It’s time to stock my freezer with some portions of homemade chicken soup for the cold winter ahead. I’ve made a classic chicken noodle soup in the past, but I wanted to try a little something different this time.
The word “dumpling” has a million different culinary definitions. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but just about every culture has its own version of dumplings and they’re all different. The dumplings that I grew up with were fluffy biscuit-like lumps that floated on top of soup like little delicious clouds. I wanted some of those dumplings. This is not a recipe for the thick, noodle-like dumpling similar to what you’d get at Cracker Barrel.
I started with a basic chicken noodle soup recipe, but made it in the slow cooker instead of on the stove top and with less broth so that it would have more of a stew-like consistency. Instead of adding noodles at the end, I simply mixed up a batch of drop biscuits and dropped them by the spoonful on top of the “soup.” The heat from the soup steams the biscuits, turning them into fluffy, broth soaked dumplings. The part of the dumpling touching the soup does get soggy, but IMHO that’s half of the beauty. If you’re not into that sort of texture, you can simply substitute your favorite noodle and turn it into a slow cooker chicken noodle soup!
I got about six servings out of this – approx. 1 cup of the soup part and 1-2 massive dumplings. It was very filling!
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Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
Servings 6Ingredients
Soup
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.57)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.80)
- 1/2 lb. carrots (about 4) ($0.55)
- 1 large chicken breast* (about 3/4 lb.) ($1.49)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 4 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.05)
Dumplings
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.21)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley ($0.15)
- 6 Tbsp cold butter ($0.90)
- 3/4 tsp sugar ($0.01)
- 2/3 cup milk ($0.41)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, dice the onion, and slice the carrots and celery into small pieces. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, basil, thyme, chicken breast, water, and some freshly cracked pepper to a slow cooker. Stir to combine and then cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
- After cooking for four hours on high or eight hours on low, remove the chicken from the broth and place it on a cutting board (if you cooked on low heat, turn it to high now). Use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in 1 tsp of salt to the soup. Keep the slow cooker covered as much as possible during this process to retain heat and maintain the temperature.
- Allow the soup to continue to cook on high while you mix the dumpling batter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, parsley, and sugar. Mix well. Add butter in small chunks and cut it in or work it in with your hands until the mixture resembles damp sand. Add the milk and stir until a very soft paste-like mixture forms.
- Remove the lid from the slow cooker and drop the dumpling batter into the soup by the heaping spoonful. Return the lid to the slow cooker and allow the dumplings to steam for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes they should have fluffed and expanded from the heat. Although they may look moist on the outside, they will be light and fluffy on the inside. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
I like to add a lot of vegetables to my chicken & dumplings to round out the meal. I used half of a sleeve of celery, half of a one pound bag of carrots, a medium onion, and a couple cloves of garlic. Mince the garlic, dice the onion, and cut the celery and carrots into slices.
Most of the soups that I make start with this same mix of carrots, celery, and onion. So, instead of letting the second half of the celery and carrots go to waste, I just chop them up, put them in a freezer bag, and then save them for my next batch of soup. Next time I’ll only have to do a fraction of the chopping!
Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, chicken breast (it’s hiding under there), bay leaf, basil, thyme, and some freshly cracked pepper to the slow cooker.
Add four cups of water and give it a good stir. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
After which, it will look like this. From this point forward, you want to keep the lid on the slow cooker as much as possible to hold the heat in. The hotter the liquid, the lighter and fluffier the dumplings will be. If you cooked yours on low, turn the heat to high at this point.
Quickly remove the chicken breast and replace the lid on the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the chicken breast. It will be extremely tender, so this should only take second.
Return the chicken breast to the slow cooker and add a teaspoon of salt. Again, try to keep the lid on as much as possible, so work quickly. Allow it to continue to cook on high (with the lid on) while you mix up the batter for the dumplings… (or you can add some noodles at the point and just let them cook until tender).
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl: flour baking powder, salt, sugar, and dried parsley. Stir until they are well combined.
Add small pieces of the cold butter to the dry ingredients. Work the butter in using a pastry cutter or your hands until it resembles damp sand.
See how it kind of looks like clumpy, damp sand? Add the milk and then stir just until it forms a wet paste-like mixture.
It should be very soft and easy to scoop with a spoon. If your dough is too stiff (not enough milk) the dumplings will be dense and not light and fluffy.
Drop the batter onto the soup by the heaping spoonful. Hopefully the soup will be very close to, if not simmering at this point. The hotter the soup, the better the dumplings. Unfortunately I had kept the lid off a lot to take photos, so mine had cooled off significantly.
Keeping the lid on and the heat turned on to high, let the dumplings cook for 20 minutes. They’ll puff up like this as they cook.
I like to break the dumplings apart a bit because it also allows the bits of soaked dumpling to mix into the broth and make it a little creamy. Now it’s ready to serve!
Hearty, delicious, and 100% homemade!
Would this work with your flat dumplings from the “Chicken and Dumplings with Vegetables” recipe?
https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-dumplings-vegetables/
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure, but I would probably not do it because you really need the soup to be boiling strongly in order to cook the noodle-like dumplings well. If it’s not boiling enough they’ll just sort of get mushy. I’m afraid that even if the soup in the slow cooker is boiling, once you add the thick dumplings it will lower the temperature too much to keep boiling.
