Crockpot Chicken And Dumplings

The ultimate in convenience and comfort food comes together in this crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe. The soup in this recipe is wonderfully rich and deeply flavored. It has just the right amount of creaminess to give it a velvety finish. It’s loaded with tender chunks of chicken and lots of veggies. The dumplings are buttery and fluffy.

Making this reminds me of being in my Grandma’s kitchen. It’s got all the old fashion yum her version used to have. This dish is perfect on a cold day just like the best chicken soup recipes. I hope you try my Southern chicken and dumplings next!

Fire up the slow cooker and let’s make some dumplings!

What I Love About This Recipe

• Convenient crockpot method
• Tender, moist dumplings
• The thick, stew-like, creamy sauce
• Tons of chicken and veggies

Best Type Of Chicken For Slow Cooker Chicken And Dumplings

I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Using the thigh meat keeps the chicken moist and tender during the extended cooking time, typically used to cook it, in the slow cooker. The white meat on a whole bird can be overcooked and dry out in this long cooking time.

Using a “skinless” thigh, as opposed to one with the skin left on, keeps the sauce from becoming greasy. If the skin is left on, the fat it contains will melt during the cooking process, and the texture of the stew can go from being creamy and velvety to an oily mess. Both types are readily available at most grocery stores so your choice is easy.

The chicken is then added to the slow cooker, cooked until it’s tender, on low for 4-6 hours. Then it’s removed from the slow cooker and, when it’s cool enough to handle, shredded or cut into bite-size pieces.

What Makes This Soup So Good

The chicken broth is then enriched with a little bit of tomato paste, sherry, and Better than Bouillon~Chicken Flavor. The tomato paste gives the sauce its slight orange hue. While it may not be as traditional as the plain white hue, generally seen in Chicken and Dumplings, trust me this sauce is crazy delicious so you won’t mind a different color!

The sauce is really thick and rich with just the right amount of creaminess. Don’t worry, it’s not in any way too heavy. The recipe calls for just a half a cup of heavy cream. The cream adds a nice level of richness and creaminess to the broth that wouldn’t otherwise have. Believe me, you’ll miss it if you don’t add it.

Slow Cooker Chicken And Dumplings Ingredients

Soup

• Chicken: I use chicken thighs in this recipe.
• Vegetable Oil: Any neutral flavored oil will work.
• Onion: Use a white or yellow onion.
• Garlic: When sautéed adds a mellow flavor.
• Celery: Adds texture an a bit of natural saltiness.
• Tomato Paste: Adds a subtle layer of flavor.
• Dried Thyme: Adds a subtle savory earthy flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the broth.
• Dry Sherry: Don’t use a cooking sherry, use a regular, drinking sherry.
• Chicken Broth: Use a low sodium broth so you can control the salt.
• Better Than Bouillon: Fortifies the chicken flavor of the broth.
• Black Pepper: Adds a mild heat and depth of flavor.
• Carrots: Adds a subtle natural sweetness.
• Bay Leaves: Adds a very mild flavor that enhances other soup flavors.
• Peas: Traditionally in chicken and dumping but you can omit if you’re a pea-hater.
• Parsley: Adds an herbaceous freshness.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Creates a velvety mouth feel.

Dumplings

• All-Purpose Flour: I use a medium gluten flour.
• Baking Powder: Lightens the dumplings and makes them fluffy.
• Salt + Black Pepper: Perfect to enhance flavor of soup.
• Milk: Adds richness to the dumplings.
• Butter: Makes the dumplings moist.
• Fresh Thyme: Adds a fresh herbaceous flavor to the dumplings.

Recipe Notes

• Browning The Chicken: This is a really important step. I know you’re tempted to skip it, but here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t. It seals the exterior of the chicken and keeps it nice and juicy when it’s all cooked.
• It leaves little brown bits, which the French call fond, in the bottom of the pan that adds crazy amounts of flavor to the stew. Some of the veggies are browned in the same pan after the chicken, then flour, sherry, and some of the chicken broth is whisked in, to deglaze the pan. That’s when all the little brown bits are swooped up and added to the crockpot to create another layer of delicious flavor to the sauce.
• Making the roux: A roux is made by whisking together a fat, typically butter or oil, and flour. The key is to whisk like crazy. Once your mixture is smooth, it’s important to let it cook for a minute to break down the flour a bit. Then, GRADUALLY add in the liquid, once again whisking to keep it smooth.
• Veggies – The carrots aren’t browned, they’re added directly to the crockpot at step 3 in the instructions.  The peas are added to the stew last when the chicken has been cut and is added back.
• Dumplings: The buttery dumplings are mixed from scratch and flavored with fresh thyme. They’re so yummy and quick to put together, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with the ones made with convenience ingredients. If you’d rather, you can use my easy Bisquick Dumplings.
  • Make sure the dumplings are cooked all the way through. The amount of time this takes can vary significantly from one crockpot to another. Please remember that the cooking time given in the recipe is an estimation.
  • The bottoms of the dumplings will obviously still be wet because they cook directly in the liquid of the stew. The centers of the dumplings, however, should no longer have any “rawness” to them.

