Easy slow cooker chicken and dumplings, made with canned biscuits and cream soups but tastes completely homemade. This comfort food recipe is perfect any time of year
This is my husband’s favorite meal. Before life got hectic, I used to make chicken and dumplings from scratch often. Nowadays, I love easy recipes like this one. You will notice this recipe is a one-pot meal! The dumplings are cut-up Pilsbury Grands Biscuits.
How to make Chicken and Dumplings in the Crockpot
Follow my easy directions for the best Chicken and Dumplings! You will want to have this on the menu every week!
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts – Use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cut these into large cubes.
- Condensesed soups – Cream of chicken soup and cream of celery
- Water – Just one cup
- 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 pilsbury brand, I find that this brand always cooks through unlike the organic brand that seems to stay doughy in this recipe.
Step by Step Directions
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.
Step 3 – Pour over a can of chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Stir.
Step 4 – 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 5 – After the cooking time is up. Cut up 7 Pilsbury Grand Biscuits into quarters; this is the perfect amount for this recipe; use any extra for another purpose.
Step 6 – 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 7 – Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes more. The biscuits are cooked in with the soup.
Step 8 – Serve and enjoy!
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.
Can I freeze leftover chicken and dumplings?
- 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.
FAQs and Expert Tips for this Recipe
Yes, you can shred the chicken after the cooking time is up, before adding the biscuits
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.
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!
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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
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.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- I do not recomend adding any frozen meats to the slow cooker.
- The 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Had this for dinner tonight and was very sketical but this turned out wonderfully. I’m 65 yrs. and have always made chicken and dumpins the “old fashioned way” up to about 15 yrs. ago and I starte “cheating” a little. I boiled 3 to 4boneless breasts, with celery, carrots, onions and couple of bay leaves. Remove the chicken and shred it. Take about 4 to 5 of whatever the cheapest biscuits on sale that week are, flour some wax paper over my island, roll the biscuits out thin and place them on the other side of the island and continue with the rest of the biscuits, My husband, then takes the pile of rolled biscuits and cuts them into strips. I then drop strips of biscuits into the boiling broth as my husband takes a wooden spoon and pokes them down into the btoth. Let em’ boil for about 10 minutes and throw in the shredded chicken.With that being said. do I think these are as good as mine……No. But alot easier. The flavor of this was great.
i made this last week and it was AWESOME!!!!, dumpling was delicious!!
My question is can you the flat dumplings like “Anne’s Dumplings” intead of the biscuits? I did not care much for the canned biscuits on top. But the soup part of it was delicious. Also if I can use the dumplings, when should I put them in? Thanks!
Hi Loretta, you could try though I’ve made them before from scratch and they fell apart and dissipated in the soup.
I did everything the recipe said (except I left out the peas), and my dumplings just turned into goo as soon as I touched them. 🙁 Can’t figure out what went wrong! It was a total bummer, because we had really been looking forward to it. Glad to see others had better luck than we did.
I noticed the picture of the ingredients ,Will it make a difference of I use Original Flaky Layer Grand Biscuits?and not the Buttermilk ones?
You can use any type of Pillsbury biscuits, buttermilk is great.
I just made some shredded chicken in my crockpot that I use in other recipes throughout the week. To use it in this, should I add the cooked chicken with the vegetables cooked another 4 hours on high, or cook the vegetables and other then add the chicken in with the peas and biscuits? Thanks!
You can do it either way! The chicken will still flavor the soup if you add it at the beginning.
Can you use frozen chicken?
If your slow cooker manual says it’s safe, I think the recipe will do fine.
Hi Sarah,
I’m just curious about your comment regarding the 16.3 oz. Pillsbury Grand Biscuits 8 biscuit sized can note –
“I only use 7 of these biscuits”.
So what happens to the 8th biscuit?
Thank you for your terrific recipes! My boyfriend loves them!!
You can bake it off and eat it. The last biscuit would crowd the dumplings and make them compact.
I see. I didn’t realize. Thank you!!
I get it now! I didn’t realize that. Thank you so much for all you do!
You can stir in the first biscuit then layer in top. I used 12 since we fight for the dumplings
Those canned biscuits-nothing like that available here. Are they portions of dough, floured and pressed into a can?
The biscuits are found in the refrigerated food area along with butter and cheese. They are not floured. They stay fresh being refrigerated.
How much celery should I buy? The same amount as the carrots?
Yes, thank you. I will fix it. This was an older recipe I redid, need to add that.
Lid on or off in cooking biscuits
Keep the lid on 🙂
I’m looking at cooking this for 9 people and a toddler. Could I add more biscuits to make is cuts to order farther?
Yes, will work fine!
I was wondering a few things. Do ya have to use Cream of Celery Soup, Carrots, Onions, ‘n’ Thyme? I do not eat carrots, onions (unless on Italian hoagies), ‘n’ dont care for thyme. The Celery Soup is kinda iffy so ta say not sure if I would like it or not. Just 2 more questions. Why couldnt ya just chop up the chicken befor hand instead of waiting? Wouldnt it get done faster or at least be a lil less work? I noticed ya said you used to make it on the stove can ya still do that with this recipe? I do not have a slow cooker that is why I am asking. If so, how long would it take ta do on the stove top?
Thank You for your time ‘n’ patience
Mary
Hi Mary! Yes use whatever cream soups in place of the cream of celery. You can leave out the carrots, onion and thyme. You definitely can make this on the stove-top, since you aren’t using any vegetables that take a while to cook.
Is there a way to cook the dumplings longer if you have to work?
The dumplings only take a little bit of time, I add them when I get off work.
Made this for dinner tonight. My family LOVED it! It will now make the weekly rotation. Thanks. Can’t wait to try more of these yummy recipes.
I don’t understand parts of this recipe. Like 1 10 3/4 can cream of chicken soup
1 10 3/4 can cream of celery soup
1 10 3/4 can filled with water
1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
What does 1 10 3/4 mean?
Thanks
Betty- it’s one 10 3/4 ounce can. I’ll fix that. Thanks 🙂