This recipe is a hug on a plate on a cold winter night that even my wallet approved – and it does not approve of much.
Any tips on reheating this meal?
I probably wouldn’t do anything special, just microwave until hot. :)
I made this once as a uni student, and now years on as a professional and having my own family, I still love and make this recipe.
I made this today with good results overall! I did have to use Jocelyn’s tip to insulate the slow cooker a little better, as even on high, it wasn’t vigourously hot enough to cook the dumplings in the time stated. Ended up with fluffy, soft dumplings, but very wet. Before wrapping the top in foil and a dishtowel, the dumplings were still gooey, raw dough, even given extra time. In the end, everyone liked it.
I love this recipe. I even make it in my instant pot. Throw everything in, dumplings on top. Set it on manual for 9 minutes. Let it natural release for 8 min. Perfect! I often use broth instead of water and thrown in a few potatoes too.
Hello budget bytes! First of all, I love your recipes and have made several. This is one of my daughters favorites and I make it frequently. With the stores being limited in what they have, I couldn’t get chicken breast, but I did manage to get chicken thighs. Would that work just the same? I usually use breast for most things and am super unfamiliar with using thighs. Thank you!
Yes thighs will work just fine!
What size slow cooker did you use for this? I have a 4-quart slow cooker that I’m concerned might be too small, but I could use my larger 6-quart instant pot on the slow cooker setting instead.
I would use your larger one for this recipe just to be on the safe side.
Mine came out SUPER dough-ey. I even tried cooking them for longer. Not sure what I did wrong :(
It’s hard to say without seeing the texture for myself, but my first guess is that the dough was a bit too dry. If there isn’t enough liquid in the dough, they’ll be more dense and turn out more doughy instead of fluffy.
At first I was like omg this isnt what I imagined
but it actually worked out really well. the only thing I did different was instead of water I used 4 cups of chicken broth and a can of cream of chicken soup. Making more of a creamy broth and more tasteful. Making more of smaller dumpling works out way better. I wouldnt use all the dough that ends up being made from the recipe.
Good to know Feli! Thanks for sharing.
I would like to make this for a pot luck at work. Can you make the dumpling mixture the night before?
Yes I think that would be fine! What a lucky workplace to have you! :)
The flavors were all great, but I ended up with very little broth, barely three servings, and a bunch of dumpling left over in the crock pot. Did anyone else have this issue?
I had this issue as well, it was like straight dumplings with a bit of broth the flavor was amazing and it was a tease bc not everyone got enough soup. I wonder if we should add twice the amount of water? Not sure…
Can I use almond milk instead of dairy?
Personally I don’t think almond milk would be creamy enough for this.
i did it turned out well as well as vegan butter
Do the dumplings reheat well? How do you suggest freezing this with the dumplings in it for later without the dumplings getting really soggy? I’m cooking for one over here!
Well, the dumplings are soggy on the bottom even when fresh (that’s just how this style of dumpling is), so if that texture bothers you, you may not be a fan of this one. To freeze them I’d just divide into single portions and freeze the stew and dumplings together in one container. :)
My boyfriend and I love this recipe and have made it several times. Its hearty but doesn’t make you feel overly full after eating. Great flavor and a favorite in our household. Budget Bytes is our go-to site when looking to make something delicious for dinner. Keep up the great work!
Absolutely Delish! The first time I made this I forgot to stick it in the crock pot so I just made in on the stovetop (cooked for about an hour?) and it turned out perfect. When I made it in the crock pot the dumplings were a little doughy and I agree with one other comment that maybe a few minutes longer they would have been better. My husband is obsessed with this recipe too, which is saying a lot if you know him.
Can u use frozen chicken breast
You will need to thaw them first.
I just made this with a frozen chicken breast and it turned out fine.
This recipe was fabulous!!! We used 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and it made no difference in flavor or texture. We also used 2 chicken bouillion cubes (added when we put in the veggies and chicken) instead of 1 tsp. salt and think it would be pretty much perfect with 1 more cube since it needed a tiny bit more salt. The dumplings were a little doughy and but we think with 3-5 more minutes of simmer time they would be absolutely perfect! This recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper!! :)
Both my husbands and one of the kids reaction was dont loose that recipe. That was really good. Naturally there’s a bit of tweaking and everyone’s kitchen I use bone in chicken breasts three of them left them for about 3 and a half to 4 hours deboned the meat fluffed it up and devoured it once the dumplings are done. That was so good. A definite keeper for the repertoire. Thanks again Merry Christmas to all.
I’m looking forward to making this! I want to substitute Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuit mix.
Will I need to adjust to ensure they hold together? Thank you.
I’m sorry, I’ve never used that mix so I’m not sure how it should be handled.
I always use canned biscuits and frozen carrots as 73, I don’t have patience anymore for mixing and dicing. Enjoy.
I make chicken and dumplings a lot, but never in the crockpot before. I used this recipe, and this was one of the best I ever had. Followed almost exact recipe (added sage, threw in half a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and used chicken broth instead of water). The dumplings took longer than 20 minutes. My husband had 3 bowls.
Have you made this in a instant pot? If so can you tell me the adjustment for the time?
I just made this in the Instant Pot tonight. It turned out great. I cooked to on high pressure for about 20 minutes (it could probably have been shorter), then put it on saute while I shredded the chicken. When is was starting to boil, I added the biscuit dough. I let it boil for about 20 minutes.
