Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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updated May 1, 2019
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Tender chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce crowned with pillowy dumplings, all cooked in a slow cooker.

Serves4 to 6

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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

On a busy weekend day when you have a lot of things to take care of around the house but not much time to devote to dinner, pull this slow cooker chicken and dumpling recipe out of your back pocket. This comforting dish — with tender chicken swimming in a creamy sauce filled with herbs and vegetables that’s topped with tender dumplings — requires very little attention on your part, but you’re rewarded with a dinner that tastes like you’ve been standing at the stove all day.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

This dish basically cooks in two parts, just like its stovetop counterpart. Start with cooking chicken in broth and aromatics for a few hours, then shred the chicken and return it to the slow cooker with some cream, flour for thickening, sweet peas, and fresh parsley. Drop an easy dumpling dough right on top of the chicken stew, and in about 1 1/2 hours more the sauce will be thick and creamy and the dumplings set and ready to be spooned into bowls.

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Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

Tender chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce crowned with pillowy dumplings, all cooked in a slow cooker.

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • Cooking spray

  • 2 cups

    low-sodium chicken broth, divided

  • 1

    medium yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 3

    medium carrots, peeled and diced

  • 2

    medium stalks celery, diced

  • 2

    cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 sprigs

    fresh thyme

  • 2

    bay leaves

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons

    kosher salt, divided

  • 1 1/2 pounds

    boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup

    heavy cream

  • 1/3 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup

    frozen peas

  • 1/4 cup

    coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves

For the dumplings:

  • 1 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon

    granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup

    heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons

    unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

  1. Make the chicken: Lightly coat the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of the salt and stir to combine.

  2. Season the chicken all over with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and place in an even layer in the slow cooker.

  3. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 hours on the LOW setting.

  4. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and cover the slow cooker again. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup broth, cream, and flour together in a small bowl until the flour is dissolved. Add the shredded chicken, cream mixture, peas, and parsley to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cover and continue cooking while you form the dumplings.

  5. Make the dumplings: Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cream and butter and stir until the flour mixture is moistened and a soft dough forms.

  6. Evenly drop the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the chicken mixture. Cover and cook until the dumplings are cooked through and the tops are no longer sticky, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and let stand 15 minutes for sauce to thicken slightly before serving.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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Chicken
children
Cooking Methods
Dessert
dinner
easy