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Cozy Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings: Best Easy Dinner

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A comforting, slow-cooked chicken and dumplings recipe that delivers rich, brothy flavor and fluffy dumplings with minimal effort. Perfect for busy weeknights or cold-weather comfort.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (for dumplings)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (for dumplings)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed (for dumplings)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives or parsley, finely chopped (for dumplings)
  • 3/4 cup whole milk, plus more if needed (for dumplings)

Instructions

  1. Prep your veggies: Dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery, and mince the garlic.
  2. Sauté the aromatics: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 5-7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  3. Make the roux: Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over vegetables. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Deglaze the pan: Slowly pour in 1 cup chicken broth while stirring vigorously. Scrape up browned bits. Add remaining 3 cups broth and 1 cup milk. Stir until combined and slightly thickened.
  5. Season the broth: Add thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir and adjust seasoning if needed.
  6. Transfer to crockpot: Pour broth mixture into slow cooker. Nestle chicken into liquid.
  7. Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until chicken is tender. About 30 minutes before done, shred chicken with two forks and stir.
  8. Make dumpling dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chives. Make a well and pour in 3/4 cup milk. Stir just until soft dough forms. Add more milk if needed.
  9. Add peas and dumplings: Stir frozen peas into crockpot. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto surface of hot broth. Do not push down.
  10. Cook dumplings: Cover and cook on HIGH for 30-40 minutes. Do not lift lid during cooking. Dumplings are done when puffed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  11. Serve: Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.

Notes

Do not lift the lid while dumplings are cooking. For best texture, use cold butter in dumplings and do not overmix dough. If dumplings brown on top but are doughy inside, cook on LOW instead of HIGH. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze broth and chicken separately from dumplings.

Nutrition

Keywords: chicken and dumplings, crockpot, slow cooker, comfort food, easy dinner, chicken recipe, dumplings

Find it online: https://daintydine.com/cozy-crockpot-chicken-and-dumplings-best-easy-dinner/