I am an older cook and cutting the carrots is hard for me . I cut off the ends and peel them and then put the whole carrots in the crockpot . I cut the carrots up when they are cooked . I use the small red and white potatoes . Wash them , leave skins on and cut them up and put them in the pot .
Get a food processor with a slicer- no effort!
Tucking into a comforting bowl of this after a long, cold day of Christmas shopping. I kind of decided to make this on a whim so I didn’t have time for the slow cooker, but it worked just fine on the stovetop! I used 2 bone-in breasts, and of course the bones fall right off once the chicken is tender. I used 6 cups of water and a Bullion cube and a half, simmered it for about an hour and a half, then dropped the dumpling dough in (I used soy milk in the dough). Another Budget Bytes hit! I can see this one being a staple this winter :)
My family loves this and it was so easy!
I did use broth instead of water however
I wanted to like these so bad. Is the dough suppose to taste like flour? I did everything the recipe said.
Delicious and filling! I will be adding this to my chilly-weather meal rotation for sure!
This recipe was delicious! The dumplings turned out perfect and the soup was so flavorful. This is a keeper in my book. Thanks for sharing!
Finally! Fluffy dumplings that taste like what my Kentuckian grandmother used to make! Thank so much for sharing.
Delish! Just made this tonight, I also added a little slurry to thicken it up a bit. Might add a pasta noodle next time… Thanks!!!
This is delicious! I love how the dumplings turn out, and that it’s done in the slowcooker. I’ve made this about 5 times. The family loves it too.
This has become a staple in my freezer meal line up. I use basil and onion powder for a more savory dumpling. Love this site!
I also make thisure dairy free with almond coconut milk :)
This was absolutely delicious!
I followed some suggestions from the comments and used better than bouillon instead of plain water.
Because I didn’t have milk or dry parsley I used unsweetened cashew milk and dried chives for the dumplings. They were fantastic!
Also made it on the Instapot and pureed the veggies in the blender as someone suggested. Perhaps good idea for picky little ones that don’t like to see veggies on their plate :)
Good thing this is very filling otherwise I would have eaten the entire pot. Delish!
I wonder if this freezes well? Have never frozen soups that contain dumplings.
I’ve made this recipe countless times and it is always one of our favorites so thank you Beth!!
Do you think it’d be okay if I have to cook it on low for 9 or 10 hours?
Oh. My. Gosh. The Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a large chicken breast in the freezer, so I used two chicken breasts to make up the difference. I allowed the soup to cook in the slow cooker for four hours. The dumplings were super easy to make. Although it’s hot as Hades outside in Las Vegas, Nevada, I wasn’t in the mood to turn on the oven, so using the slow cooker was a great idea. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe, Beth!!! :-)
I have some leftover celery in the freezer from a previous recipe. I can’t wait to make this. I LOVE chicken and dumplings.
I am wondering about subbing almond milk and dairy free butter for the biscuits. Any thoughts?
Hmm, unfortunately I haven’t worked much with almond milk and not at all with dairy free butter so I really don’t know how they’d perform in a recipe like this. :(
I’m sure you’ve never done this with this recipe, but I’m wondering what if I did this as a freezer meal and premade the dough and froze it too? Just let it thaw while the chicken cooked then dropped it in? Idk. What do you think? Trying to brainstorm meals to freeze before my next baby comes and unfortunately most traditional freezer meals are gross :P
I know you can freeze normal biscuit dough, but I’ve never tried it with a drop biscuit, which is much more wet than regular biscuits. Maybe if you just mix up the dry ingredients and butter, then freeze that mixture, you can just stir in the wet just before dropping them in? That would still save a lot of time.
This recipe seems like it’d be a good candidate for an Instant Pot revamp; something like: use the slow cooker function until it’s time to add the dumplings, then change the setting to Saute until the soup’s really boiling, drop in the dumplings, and cover/let them cook until nice and fluffy. I’d be interested in seeing how it works out for you :)
I’ve made this multiple times, and love it!
How well do the dumpling re-heat? Do they get super soggy?
They do get soggier, and this style is kind of soggy on the bottom to begin with. Some people don’t like that, but it’s actually one of the characteristics of them–I love it! :D
Outstanding! I followed the recipe exactly except chicken was in small cubes instead of shredded and no fresh basil for the top. Dried thyme was the perfect herb though and dumplings turned out just right. Many thanks.
Hi. I’d like to use leftover (already cooked) chicken (from a whole chicken). Are there any recipe adjustments you’d suggest since I’m starting with cooked chicken? I’m going to go for the 1/2 broth, 1/2 water split for added flavor – based on some of the comments. But I’d love to hear any additional suggestions. Thank you.
I don’t think I’d make any other adjustments. :)
I’ve tried to make chicken soup many times, but it’s always been disappointing. This recipe made the seemingly impossible possible: I made super yummy chicken soup. Plus it made me feel a little better, as I’ve been laying in bed all day with a cold.
Thank you!
I had never had chicken and dumplings, but have wanted to for a while. The weather finally got cooler, so it seemed like a good time to try it out. I used chicken broth instead of the water, but kept everything else as is. It was amazing; I loved the flavors. I keep plotting ways to incorporate this recipe into other peoples lives (where’s a potluck when you need one?) I can’t wait to make it again. I wasn’t sure how the leftovers would hold up, but they were very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Hello,
I was planning on making this for dinner tomorrow. However, I do not have all the ingredients to make the dumplings. I do have a cheap can of biscuits in my fridge. What does anyone think about making and must pulling these biscuits into smaller pieces and throwing them on top?
