My Menu Mentor · mymenumentor.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-and-dumplings
Back to the indexSlow Cooker
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
A reliable method for tender chicken and biscuit-style dumplings that cook entirely in the slow cooker without turning to mush.
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 6 hours 30 minutes
- Total
- 6 hours 50 minutes
- Yield
- 6 servings
Print the card
The card carries the title, timings, ingredients and method. Add what you want beside them — currently one sheet.
The common failure mode of slow cooker chicken and dumplings is a pot of shredded chicken swimming in a thin, watery broth, topped with dumplings that have dissolved into a paste. This happens when the liquid is not thickened before the dough is added, and when the dough is stirred into the liquid rather than dropped gently on top. The fix is to build a thickened base first, then let the dumplings steam undisturbed on the surface.
Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts ensures the meat remains tender over the long cooking time. A simple roux of butter and flour, whisked in during the final hour, gives the broth the necessary body to support the dumplings. The dumpling dough itself relies on buttermilk and baking powder for lift, creating a tender crumb that absorbs the savory flavors of the stew without disintegrating.
This dish requires no side dishes, though a sharp, acidic green salad provides a welcome contrast to the rich, heavy stew. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the dumplings will continue to absorb liquid and soften over time. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of chicken broth if the stew has become too thick.
What you need
Ingredients
Measurements
Metric converts only measures that are mathematically safe. Density-dependent cups stay as Nicole wrote them.
Scale the batch
6 servings
For the stew
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup whole buttermilk, cold
How it goes
Method
Read the whole thing once before you start. Nothing here is difficult, but the timing is unforgiving at the end.
Assemble the stew base
Place the chicken thighs, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and thyme in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir briefly to combine. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender enough to shred easily with a fork.
Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker and transfer them to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
Thicken the broth
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and flour until a smooth paste forms. Stir this mixture and the heavy cream into the slow cooker. Turn the heat to high. Cover and let the stew thicken for 15 minutes while you prepare the dumpling dough.
Mix the dumpling dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently with a wooden spoon just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
Drop the dumplings
Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, drop the dough in golf-ball-sized mounds directly onto the surface of the simmering stew. Space them evenly, as they will expand as they cook. Do not stir the dumplings into the liquid.
Steam the dumplings
Cover the slow cooker immediately. Cook on high for 45 to 60 minutes, without lifting the lid. The dumplings are done when they are puffed, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
On the bench
Equipment
2 of these change the result. The rest are conveniences, with a workaround given. Nothing here is a brand recommendation — the spec is what matters.
The search links are paid affiliate links. If you buy through one, My Menu Mentor may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No prices are shown because we will not quote a price we cannot keep current.
Slow cooker with a tight-fitting lid
The dumplings cook on trapped steam alone. A lid that rocks or vents lets that steam escape and leaves the tops raw and gluey.
- What matters
- 6 quart oval, which gives the dumplings the surface area to sit in one layer. A latching or gasketed lid seals best; glass lets you check without lifting.
Two forks or a pair of meat claws
OptionalThe chicken is shredded in the cooker partway through, and pulling it apart hot is what lets the shreds take on the broth instead of sitting in it.
- What matters
- Ordinary dinner forks work. Claws are faster for a double batch and keep your hands off the hot meat.
- If you skip it
- Two forks. Lift the breasts to a plate, shred, and return them with the juices.
- Search for
- “meat shredding claws” (paid link)
Instant-read thermometer
Boneless breasts go dry within about fifteen minutes of hitting 165°F, and a slow cooker gives you no visual cue that the window has passed.
- What matters
- Digital, reading in a few seconds. A dial thermometer is too slow and too imprecise at this range.
Bench scraper or large spoon
OptionalDrop dumplings need to be portioned quickly and dropped onto the hot surface in one motion; hesitating cools the stew where each one lands.
- What matters
- A #40 disher gives you evenly sized dumplings, which matters because uneven ones finish at different times.
- If you skip it
- Two tablespoons, one to scoop and one to push the dough off.
- Search for
- “cookie dough scoop disher” (paid link)
The list
What to buy
The same 17 ingredients, sorted the way a store is laid out rather than the order you cook them. Tick things off as you go.
0 of 17 gathered
Produce
Meat & Seafood
Dairy & Eggs
Pantry
Spices & Staples
Shop these ingredients
One-tap grocery delivery for this list is planned, and this is where it will appear. Until it is connected, copy the list and paste it into whichever grocery app you already use.
Ticks stay in this browser tab only — nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Cook's notes
What we would tell a friend
- Resist the urge to lift the lid while the dumplings are cooking. The trapped steam is essential for them to rise and cook through properly.
- If you do not have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by stirring 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
- For a shortcut, you can use 1 can (16.3 ounces) of refrigerated biscuit dough instead of making the dumplings from scratch. Cut each biscuit into quarters and drop them onto the stew.
- Chicken breasts can be used in place of thighs, but they are more prone to drying out. If using breasts, check for doneness at the 4-hour mark.
From the kitchen
Loading notes…
Keep reading
Next in the index
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken with White Beans
Bone-in thighs go in whole and come out shreddable, with sun-dried tomatoes doing the work that cream usually gets credit for.
5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 15 minutes · 4 servings
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Beef and Sweet Potato Chili
The sweet potato goes in halfway through, which is the whole difference between distinct cubes and orange mush.
5 hours 50 minutes · 6 servings
Slow Cooker
