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Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch is the ultimate in cozy day, feel better, warm your belly, cold weather, comfort food.
If what you are looking for is Chicken and Dumplings without canned cream of anything or tube biscuit dumplings, but all the way homemade from scratch dumplings in a thick chicken stew flavored with fresh vegetables and herbs, you have come to the right place.
These Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch have tender dumplings, fall apart pieces of chicken, fresh carrots and celery, all surrounded by a thick garlic, onion, and herb flavored stew.
I’ll be honest, this isn’t the ‘dump everything in the crockpot and turn it on’ recipe. However! A few extra steps and it might be the BEST Chicken and Dumplings you have ever had with the added convienence of slow cooker cooking.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
Start by cubing boneless, skinless chicken thighs into large pieces. I really like how chicken thighs perform in a slow cooker. They stay juicy and tender better then chicken breast.
Dust with flour, salt, and pepper and brown the pieces in two batches in a large dutch oven. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker after browning.
Using the chicken drippings in the dutch oven, saute onion, carrot, and celery seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme until softened and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic the last 1-2 minutes and just cook until fragrant.
Deglaze with chicken stock, making sure to scrape up the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaves and pour everything into the slow cooker with the chicken.
Stock over broth? Yes! Stock has a deeper depth a flavor due to how long it is cooked for and the fact that it is cooked with the bones and marrow. Also stock is not salted as opposed to a broth or bouillon which usually is.
Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 on low and then add the dumplings.
How to make Homemade Dumplings
If you have never made homemade dumplings before, it’s really quite easy. It’s kind of similar to making pie crust and comes together in just a few minutes.
Cut butter into flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt. Add a little milk and stir to combine. Roll them out on a floured surface and use a pizza cutter or knife to slice into consistently sized square or rectangular pieces.
Use a flour dusted metal spatula edge or knife edge to pick them up and drop into the bubbling soup a piece at a time. Try to space them around and not add in a clump. Be very gentle with any necessary stirring so they so do not come apart. They are done after 30-60 minutes and will have firmed in texture and should have lost the doughy taste. The flour will thicken the soup into a stew.
Additional chicken stock can be added if your Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch are thicker then you prefer.
Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and enjoy!
Tried this? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
Tender, homemade dumplings, fall apart pieces of chicken, fresh carrots and celery, all surrounded by a thick and hearty stew infused with garlic, onion, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Chicken Stew
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cubed to 1 inch
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 ribs celery including celery leaves thinly sliced
- 1 large onion diced
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoon1 dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 48 ounces chicken stock
Homemade Dumplings
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teapoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
Instructions
Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and dust with flour, salt, and pepper.
Heat dutch oven to medium high heat. Add oil and butter. When butter foams, add half of the chicken pieces.
Stir occasionally until chicken pieces are browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Place browned chicken in crockpot.
Brown second half of chicken pieces and then add to crockpot.
Using the chicken drippings remaining in the pot, saute the chopped and diced carrots, celery, onion, parsley, thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt for 5 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
Add the minced garlic and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour everthing into the Slow Cooker / Crockpot.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Homemade Dumplings
Stir together the dry ingredients until well combined. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
Add the milk and stir until combined. Use an additional tablespoon of milk if needed, but do not make the batter overly sticky.
Roll the batter out to a 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface and cut into consistently sized squares or rectangles, about and inch wide.
Drop the dumplings one at a time into the boiling soup. Try to not clump them together and keep stirring to a minimum to avoid breaking up the dumplings.
Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high or 60 minutes on low until the stew has thickened, the dumplings have firmed up, and they no longer have a doughy taste or texture.
Taste if additional salt and pepper is desired.
Garnish with parsley is desired.
Recipe Notes
If your Chicken and Dumplings is thicker then desired, especially when reheating, additional chicken stock may be added.
Tools perfect for Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings.
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Mother, Gardener, Book Devourer, and Food Obsessor. I love being inspired with fresh, seasonal ingredients and relish every opportunity to elevate my home cooking. Join me!
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