I think I’ve seen other people do that, although I’ve never tried it myself. :) It sounds like it would work!
It’s cold and overcast today, and I’m making this for probably the 10th time since I discovered the recipe. It’s so simple and SO good. My daughter loves it.
This soup is awesome! My kids and I love it. I had never even had chicken and dumplings before I made this recipe and I’m so glad I tried this one because it is delicious!
I made this today on a cool, drizzly morning. It is delicious! The only changes I made were: to sub the 4 cups water for 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water; and to add a little more milk (I probably did 1 cup milk instead of the recommend 3/4 cup). The broth gave it a nice flavor, while the extra milk gave the soup a nice creaminess. I cooked this on High for 4 hrs and it came out perfectly cooked. I would possibly do more chicken next time.
Just one more recommendation for the recipe: Remove the bay leaf when you shred the chicken! I nearly forgot, myself.
Thanks for the great (and money-saving) recipe!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was soooo gooood! I had some leftover buttermilk from some biscuits I made the other day, so I used that in the dumplings instead of milk. They were really tasty! I like this WAY better that the cream of chicken soup/canned biscuits chicken and dumplings recipe I had been using.
This recipe is really tasty, but I doctored it up a bit. Instead of using 4 cups of water, I used 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth. When the chicken was done cooking, I pulled out the majority of the onions, celery and carrots and threw them in a food processor to puree. I then put them back in the crock pot. I liked how it made the texture a little creamier. I also added a handful of fresh chopped parsley to the crock pot right before I dropped the dumplings in to steam. I haven’t tried the recipe the original way, but my husband and I both loved it the way it turned out with the few little changes I made. We will definitely make this again!
OOoh, I like the idea of puréeing the vegetables. Thanks for sharing that!
:-( I hate to do this because eveeything else that I have tried good, if not great, but I rely on honest reviews like others may do. This was not for us. It lacked the flavor that the traditional, old fashion recipe has that we typically use. I had to do quite a bit of doctoring up at the end. However, this may be a good recipe for others. Especially if they want something easy in a crockpot. It just wasn’t for us. Sorry. :-(
I felt the same way when I made this recipe about a year ago, but I think it would be super flavorful if you subbed in chicken broth for the water. I’m going to try this in the near future.
Lindsey, that is exactly what I ended up having to do at the end. I added bouillon to it and then some more spices (I don’t remember which now or how much).
I think what really helps in the flavor department is using the Better Than Boullion. I will never go back to cartons of chicken/beef/vegetable stock. This stuff is a bit more expensive up front (I think I paid $4-$5) but the flavor does not compare and you can make probably 10-32oz cartons of stock with a $5 jar of that stuff.
I strongly agree with those who replied to your comment. You could have seasoned the soup to your liking. I made the Chicken and Dumplings a few times, and added chicken broth instead of water for much added flavor.
I inhaled this soup like I was never going to eat again. I used 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water, and I used brown sugar and light vanilla almond milk in my dumplings. No reason other than that’s what I had in the pantry.
As I was making it this morning, I was thinking, “Aww man, I don’t even like chicken soup that much.” Little did I know how incredible it was going to taste.
I had to use a little more milk to get the dough to the right consistency, but oh man. The dumplings were incredible, and I could eat them plain.
Hi Beth,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes! Quick question: what are your thoughts on putting frozen chicken in the crock pot? I’ve heard other blogger swear by this, but the prospect of e.coli and salmonella deter me,
Although I have done it once or twice, I wouldn’t suggest it because of the possible food safety issues that you mentioned. It’s possible that the frozen meat can make it take MUCH longer than usual to reach a safe temperature inside the slow cooker, thereby giving dangerous bacteria time to flourish.
Wow! This was FAN-Friggin-TASTIC! Have yet to make a Budget Bytes recipe that I didn’t like, but this was delish and easy to make. I was super nervous about the dumplings, as I’ve never made them before and I can’t bake or mix dry ingredients together without there being a horrible outcome. I think the dumplings were the best part. My husband loved it, and had a second helping. This is super filling when you have a dumpling with it. Plenty of leftover for lunch tomorrow. Can hardly wait.
Will be trying this! I do have a couple of questions….I’d like to omit the celery, any suggestions on what I can replace it with? And would using broth instead of water make it too salty?
Jenni,
My husband and I are both vegetarians so I make this soup using a vegetable broth and it’s great! I don’t add any extra salt. I’m sure it would be great with chicken broth, just monitor the taste as you go and decide whether or not it needs any salt.
I think you can leave the celery out without really replacing it with anything. Using broth in place of water will add a lot of flavor, just don’t add the extra teaspoon of salt that I added and you should be fine. :)
This is such an awesome and easy recipe. And it totally gets better every time you make it! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
We’ve made this probably 5-6 times and I swear it gets better each time! This is one of our favorites. It is so easy to make, too!
Loved this one! The dumplings were absolutely incredible – so buttery and fluffy. I could eat them as a meal by themselves! We only got four servings out of this (not six) eating it as a stand alone meal. It was so delicious, though, that I think next time I’ll just double it!
