Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Chicken And Dumplings

This Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Chicken and Dumplings is the definition of effortless, soul-warming comfort food. By utilizing a few clever kitchen shortcuts—like refrigerated biscuit dough and cream of chicken soup—you get a thick, velvety, homestyle stew with tender shredded chicken and pillowy dumplings in practically no time at all.

Ingredients

• 1. The Chicken:
  • 1 ½ to 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2. The Broth & Base:
  • 2 cans (10.5 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup (or cream of celery)
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3. The Seasoning Shortcut:
  • 1 packet (approx. 1 oz) dry ranch seasoning mix (or poultry seasoning / Italian seasoning, depending on your flavor preference!)
• 4. The Dumplings:
  • 1 tube (16.3 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough (like Pillsbury Grands!)

Instructions

1. Cook the Chicken Base

• Place your chicken breasts (or thighs) right into the bottom of your slow cooker.
• Pour the two cans of cream of chicken soup and the chicken broth over the chicken.
• Sprinkle the dry ranch seasoning packet evenly across the top.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours (or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours), until the chicken is tender and easily shreds with a fork.

2. Shred the Chicken

• Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board.
• Use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then return the shredded meat right back into the simmering broth in the slow cooker. Stir well.

3. Prep and Add the Dumplings

• While the slow cooker is on HIGH, open your tube of refrigerated biscuits.
• Cut each raw biscuit into quarters (or bite-sized pieces).
• Drop the biscuit pieces one by one into the hot simmering liquid, stirring gently so they don’t clump together. (Pro-tip: Drop them around the edges and center so they submerge and cook evenly).

4. Simmer the Dumplings

• Cover the slow cooker with the lid and let it cook on HIGH for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
• Avoid opening the lid too often while they cook, as trapped steam is what helps the biscuits puff up into fluffy, cloud-like dumplings! They are done when the dumplings have puffed up, doubled in size, and are no longer doughy in the center.

5. Serve Warm

• Give the soup a gentle stir (the starch from the biscuits will naturally thicken the broth into a rich gravy). Ladle into bowls and serve hot!

Pro-Tips for Success

• Don’t Overcrowd the Dumplings: Cutting the biscuits into quarters ensures they cook all the way through to the center without staying raw in the middle of a massive dough lump.
• Customize Your Flavor: While the ranch seasoning adds an incredible depth of garlic-and-herb savory flavor, you can swap it out for a packet of onion soup mix or a tablespoon of poultry seasoning if you prefer a more traditional flavor profile!