Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings – Cozy, Comforting, and Easy

Layer the base. Place onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.Add chicken on top.

Season and add liquid. Pour in chicken broth. Add thyme, parsley, bay leaf, pepper, and salt. Stir gently around the veggies; it’s okay if the chicken sits mostly on top.

Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on Low for 6–7 hours or High for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is very tender.

Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks.Discard the bay leaf. Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker.

Thicken the broth. Melt butter in a small pan, whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cream to make a smooth slurry.Pour this into the slow cooker and stir. This creates a creamy, lightly thickened base.

Make the dumpling dough (if not using biscuits). In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until crumbly.Stir in milk until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Don’t overmix.

Add peas. Stir frozen peas into the slow cooker.

Drop the dumplings. Using a spoon, drop small mounds (about 1 tablespoon each) of dough onto the surface of the stew. If using biscuit pieces, scatter them evenly across the top.

Steam the dumplings. Cover and cook on High for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dumplings are puffed and cooked through in the center.Avoid lifting the lid in the first 45 minutes so they steam properly.

Taste and finish. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.