Best Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Nothing says home-cooked comfort like chicken and dumplings. While this dish might conjure up images of family meals from your childhood, the classic recipe can take some time to pull together after a long day of work. Unless, of course, you bring in your Crock-Pot. The slow cooker does all the cooking and blending of flavors while you're at work, leaving you to do just a little prep when you get home to finish off the dumplings.

Total Time: 6 to 8 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed 

• 1 can refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

1. Coat a 6- to 8-quart Crock-Pot with oil.
2. To your Crock-Pot, add onions, chicken, salt, pepper, chicken soup, broth and bay leaf. Dot chicken mixture with butter.
3. Cover Crock-Pot, and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. With two forks, shred the chicken; add peas and carrots. Cut biscuits into small pieces and place on top of chicken mixture. Cover Crock-Pot, and cook on high for 1 hour.

This dish calls for chicken breast, but bone-in chicken thighs add a lot of flavor, if you're willing to put in a little extra work. At the end of the cooking time, before adding the dumplings, take the cooked chicken thighs out of the Crock-Pot. Remove the meat from the bones, shred and return to the sauce and veggies. Mix, top with your dumplings and cook as above.

Refrigerated biscuits are a lifesaver for the busy mom trying to put a meal together. But you can easily add a home-made touch to this classic Crock-Pot dish by making your own dumplings from scratch. Or better yet, involve the kids; biscuit making is a perfect job for little hands who love sticky substances. For simplicity, whisk together flour, chicken broth and salt until doughy. For a more traditional, fluffy dumpling with a lot of flavor, mix together flour, salt, pepper and baking soda, and use buttermilk and butter for moisture. Once it's all mixed together, top your chicken mixture with spoonfuls of dough, cover and cook as you would using the refrigerated biscuits.