I love this recipe. It’s so easy to make. I do have an alternative dumpling recipe for you though. It is cheaper and easier since it doesn’t use butter. I use regular milk with a bit of vinegar instead of buttermilk which makes it even less expensive. For your chicken and dumplings recipe, I usually make half of the following dumplings recipe and it’s plenty.
2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, minced chives or green onions.
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and chives or onions. Make a well in the flour mixture. Place the wet mixture in the middle and mix until a dough forms. Place by the teaspoonful in the chicken stew and poach.
I made this for my significant other this week, and it was a big hit! I took the recommendations to use some chicken stock in addition to water, which seemed to work well. Being a vegetarian, I actually have no idea how it tasted, but it sure smelled yummy :).
Clarissa,
I make a vegetarian version of this that is amazing!
Your Dumplings were so soft and fluffy.
Added a special hint of
” What my Grandma used to make ” to my meal.
Thank you.
I look forward to more of your recipes. yum yum
I use a handful of your recipes each week for simple, yummy weeknight dinners so thank you! Are there any changes that need to be considered if I use bone-in chicken for this recipe?
It should work pretty much the same. Just remove the bones before cooking the dumplings. :)
I used bone-in breasts when I made this and I think that having the bones added a lot to the broth. Plus the slow cooker makes them peel right off the bones because the meat gets so tender :)
This recipe was absolutely delicious!
I added a tsp of dried rosemary, a tsp or dried oregano, a tsp of fresh parsley and some chicken bouillon to taste; it was a hit. I think I’ll be making this very often.
Love the Website , you guys are great , love the way you show everything step by step !
This recipe is one of my favorites! It’s just simply amazing and delicious! I modify it by substituting 2 cups of water with 2 cups of chicken broth, or even just a 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth for convenience. It makes the soup just that more flavorful! Either way, this recipe is a keeper! Thank you soooo much!
I made these and they were awesome! Posted about it on my blog. http://crayonsanddrywall.com/2014/07/06/slow-cooker-chicken-dumplings-and-blueberry-cheesecake-squares/
This site is amazing. Every recipe I’ve made from here turns out awesome. Well done!
This is simmering away as I type this! My house smells delicious =]
For those out there having trouble with the dumplings, I usually cover the top of my slow cooker with tin foil after putting the dumpling batter in. My lid doesn’t fit snugly on my slow cooker, and that helps to keep the steam where it should be.
This comment may have saved my nuggets tonight. Even on high, my slow cooker wasnt really vigorous enough to cook the dumplings in the time stated! With foil and a dishtowel over the top (after an extra 20 minutes of cooking) we ended up with super fluffy, delicate dumplings.
Every single recipe I make from this site is out of the park.
Ditto!
Same here!
Beth, thank you for so many good recipes.
This recipe worked out well. I used vegetable broth (3 cups) and 1 cup water and it worked well but was a tad saltier than I’d intended. Next time I’ll do 2 cups of each. Thanks for the recipe!
This was fantastic! I used 6 cups homemade chicken stock instead of the four cups of water and added 1 cup of peas when I took out the chicken for shredding. This fed me, my husband, and my two young girls dinner and there were 3 portions leftover for my husband to take to lunch. What a bargin! I have been combing the rest of the site all day looking for my next meal. Thanks for the real, affordable, family friendly food!
My family loved this! I altered the seasonings to our tastes but the cooking process was great! My crockpot didnt quite cook the dumplings properly but i just ladeled out some of the broth into another pot then added the uncooked dumplings to boiling broth. Then I added back to the chicken. My family loved it!
Love all your recipes! will you please please please do a german dish with spaetzel noodle?
This was really good and both my husband and toddler liked it a lot, too. My broth was pretty bland, so I think I’d need to do something nice time to up the flavour factor there. The dumplings worked out perfectly. We are in the UK, so (for anyone else on metric/without all purpose flour) I used 125-ish grams of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 60 grams of butter. I just poured the milk in until I got the right consistency. They rose and fluffed perfectly.
Thanks for posting this recipe! I made it tonight and it came out great! Personally, I cooked the chicken soup in the slow cooker overnight (because I’m too scared to leave it on while working) then I refrigerated the soup in the morning when it was done. When I came come I heated up the soup on the stove top, made the dumplings (I also added some half and half I had and chicken boulion). It was easier to get the dumplings going on the stove top. Amay-Zing!
This was such a delicious meal… I would put a little bit more water next time because the dumplings really soaked up a lot of the broth. Super delish and makes a ton. We got 7 servings out of the recipe.
This was delicious and so easy! I needed a recipe of Chicken and Dumplingsin the slow cooker that did not require cans of soup- yuck. This was so simple- I threw everything in the slow cooker sunday around lunch time and by dinner it was ready, made the dumpling mixture, plopped them in and done! We had leftovers for dinner last night! YUM.
This is probably the 7th or 8th recipe I’ve tried from your site, and once again, a hit! Before we were even finished, my 9yr old asked if there would be enough leftovers to have again for dinner the next night. Thanks!!
I usually make something similar to this on the stovetop with bone-in chicken.
I have never made dumplings from scratch before.
This turned out delicious – it is the only recipe I am going to use from now on!!
Thank you I’m makin this for dinner tonight. Which is better for cooking the chicken low or high?
