Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings – A True Comfort Food Recipe

Chicken and Dumplings is a classic comfort food meal that is not only delicious but easy to make in a crock pot. Chicken breasts cook for hours in a creamy broth filled with diced vegetables and flavorful spices.

Then homemade drop dumplings cook in the hot liquid and until the dough becomes light and fluffy. When you are ready to eat, scoop the contents in a bowl and you have a fantastic meal ready to eat.

It is one of the most popular comfort meals sold at homestyle restaurants. However instead of waiting for your next trip to go out to eat, do yourself a favor and make it yourself!

There are two things that set this recipe above all the rest. First, the thick soup doesn’t include any condensed canned soups.

Instead, evaporated milk makes the broth creamy and it becomes base of the soup. That means there is no artificial flavors or preservatives included in this recipe.

The second reason that this recipe is so delicious is that the dumplings are homemade. However don’t let that frighten you.

With just 7 common ingredients you can make drop dumplings in a matter of minutes! Then when they cook in the broth they fluff up perfectly.

Ingredients Required

Whether you make it on the stove or in a crock pot every Chicken and Dumplings recipe starts with a good chicken base. This includes using either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. The choice of which one to use is up to you.

The chicken is cooked in a seasoned broth and the meat will take on those flavors once cooked. Therefore, I find using chicken breasts just as flavorful as when chicken thighs are used.

Next will come the typical chicken soup vegetable ingredients. Diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic are used to help make this a hearty and flavorful soup.

However the addition of thyme is what gives this recipe that classic homestyle flavor!

However, unlike my Rustic Chicken Soup Recipe, where the chicken is cooked in a clear broth, this dish is made with in a creamy broth. Although instead of adding a cream soup, evaporated milk is added to the mixture.

If you prefer you could use whole milk, however evaporated milk actually makes the soup creamier. You could also use heavy cream although evaporated milk is the healthier option.

Cook Time Required For Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Now that you know what ingredients that you need, it is time to get everything cooking. Once all of the soup ingredients are in the slow cooker cook on HIGH power for 3 hours, or LOW for 7 hours.

Of course, the cook time will depend on the brand of Slow Cooker that you have. We have a Crock Pot 6 quart Programmable Slow Cooker and the chicken was ready with only 2 1/2 hours on HIGH power.

As always it is best to use an Instant Read Digital Thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken for doneness.

However, this is not the end of the cooking process. The meat needs to be shredded and the dumplings need to be cooked in the liquid before your Chicken and Dumplings are ready to eat.

Shred The Chicken and Thicken The Sauce

Once the chicken is cooked through and tender, remove the chicken pieces from the slow cooker into a shallow bowl or to a cutting board.

The chicken can now easily be shredded using two forks. Then set the chicken aside and thicken the sauce.

Do this by making a slurry of cornstarch or arrowroot powder. In order to do this, place the powder in a small bowl and slowly add warm liquid from the slow cooker and whisk until smooth.

You do not want to add the powder directly into the slow cooker. Doing so will cause clumps of powder throughout your Chicken and Dumplings broth.

Once the slurry is smooth, add it to the rest of the liquid and mix together. Then add the chicken and stir.

Making the Dumplings

Now it is time to make the homemade drop dumplings. Simply whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and thyme until well incorporated.

Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and melted butter. Using a silicone spatula, mix the ingredients together until a dough forms.

The dough will be clumpy, and that is okay. Use a cookie scoop to add the dumplings back into the broth.

Once they are all in, push down on the dumplings to get the tops slightly submerged in the liquid. All that is left to do is let the dumplings cook!

In about an hour, your dinner will be ready!

CROCK POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced sweet onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 4 cups chicken stock, low sodium
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder, optional
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Homemade Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons, baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Add raw chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, evaporated milk, chicken stock, thyme, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper (optional) in the slow cooker. Cook for 3 hours on high or 7 hours on low.

Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks and set aside. Now turn the slow cooker on the HIGH heat setting.

In a small bowl add the cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the slow cooker into the bowl, whisking constantly until smooth.

Add the slurry mixture into the broth and stir. Then add the chicken back into the crock pot and stir.

Make The Homemade Drop Dumplings

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pepper, salt and thyme. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly pour the milk and butter into the center of the well.

Using silicone spatula, stir together until a dough ball forms. If the dough seams too dry, add an additional 1 tablespoon of milk. *The dumpling dough will be clumpy.

Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop the dough and drop it directly into the simmering soup in various areas. Once all dumplings have been added, gently press them down so they are slightly submerged in the liquid.

Place the lid on your crock pot and cook on HIGH heat setting for 1 hour. Check to make sure the center of a dumpling is cooked by cutting it in half.

If the dough is still moist in the center continue to cook until the dumplings are light and fluffy in the center.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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