Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings {with canned biscuits}
164 Comments Aug 25, 2021
Updated Apr 22, 2025
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This easy slow cooker chicken and dumplings recipe comes together with canned biscuits and cream soups but delivers rich, homemade flavor. A true comfort food classic, it’s perfect for any season.
This is my husband’s all-time favorite meal. Before life got busy, I used to make chicken and dumplings from scratch, but now I appreciate easy, comforting recipes like this one. It’s a true one-pot meal, with fluffy dumplings made from cut-up Pillsbury Grands Biscuits.
Follow my simple steps for the best Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings—you’ll want to add this to your weekly menu! My Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie is similar — but with baked biscuits!
What you need:
- Chicken breasts – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut these into large cubes.
- Condensed soups – Cream of chicken soup and cream of celery
- Chicken broth – One can is all this recipe needs, this will add flavor and just enough liquid.
- Vegetables – Fresh carrots, celery and onion. Add the frozen peas at the end of the cooking time.
- Seasonings – Freshly ground pepper and thyme. No extra salt is needed for this recipe.
- Biscuits – I use Pillsbury brand, I find that this brand always cooks through unlike the organic brand that seems to stay doughy in this recipe.
- {The full recipe is in the recipe card below the images}
How to make Chicken and Dumplings in a crockpot:
Step 1 – Add diced chicken, carrots, celery, and onion to a slow cooker.
Step 2 – Add a can of cream of chicken and a can of cream of celery. Also, add thyme and black pepper. Pour over a can of chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Stir. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW. (WAIT TO ADD THE BISCUITS)
Step 3 – After the cooking time is up. Cut up 7 Pillsbury Grand Biscuits into quarters; this is the perfect amount for this recipe; use any extra for another purpose.
Step 4 – Stir in the frozen peas into the soup. Add the cut-up biscuits on top of the soup, spreading them out evenly. Sprinkle over dried thyme and black pepper.
Step 5 – Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes more. The biscuits are cooked in with the soup.
Variations and Tips
- If you would like to use a rotisserie chicken, dice up the chicken, you can use white or dark meat. Use 3 cups of diced rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Follow recipe the same as using raw, for the vegetables still need a long time to cook properly.
- You can use raw or cooked turkey in this recipe if desired with great results. It will be called turkey and dumplings instead!
- Other additions; potatoes, mushrooms or bacon can be added for more heartiness.
- The chicken breasts can be left whole, then shredded before adding the dumplings (biscuits).
What can I use instead of canned biscuits?
- Bisquick – Follow this recipe for Bisquick dumplings from Betty Crocker. Cook the dumplings for the same amount of time I have listed for the canned biscuits (with the lid on).
- From Scratch – Use this recipe for homemade dumplings from Spruce Eats. Cooking time remains the same as my recipe.
- Crescent rolls – you can use the crescent dough the same way this recipe does for biscuits. Cut into small pieces and add to the hot soup.
- Flour tortillas – These can be used if you have none of the above. Cut into small squares and add to the finished soup. Cook for 20 minutes on high.
Recipe FAQs
I do not recommend adding any frozen meats to the slow cooker. The chicken may stay in the danger zone too long before cooking and is not safe for eating. Plan ahead and thaw your chicken in the fridge; this usually takes about 24 hours.
Yes! Let the soup cool off and place into freezer ziplock bags or plastic Tupperware. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge 24 hours before needed. Reheat on the stovetop in a pan or in the microwave.
More recipes to try:
- Slow Cooker Ham Hocks and Dumplings
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Ala King
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
- 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 oz. can cream of celery soup
- 1 cup water
- 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
- 2 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups after being sliced)
- 2-3 ribs celery, sliced (about 2 cups after being sliced)
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas, optional
- 16.3 oz. Pillsbury Grand Biscuits, 8 biscuit sized can note- I only use 7 of these biscuits
- more thyme and pepper for the top of biscuits
Instructions
- Add chicken, carrots, celery, onions, thyme, and black pepper to your slow cooker.
- Add the cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, chicken broth and water. Stir.
- Cook on HIGH For 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- Add peas at this point if you would like. Stir.
- I only use 7 biscuits for this recipe. Cut the biscuits into quarters. Arrange the biscuit quarters evenly over the soup.
- Sprinkle dumplings with a touch of thyme and pepper. Replace the lid.
- Turn your slow cooker to HIGH.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes (DO NOT OPEN THE LID DURING THIS TIME). You will know the dumplings are done when they are no longer shiny.NOTE- If your slow cooker has switched over to warm after cooking for a length of time you will need to cook the dumplings for 1.5 hours so the slow cooker gets back up to temperature.
Sarah’s Notes
- I do not recommend adding any frozen meats to the slow cooker.
- The chicken may stay in the “danger zone” too long before cooking and is not safe for eating.
- Plan ahead and thaw your chicken in the fridge, this usually takes about 24 hours.
- Bisquick – Follow this recipe for Bisquick dumplings from Betty Crocker. Cook the dumplings for the same amount of time I have listed for the canned biscuits (with the lid on).
- From Scratch – Use this recipe for homemade dumplings from Spruce Eats. Cooking time remains the same as my recipe.
- Crescent rolls – you can use the crescent dough the same way this recipe does for biscuits. Cut into small pieces and add to the hot soup.
- Flour tortillas – These can be used if you have none of the above. Cut into small squares and add to the finished soup. Cook for 20 minutes on high.
- Yes! Let the soup cool off and place into freezer ziplock bags or plastic Tupperware.
- Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw in the fridge 24 hours before needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop in a pan or in the microwave.
- If you would like to use a rotisserie chicken, dice up the chicken, you can use white or dark meat. Use 3 cups of diced rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Follow recipe the same as using raw, for the vegetables still need a long time to cook properly.
- You can use raw or cooked turkey in this recipe if desired with great results. It will be called turkey and dumplings instead!
- Other additions; potatoes, mushrooms or bacon can be added for more heartiness.
- The chicken breasts can be left whole, then shredded before adding the dumplings (biscuits).
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
If I use the crescent rolls instead of biscuits, how many crescent rolls would I use?
I would use about the same sized an as the biscuits.
Followed it by the book and it was delicious!
My biscuits never cooked. What could have caused this?
Your slow cooker needs to be hot (not switched to warm for ANY length of time). The lid needs to be on the entire time the biscuits are cooking.