I prefer 8 hours on low, but if you don’t have that much time you can do 4 hours on high.
Tried this recipe tonight. Excellent. DH loved the dumplings!
Thanks
THANK YOU! I don’t consider myself a good cook by any means, but this was the first recipe that I tried in my new crockpot and it was absolutely delicious. After reading other people’s comments, I made sure to grate the butter and transfer the soup to a pot for more heat at the end. It worked perfectly! The dumplings were moist on the outside but fluffy on the inside, and the soup had a heartiness to it that can’t be beat on a cold, wintry day. Not to mention, my boyfriend couldn’t get enough!
I’m definitely going to come to this blog first for future recipes. :)
Made this for dinner today with a few tweaks – my fiance really wants his protein so I used 4 chicken breasts (BOGO for a pack of two at my local grocery), added two cups of water and 6-8 chicken bouillon cubes, and omitted the garlic (we don’t care for garlic in our chicken soup). Plus, I bought a bottle of sherry a few weeks back for another recipe so I put a tablespoon or so in for flavor (I’m trying to use this wherever I can!). My dumplings took about an hour to set as my crock doesn’t run very hot even on high. It was OUTSTANDING!!! Love the flavors and how the dumplings make the soup a little thick. Thanks for the awesome recipe, I’ll be making this again.
this literally just came out of the crockpot and i am eating a bowl! it’s soooo good! the dumplings turned out perfect, and it’s my first time making them. thanks so much!
This is what we’re having for dinner tonight. Great site. I bookmarked it, so I’ll be back!
I just wanted to thank you for posting such a great recipe! I have some serious health problems and frequently jones chicken and dumplings when I get sick. My Mom, who is full of awesome, tries a new chicken and dumplings recipe every time I get sick, and presents me with a huge pot of gluey mess and an apology. I try to eat it. It is gross and disappointing, so down the drain it goes.
Then, I found this recipe. Soon after that, I had a horrible sinusitis/strep throat/ respiratory infection combo, and I printed your version of chicken and dumplings out and handed it to my Mom with a polite request that this be the next one she try. What did I get? A beautiful, fragrant pot of cloud-like fluffy dumplings with tender bites of chicken and delicious (glue-free) broth. It turned out so well that she made 3 more batches and portioned them into 1-serving containers and froze them, so I can just heat one up each time I’m feeling under the weather. She says she also added a few TBSPs of Better than Bullion Chicken stuff to each batch, which made it really flavorful and delicious, though that does raise the price a bit. It was worth it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D
Hint: when it comes to the dumpling part, working the cold butter into the flour is a MILLION times easier if you grate it with a cheese grater instead of just cutting it up…. it makes it MUCH easier to work with!
Great recipe, by the way! :)
My husband and I couldn’t stop eating this meal. We were pretty hungry from working all day with no food, and this warm meal toasted us up after a cold day. I don’t think we have left-overs . . . that’s the only bummer. Could. Not. Stop. Eating. We have tried six or seven of your recipes and thanks so much for the amazing yum on the cheap ~ I recommend you to everyone.
I made this the other night! The flavor was really savory and delicious and I loved the flavor of the dumplings. After reading other people’s comments about their dumplings not cooking through, I decided to a) add more milk to mine to make them less sticky and b) move the soup to the stove top to acheive hotter temperatures. I think my crockpot on high just isn’t hot enough. It was set to high for 5 hours and still the soup wasn’t bubbling (the chicken did cook all the way through and shredded beautifully).
All that being said, I think if your dumplings aren’t cooking, you might just need more heat!!
Delicious recipe. I think I’ll make it again tonight :)
if I am wanting to double this recipe (which looks ah-mazing, by the way) could you tell me what adjustments cooking time I would need to make? Thank you so much, love your site and look forward to buying your book!
I would just double the soup part and not the dumplings. There was quite a bit of dumpling and if you doubled it, you wouldn’t be able to fit them on the surface of the soup to cook. You shouldn’t need any cooking adjustments if the soup is doubled. :)
I made this today and it was wonderful! The flavors were perfect. I love your blog! Thank you!
This was a perfect Sunday meal for me and the beau! Thanks Beth. Great meal for a lazy chilly end to the weekend (and gave me more time to craft!)
Just found your blog yesterday after I saw a friend’s pin on Pinterest. Love it! I make the crustless quiche yesterday and now this is bubbling away in my slow cooker as I type this. Great blog, Beth! Looking forward to many more meals :)
I’m making this tonight, but added some potatoes, frozen corn, and frozen peas to give it more a stew/ chicken pot pie feeling to it! I will have to let you all know how it goes!
I just made this and I’ve never had or cooked chicken and dumplings before but this is the most amazing soup! I had 2 bowls of it (piggy heehee) for lunch and I can’t wait to have more. Perfectly balanced. And the best part I had everything I needed in the house.
LOVED this! Thank you!
I know people are always curious about variations – works great with thighs, and I second adding a tsp or so of Better than Bouillon (or not, if you like very veggie broth – I consider celery a necessary evil at best). My dumplings weren’t totally SET after 20min (I also let a lot of heat out), but the flour was cooked in the runny parts, so they still tasted fine. They were set when I went back for seconds :).
Just made this and it was delicious. Definitely going to make this again!
