Description
This Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings recipe offers a comforting, hearty meal made easy with tender shredded chicken, savory vegetables, and fluffy homemade dumplings, all cooked slowly in a flavorful broth. Perfect for a cozy dinner, this dish combines classic flavors with minimal effort using a slow cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce and Chicken Base
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
Thickener and Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots (about 2 ½ cups)
Dumplings
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Prepare the slow cooker base: Add the chopped onion and pieces of unsalted butter to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts on top of the onion and butter. Evenly sprinkle dried thyme, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper over the chicken. Add the bay leaves and pour in the low sodium chicken broth.
- Cook the chicken: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred easily.
- Make the dumpling dough: When cooking time is nearly complete, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the whole milk and melted butter with a fork until a soft dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for a few minutes to firm up while shredding the chicken.
- Prepare the soup for dumplings: Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl to form a slurry and set aside. Remove the cooked chicken breasts to a plate and discard the bay leaves from the slow cooker. Stir the cornstarch slurry and frozen peas and carrots into the slow cooker. If previously cooked on low, switch the slow cooker to high.
- Shred the chicken: Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to combine evenly.
- Add the dumplings and finish cooking: Quickly scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dumpling dough and place them in a single layer atop the soup in the slow cooker, leaving space between each dumpling to allow for expansion. Spoon a small amount of broth over each dumpling to keep them moist. Cover and cook on high for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the dumplings are fully cooked and fluffy.
- Serve: Once the dumplings have cooked through, ladle the chicken and dumpling soup into bowls and serve warm for a hearty and comforting meal.
Notes
- If you prefer thicker soup, you can increase the cornstarch slurry slightly but add gradually to avoid over-thickening.
- The dumpling dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour if prepping ahead before cooking.
- Use fresh or frozen peas and carrots according to your preference, though frozen is convenient and consistent.
- For a richer flavor, substitute whole milk with half-and-half or cream in the dumplings.
- Make sure to leave space between dumplings in the slow cooker as they will expand during cooking.
- Check the soup occasionally during the dumpling cooking period to ensure it does not dry out; add extra broth or water if needed.
