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
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:
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.
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Renee says
Can I use frozen chicken for this recipe as well?
Sarah Olson says
I can’t advise on frozen chicken. I apologize.
Valerie says
If I want to use frozen carrots instead of fresh, would I add them at the same time that I add the peas instead of at the beginning?
Sarah Olson says
Depends on how cooked you want them. I would add them at the beginning so they are super soft at the end of cooking time.
Ana says
Hi. I tried this tonight and for some reason the biscuits aka dumplings are mushy. What did I do wrong? I cooked the whole thing on high.
Sarah Olson says
You may need to cook them longer and keep the lid on.
Tiffany says
Just made this and the flavors were really good! When she says “do not open the lid” when cooking the dumplings don’t! I realized about 15 minutes into cooking the dumplings that I forgot to add the peas so I thought no biggie, I’ll just open real quick and add them. Big mistake! My dumplings were complete mush! Will definitely make again and just make sure I don’t open the lid! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Jenna says
Hi, my soup was going amazing until I added the dumplings and they totally failed.! 🙁
I used a bisquick recipe for theme and they just wouldn’t cook and turned into soup and I had it on high for at least 1.5 hours…or they’re just falling apart.
Any way that I can save them??
Sarah Olson says
I’m wondering if your slow cooker isn’t getting hot enough. Could try putting it on the stove on a rapid boil (with the lid on).
Tom says
How much of this can I make/prep the night before and store in the fridge? Is it ok to put the soups and broth in the night before or add to pot right before starting to cook?
Sarah Olson says
I think it would do fine being completely prepped the night before, though I always find it easier to add canned stuff in the morning,.
M says
Do you use condensed soup?
Sarah Olson says
yes
KC Williams says
Perfect and filling! YumYumYum!
Carrie says
Made this tonight and it was delicious. The only thing I did differently was use 2 cans of cream of chicken because my grocery store was out of cream of celery. I also used all 8 biscuits and quartered each biscuit and dropped them in.
Evans says
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.
louis allard says
i made this last week and it was AWESOME!!!!, dumpling was delicious!!
Loretta Rogers says
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!
Sarah Olson says
Hi Loretta, you could try though I’ve made them before from scratch and they fell apart and dissipated in the soup.