It finally started to look like fall yesterday so I had to make this. While I love how easy this was and the flavour was really good, the texture of the dumplings aren’t what I remember having as a kid. Plus towards the end, I ran out of liquid while I still had a bunch of dumplings so I quickly boiled some chicken broth and added it.
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing. The dumplings really made it all come together. I can’t wait to make it again soon.
Would this still work if I substituted the milk for lactose free milk?
Yep, that should still work fine.
I made this for the second time tonight, and my husband says it’s the best version of chicken and dumplings he’s ever had. :) Thanks!!
I used whole wheat flour for the dumplings and they were really gooey, even after about 50 minutes. Is there a difference in how you treat white vs. whole wheat flour? I’m eating the leftovers now and it’s still delicious (and since no eggs are in the dumpling batter, not a big deal if it was slightly undercooked!) but I was just wondering. I did use the 2/3c milk as directed. Thanks!
Yes, whole wheat and white flour absorb moisture differently, so the ratios probably won’t be the same :(
Did you use the hard whole wheat or the soft? The soft whole wheat can be used basically the same as the all purpose. The hard whole wheat won’t act the same as the all purpose will. If you used the hard whole wheat try the soft stuff. If you use King Arthur the one in the orange bad.
I don’t have dried basil do you think I will be missing out on the full flavor? Thinking about running to the store now.
Yes, I’d definitely get some.
I really wanted to love this but I didn’t.
After 4 hours on high, the chicken was dry and my vegetables were overly soft and pale. The dumplings while fluffy on the outside were under-cooked in the middle. Not sure what went wrong…
Had left over chicken breast from an earlier meal so I didn’t make this in the slow cooker but it still turned out DELISH! Cut up all ingredients (including my left over chicken), simmered them in a stock pot with veggie broth (made from organic bouillon cube) instead of plain water, just cuz, until tender but not soft. Added dumpling mixture (used silk original coconut milk, that’s all I had). Done and done. Yum and yum :) Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Beth. Saturday night is really def-con 5 for me. I have My Keeblers (my picky eating Parents) all-day and the tummy crusher questions…what do I cook, especially dinner? And, can I do without buying more groceries? Budgetbytes and a crockpot to the rescue. Chicken and dumplings. Don’t need it until 6pm next day. Frozen drumsticks in the pot. Threw in frozen veggies, carrots left over from carrot cake, basil, thyme, pepper, garlic, and better than bouillon. Dumplings at 5:30pm. Will let you know how it goes, but I am feeling like the guys in the Lowes commercial when building a deck!
Do you think the dumplings would work with soy milk?
Yep, that shouldn’t be a problem. :)
Beth-
This reminds me a lot of the chicken corn soup I had when I was a kid. Growing up in Central Pennsylvania, this kind of hearty dish is common among the PA Dutch. I was wondering if you could do your own version of chicken corn soup. It’s basically this recipe, but instead of dumplings you make rivels (pieces of dough), add hardboiled egg and corn. It’s my favorite soup and I’d love to see your take on it.
I made this a few days ago and it was excellent. I took some to work for lunch the next day and my friends said it smelled so good I needed to make extra for them next time. Instead of water I added chicken broth, and the dumplings came out great. Thank you so much for the easy recipe (it reminds me of my grandmothers chicken and dumplings) I know anything I make from your website will be a big hit. I’m remodeling my kitchen now so anything made in a slow cooker or with minimal cleanup is great.
Think I over-mixed my dumplings, as they came out chewy and still a bit raw in the middle. Also missed that part about salting the soup before adding the dumplings. My bad. Still a tasty, filling recipe. Would make again, and possibly add some Better Than Bouillon. Thanks for doing what you do, Beth!
This recipe came with such perfect timing. Literally the week this was published, the boo came down with a cold. Not only was this super delicious it did the trick! Beth saved the day and I looked like a rockstar, since making dumplings from scratch pretty much equals amazing girlfriend status. I didn’t use the crock since I didn’t have 4 hours and instead did it stovetop – only adjustment was needing more water and a chicken buillon to change my water to broth. Thank you Beth!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for keeping it healthy and no canned stuff in it! I love that! I just your blog and I am very excited to make this and check out what else you have in here.
I made this tonight using 6 cups water, 2 chicken breasts and one and a half cubes chicken bouillon. For the dumplings I substituted dairy free margarine for butter and water for milk. This is a great recipe and really filling and hearty. Next time I will add more veggies like potato and frozen peas.
Thanks for something new and delicious!
Another win! This recipe takes me back to the chicken and dumplings my mom used to make, but was much easier. One change we made, that I’m pretty sure you would approve of, was adding in a diced sweet potato that we had hanging out in our fridge. :)
One thing I really loved about this recipe is that it fits in perfectly with something my wife and I are doing lately. We are trying to eat better meat, less often. Since we only needed one chicken breast, we were able to get a local, humanely raised chicken breast. The little bit extra we paid wasn’t a big deal, since we needed so little.
Delicious! Followed the recipe to a tee except I added 2 chicken bouillon cubes along with the water and a teensy bit extra salt. So good!
I added a flour-water slurry before adding the dumplings to thicken up the broth. Was great!
Looks great! Any ideas for conversion times if I wanted to cook it on the stovetop? Thank you for sharing your recipes!
The chicken should be tender enough to shred after about 45 minutes of simmering on the stove top. Then just drop in the dumplings and continue with the recipe as usual. :)
Just put this together in the CrockPot for tonight – can’t wait! We’ve never gone wrong using one of your recipes, Beth – thank you!