Storing + Freezing + Make Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Like other types of noodle soups, this can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The flavors will deepen, but be warned: the noodles will absorb much of the broth, making them mushier. Add broth or water to thin as needed. Store in an airtight container with a secure lid.
• Can You Freeze This? You can freeze this crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe. Just be aware that since there is heavy cream included, it might not hold its texture perfectly. Cream sometimes splits when it freezes. The overall dish might be very thick when you reheat it as well. Loosen it up with some extra chicken stock if you need to.
• Make-Ahead Tips: One of the best ways to make this dish ahead of time is to make it up to the point where you add the cream. Cut the chicken and store it in the fridge with the broth with the veggies. When you’re ready for it, bring it up to temperature in the slow cooker and carry on with the peas, parsley, and cream.
• Food Safety: The FDA guidelines instruct that this crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe should keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

How To Make Crockpot Chicken And Dumplings

1. Brown the chicken. Set aside.
2. Saute the veggies. Add the onions, celery, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme in the skillet.
3. Cook until the veggies are soft.
4. Whisk in flour.
5. Continue to cook for a minute.
6. Add sherry and stir. Add a cup of chicken broth.
7. Transfer. Pour into the slow cooker.
8. Add the remaining chicken broth, Better Than Bouillon, black pepper, carrots, and bay leaves to the crockpot. Add the chicken too. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3
9. hours.
10. Make the dumplings. Mix all the dumpling ingredients in a bowl.
11. Drop the dough onto the simmering stew.
12. Cover and cook on high.

More Rich And Delicious Chicken Soup Recipes

• Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
• Mexican Chicken Soup
• Italian Chicken Soup
• Cream Of Chicken Soup 
• Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
• Chicken and Rice Soup

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Crockpot Chicken And Dumplings

Hearty, homemade Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings taste just like grandma used to make but without spending all day tied to the stove! Perfect for a cold day!

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 40 mins

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

STEW:

• ▢ 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs-trimmed
• ▢ 3 tablespoons vegetable oil~divided
• ▢ 1 large onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 2 celery ribs sliced 1/4 inch thick
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ▢ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup dry sherry
• ▢ 4 1/2 cups chicken broth divided
• ▢ 2 teaspoons better than bouillon chicken flavor
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 4 carrots peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas thawed and drained
• ▢ 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

DUMPLINGS;

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves chopped

Instructions

Make The Stew:

• Heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet until it's almost smoking. Add the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd it, and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  
• Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat until it begins to shimmer, then add the onions, celery, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme cooking over medium heat until the veggies are soft.  Whisk in flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly add sherry and stir, loosening any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Carefully pour it into the slow cooker.
  
• Add the remaining chicken broth, Better Than Bouillon, black pepper, carrots, and bay leaves to the crockpot. Add the browned chicken, with any accumulated juice, and nestle the pieces in. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is tender.
  
• Remove the chicken and transfer to a cutting board. Cool until it can be handled then cut or shred it into bite-size pieces. Remove any fat that's floating on the top of the stew. Remove bay leaves.
• Stir in cut chicken, peas, parsley, and heavy whipping cream. Replace cover and turn on High, bringing back to a simmer, while you make the dumplings.

Make the Dumplings:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper.
• Microwave butter and milk together until warm, about 1 minute. (Don't overheat). Stir to finish melting butter.
• Mix milk mixture and fresh thyme into flour mixture until just incorporated.
  
• Drop dough, about the size of a golf ball, onto the surface of the simmering stew, leaving about 1/4 inch between the dumplings. Cover and cook on High until the dumplings have about doubled and are cooked all the way through, 45-60 minutes.
  

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
• 
  Crockpot Chicken And Gravy
• 
  Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• 
  Crockpot White Chicken Chili (Prep in 15 mins!)

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Notes

1. Browning The Chicken: This is a really important step. I know you’re tempted to skip it, but here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t. It seals the exterior of the chicken and keeps it nice and juicy when it’s all cooked.
2. It leaves little brown bits, which the French call fond, in the bottom of the pan that adds crazy amounts of flavor to the stew. Some of the veggies are browned in the same pan after the chicken, then flour, sherry and some of the chicken broth are whisked in, to deglaze the pan. That’s when all the little brown bits are swooped up and added to the crockpot to create another layer of delicious flavor to the sauce.
3. Making the roux: A roux is made by whisking together a fat, typically butter or oil, and flour. The key is to whisk like crazy. Once your mixture is smooth, it’s important to let it cook for a minute to break down the flour a bit. Then, GRADUALLY add in the liquid, once again whisking to keep it smooth.
4. Veggies – The carrots aren’t browned, they’re added directly to the crockpot at step 3 in the instructions.  The peas are added to the stew last when the chicken has been cut and is added back.
5. Dumplings: The buttery dumplings are mixed from scratch and are flavored with fresh thyme. They’re so yummy and quick to put together, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with the ones made with convenience ingredients. If you’d rather, you can use my easy Bisquick Dumplings.
   • Make sure the dumplings are cooked all the way through. The amount of time this takes can vary significantly from one crockpot to another. Please remember that the cooking time given in the recipe is an estimation.
   • The bottoms of the dumplings will obviously still be wet because they cook directly in the liquid of the stew. The centers of the dumplings, however, should no longer have any “rawness” to them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 1598mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7880IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 4mg

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Source: Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

 

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