Slow Cooker Chicken Dumplings (Printable)
Tender chicken cooked with fluffy dumplings and carrots in a rich creamy sauce for a cozy dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken & Vegetables
01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
02 - 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium onion, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1 teaspoon dried parsley
09 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
→ Sauce
11 - 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
12 - 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Dumplings
14 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
15 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
17 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
18 - 1/2 cup milk
# How to Make It:
01 - Place chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, thyme, parsley, salt, and black pepper into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
02 - Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours, until chicken and vegetables are tender.
03 - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in heavy cream until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.
04 - Using two forks, shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker.
05 - Stir the prepared cream sauce into the slow cooker mixture.
06 - In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold cubed butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk until just combined without overmixing.
07 - Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dumpling dough evenly over the stew in the slow cooker.
08 - Cover and cook on high for 45 to 60 minutes, until dumplings are fully cooked and fluffy.
09 - Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary before serving.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The dumplings cook right in the stew, so there's no extra pot to manage—everything happens in one magical slow cooker.
- Tender chicken shreds itself, and the carrots turn sweet and silky without becoming mushy.
- You can walk away for hours and come back to dinner that tastes like it simmered for half the day.
02 -
- Don't overmix the dumpling dough—even a few extra stirs will make them heavy and dense instead of light and fluffy.
- Keep the butter cold when cutting it into the dumpling mixture; warm butter won't create the layers you need for texture.
03 -
- Save time by using pre-cut vegetables, or do your prep the night before and store everything in containers ready to dump into the slow cooker.
- If your dumplings spread out instead of staying fluffy, you likely overworked the dough—next time, stir just until the mixture comes together.