Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
Serves4 to 6
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.
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.
Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
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
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.
Season the chicken all over with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and place in an even layer in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 hours on the LOW setting.
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.
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.
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.