Crockpot Chicken and Dumpling Soup

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This is the brothy, soup-style version of chicken and dumplings — lighter than the thick, stew-like classic.

You get tender chicken, vegetables, and fluffy dumplings swimming in a savory, herb-flecked broth.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Lighter than creamy versions — perfect when you want comfort without heaviness.
  • Great for cold and flu season.
  • The slow cooker builds deep flavor with minimal effort.
  • Easily doubled for a crowd.
  • Reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For the Soup Base

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves

For the Dumplings

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Optional Additions

  • 1 cup frozen peas or corn
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Fresh dill for garnish

Steps

  1. Add chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, broth, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to your 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
  3. Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks or meat shredding claws.
  4. Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
  5. Remove bay leaves and discard.
  6. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH if it isn’t already.
  7. Make the dumplings: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  8. Add milk, melted butter, and parsley if using.
  9. Stir until just combined — don’t overmix or the dumplings will be tough.
  10. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the surface of the simmering soup, spacing them about an inch apart.
  11. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30–45 minutes.
  12. Don’t lift the lid during this time — the steam cooks the dumplings.
  13. Dumplings are done when they’re puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  14. Stir in frozen peas or corn and lemon juice during the last 5 minutes if using.
  15. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Helpful Tips and Substitutions

Use low-sodium broth if you prefer to control the salt — you can always add more at the end.

For fluffier dumplings, don’t stir the batter too much — lumps are fine.

A cookie scoop makes perfectly sized, even dumplings every time.

The lemon juice is optional but recommended — it brightens the whole soup.

If you want a slightly richer soup, stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream at the end.

Bone-in chicken pieces will give you deeper flavor if you have extra time to remove the bones after cooking.

Fresh herbs are better than dried here if you have them — use 1 tbsp fresh thyme and 1 tsp fresh rosemary.

Serving Ideas

Serve in deep soup bowls with crusty bread for dipping.

A side salad with a tangy vinaigrette cuts through the richness.

Oyster crackers or saltines are a classic pairing.

Top each bowl with a crack of black pepper and fresh parsley.

Make-Ahead and Storage

You can prep the vegetables and measure the dry ingredients the night before to save time.

Store the soup base (without dumplings) in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The soup base freezes well for up to 3 months — thaw overnight and make fresh dumplings when you reheat.

Leftover soup with dumplings keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge but the dumplings will absorb liquid and soften.

Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding extra broth if needed.

Dumplings don’t freeze well — they get mushy when thawed.

Soup vs. Stew

This version is intentionally brothy — it’s soup, not stew.

If you want something thicker, check out the classic creamy version with cream of chicken soup instead.

But when you want something lighter that still hits all the comfort food notes, this is the one.

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