Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Name: Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 h 20 min
Total time: 6 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: southern
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped; 1 small red or yellow onion, finely chopped; Juice of 1 lemon; 2 fresh or dried bay leaves; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1 1/4 cups chicken broth; Salt and black pepper; Fresh parsley, for serving; 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup fine cornmeal; 1 tablespoon baking powder; Salt; 1 cup buttermilk; 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published Oct. 30, 2024

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 6½ hours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Rating: 4(381)
Comments: Read comments

Chicken and dumplings are a mainstay of the American South—though similar dishes exist worldwide—where there are generally two versions: stewed chicken with unleavened, chewy, noodle-like dumplings that are rolled out before being dropped into the broth; and fluffy leavened dumplings that are much like drop biscuits, which get dolloped on top of the stew, where they puff up as they poach. The dish works beautifully translated to the slow cooker because the chicken and vegetables can braise slowly, intensifying the flavor of the chicken broth. This variation uses leavened drop-dumplings with a touch of cornmeal for sweet-earthy flavor and buttermilk for tenderness and tanginess. This dish is traditionally made with a whole chicken cut up into parts, but this streamlined adaptation uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Stew

4tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
3pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2celery stalks, chopped
2large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2fresh or dried bay leaves
1tablespoon tomato paste
1teaspoon dried thyme
1teaspoon dried rosemary
1¼cups chicken broth
Salt and black pepper
Fresh parsley, for serving

For the Dumplings

1¾cups all-purpose flour
¼cup fine cornmeal
1tablespoon baking powder
Salt
1cup buttermilk
4tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the stew: In a liquid measuring or microwave-safe cup, melt the butter. Stir the flour into the warm butter until no lumps remain.
Step 2
In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker bowl, combine the butter-flour mixture with the chicken, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, lemon juice, bay leaves, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, chicken broth and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper; stir well. Cook on low until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 5 hours.
Step 3
Prepare the dumplings: Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and ¾ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk and melted butter and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Step 4
Open the lid of the slow cooker and, using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken. Using a large spoon or a ¼-cup measure, scoop up the batter and dollop about 8 dumplings on top of the stew. Try to space them out, but don’t worry about neatness too much — the dumplings will puff up into each other. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour.
Step 5
Remove the lid and cook for 15 minutes, to firm up the tops of the dumplings. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Ratings

4 out of 5

381 user ratings

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Comments

G7 months ago

The author must have amazing knife skills if a recipe that involves finely chopping 6 garlic cloves and and chopping an onion, carrots, and celery and has a number of other steps only requires 10 minutes prep time.

Donald McCrimmon7 months ago

I can close my eyes and see and smell my Southern mother oven cooking this in a large aluminum pot on a Saturday morning. Of course, she always used a cut up whole chicken, including the back and even the neck. We didn’t shred the pieces, serving them whole with the dumplings.This is a slow cooker variant that is otherwise authentic. Comfort food. Perfect for cooler weather.

Jan S.7 months ago

For those who want to cook this in a Dutch oven rather than in a slow-cooker here are some tips: Set your oven to 325F. Oven cooking causes more evaporation than a slow-cooker so you may have to add more liquid. Just watch and see. A recipe that takes 6 - 8 hours on low in a slow-cooker will take 2 - 3 hours in an oven set at 325F. If you are cooking on a stovetop then a slow-cooker low setting is equivalent to a simmer on the stovetop. However, your cooking time will be faster on the stovetop.

Erica2 days ago

Such a good recipe. I couldn’t find corn meal at Trader Joe’s so I used a box cornbread mix for the dumplings (mixed all the ingredients listed on the box and poured it on top per this recipe). It was a good substitute.

I Love to Cook4 weeks ago

I loved these flavors together! It was a little soupier than I'd hoped but all else was delicious.

Lis3 months ago

I read through folks’ comments, and yeah… listen to the advice about cooking the dumplings in the oven. In the slow cooker, they didn’t fully cook through. The flavor of the broth is yummy, but it’s not as liquid-y as I would’ve liked. Probably won’t be part of our rotation, but it was fun and pretty easy to put together!

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