first before you add the biscuits so that there’s no cross contamination, to avoid food poisoning, I would make sure first, I could be wrong, it’s just a guess.
You are right Stephanie! Add the dumplings at the end when the chicken is done.
You should cook the chicken first but not due to cross contamination..as long as it’s all throughly cooked there is no contamination BUT the reason for cooking the chicken first here is because the broth isn’t hot enough in the beginning of the process to cook the biscuits plus the biscuits don’t take as long. I think that is why some are having biscuits dissolve. They should not all be put in together.
Mine was great! Took almost 4 hours and I used the cheapest store brand biscuits and flattened them first. About 30 min passed, I pushed the biscuits down/broke them up to cook evenly and then once more before the dough was done.
I like thinner dumplings wonder if the frozen dumplings I use would work in crock pot…may try it..
Is it the flour from the biscuits that turns the gravy white? If not, what do you add?
It is something in the biscuits that makes it thicker. The way the recipe is, is exactly how we make it. Enjoy!
Has anyone added anything to thicken the liquid? I am just wondering if it isn’t a little thin. Looks good and sounds good though!
Hi Ruth! The liquid is thin when it’s just the chicken. But once you add the biscuits, it will thicken up.
I am on my last 15 minutes of cooking…….waiting for it to thicken. I sure hope dinner is awesome! 🙂
If it not as thick to your likings. ..you can make a cornstarch thickener. …add when finished to adjust the thickness
Good
I am going to try this,it sounds delicious!!
Add a can of evaporated milk after the biscuits cook for a few minutes 🙂 I add a teaspoon or so of bouillion or a packet of Herb Ox. I also use onion, garlic powder, black pepper etc. My youngest likes for me to use the dumpling noodles instead of the biscuits.
Oooooo..I cooked the dumplings longer than it said and they were still doughy..Very disappointed!
Sorry to hear that Bille. I probably cook mine longer sometimes too, but have always liked the way the dumplings turned out.
Try cutting flour tortillas into small pieces and use those instead of can biscuits.
I have had good luck with them. The dumplings will not be so doughy. I learned to use tortillas to make dumplings when I was a young working mother of two boys.
I made this today. It turned out so good. I will surely be passing it along to my mom and making it again.
I’ve made these….very good.
I also add frozen green peas toward the end. They cook in just a minute or two
You can make this even better by adding some onion, poultry seasoning, and turmeric.
Good stuff
Love crock pot recepies