I think the only difference between your chicken and dumplings and my chicken and dumplings is that I thicken the broth to make more of a gravy before I add the dumplings. I make the dumplings the same way. That’s the way I had them as a child, so it’s real comfort food for me.
What did you do to thicken your broth?
As the dumplings cook the bottom layer kind of dissolves into the broth and thickens it up a bit (it goes from clear to creamy looking).
I can sometimes get chicken for less than a $1/lb. I always feel like I’ve won something when I pay less than your listed prices, Beth. ;D
Do you freeze your soup starter? Wasn’t sure if you could freeze raw carrots and celery. I do it with raw onions but never the other. Thanks! I’ve got this recipe cooking right now. Love your blog.
Yes, I keep that bag of veggies in the freezer. They will soften a bit upon thawing, but they get soft when cooked in a soup anyway, so it’s no loss :)
Well I just made this and the flavor is really good but the dumplings just aren’t really setting. At 20 minutes they were still totally raw and mushy inside and now the time is doubled and they still aren’t set enough. I followed the directions and opened the lid quickly and brought the slow cooker to high. I used 2/3 c milk. Perhaps that was too much?
Hmm, perhaps. It’s hard to say without seeing the texture of the batter. That’s the tricky thing with moisture levels in batter and dough, it can vary depending on how the flour is measured and how much residual moisture is in the flour.
I’m having the same problem. I’m probably going to have to ditch the dumplings, lest we wait all night for them to cook.
Maybe I’ll try to figure out how to quickly steam them in the microwave.
I have never done them in the Microwave, But you could take “failed” dumplings and place them in the Oven @350 for 10-15 minutes and they will crust up and brown on the outside making fluffy biscuits.
Mom taught us Biscuits and Dumpling when we were kids and the only difference is the Moisture level and the Method of cooking. The moister dumpling batter makes fluffier biscuits. (add Garlic, Cheddar and a little Old Bay and you’ll have a pretty good approximation of Red Lobsters biscuits)
Another delicious recipe; I had to hide the leftovers for tomorrow so they didn’t get eaten tonight.
The only issue was with cooking the dumplings. They weren’t fully cooked, so I just steamed it for 10 minutes (probably only needed 5). I was using a multi function cooker (slow, pressure, steam, warmer and sauté), so that may have been the problem.
This recipe couldn’t have been better timed! My dumplings were just added to my stew! The dough was amazing so I can’t wait until it’s finished! Thank you!! Everything I make of yours is always fantastic!
What size slow cooker do you have/use? This looks wonderful, thanks for the tips for the leftover veggies.
Mine is somewhere between 5-7 quarts, but this recipe only filled it up half way, if that. It’s only about 6 cups of soup and then you’ll need some room for the dumplings.
Chicken and dumplings is one of my all time favorites! Yes. Yes Yes! Thank you.
This is right up my alley!
Hmm, it owuld seem you forgot to mention adding the chicken to the slow cooker in the first step ;-)
Ha! Thanks! I’ll fix that right away :)
Pre-chopping and freezing the extra veg is such a good idea! Maybe I’ll just start batching up all my vegetables as soon as I get them home from the store… :) These chicken & dumplings look like they would hit the spot on a cold & blustery day!
I love your blog! I have been looking for a simple but yummy slow cooker Chicken and Dumplings- I can’t wait to try it this weekend!
This looks great! I can’t wait to try it. I noticed that in your printable recipe it doesn’t state to add the chicken in step 1.
Ha! Thanks, adding it now :)
I will be making this in the next week or so for sure! Is there a reason for not using chicken broth in place of water? Or is it because the water becomes chicken broth as it all cooks?
This look delicious! Should you take out the dumplings when you store it, or would it be fine to leave them in the soup in the fridge?
I just stored them in my soup. I divided the soup and dumplings up into individual containers and then refrigerated them (and then froze half the next day – always best to chill before freezing).
Just made this and I loved it although the broth couldn’t been a little more robust. Also my dumplings tasted very floury and doughy. I let them steam for 30 min. Anything I’m doing wrong? Tips? Thank you!!
Sometimes, if the broth is not hot enough when you drop the dumplings they’ll be more dense and doughy rather than fluffy.
This looks delish! LOVE your recipes, will be trying this soon!!! Still enjoying the roasted autumn veggies and sausage I made the other day!
This looks absolutely delicious – I can’t wait to make this soup!
Looks delish!
do you chop your veggies by hand, or use a handy tool? I like to include onions, but can’t chop them before being blinded by tears.
I just chop everything by hand. I’m lucky, I wear contact lenses and they protect my eyes from onion burn! I feel nothing! :D
Regarding onions: Be very wary of tips people give you to prevent crying while cutting or peeling onions. I was told by a former friend that I should peel onions underwater to avoid crying. Well, I tried that advice and nearly drowned. Needless to say that friendship did not survive.
Ha! :)
I keep an old silicone snorkel mask in my kitchen. Awesome for chopping onions, garlic, leeks, etc. :-)
I love this idea!
I just keep my onions in the fridge for a while beforehand – cuts right down on the tears!
This looks DELICIOUS and perfect for cool weather. I’m looking to stock my freezer now, before baby gets here in January, and this looks great!