Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Soup

When the slow cooker lid comes off, the chicken should pull apart easily and the vegetables should be soft without disappearing into the broth. The dumplings are the part that…

By Riley • October 15, 2026 • Reading time: 9 min

Save Recipe Print Recipe

Tip: save now, cook later.

When the slow cooker lid comes off, the chicken should pull apart easily and the vegetables should be soft without disappearing into the broth. The dumplings are the part that need a little care: stir the dough just enough to bring it together, then let the covered cooker do the rest. That’s what makes this Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Soup feel hearty without turning the dumplings dense.

I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they stay tender through the long cook, and I add the cream only after the dumplings have steamed. The result is a cozy, broth-based soup with a silky finish and dumplings that puff up right on top. Keep the lid on while they cook, and split one open before serving to check that the middle is cooked through. A bowlful has tender chicken, soft vegetables, and a fluffy dumpling in every spoonful.

Why the Cream Belongs After the Dumplings, Not Before

It’s easy to think of cream as part of the broth from the beginning, but this soup has two different jobs to do. The chicken and vegetables need hours to become tender, while the dumplings need a covered stretch of steady heat to puff and cook through. Heavy cream doesn’t need that long cook, so I stir it in after the dumplings are done and give the soup a short covered finish.

Adding the cream at the end also lets you see what the broth is like before you make it richer. The slow-cooked chicken and vegetables give the soup its savory base; the cream softens the edges and makes each spoonful feel fuller. It won’t turn the broth into a thick gravy, and it shouldn’t. The dumplings bring their own substance as they cook, so the finished bowl stays spoonable instead of heavy. If you want a more broth-forward soup, you can leave the cream out altogether, but the original finish is what gives this version its velvety feel.

What the Chicken, Broth, and Dumpling Dough Each Bring

• Chicken thighs — Boneless, skinless thighs stay tender as they cook and shred easily back into the soup. Their richer texture suits a long slow cook better than leaner chicken, which can turn dry.
• Low-sodium chicken broth — Starting with low-sodium broth leaves room for the kosher salt in the soup without making the finished bowl too salty. Choose a broth you like the taste of; it makes up most of the liquid.
• Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic — These give the broth its familiar savory base. Slice the carrots and celery and dice the onion so they’re ready to soften during the slow cook.
• Thyme and bay leaves — Dried thyme gives the broth a gentle herbal note, while the bay leaves add background flavor during cooking. Fish out and discard the bay leaves before shredding the chicken.
• Flour and baking powder — All-purpose flour gives the dumplings structure, and baking powder helps them puff as they steam. Keep the baking powder in the dough; it isn’t interchangeable with extra flour.
• Whole milk and unsalted butter — These make the dumpling dough tender and rich. Whole milk gives a fuller result than skim milk, and unsalted butter keeps the dough from picking up extra salt.
• Heavy cream — Heavy cream adds a silky, rounded finish. It gives the broth more body than milk without changing the soup into a thick sauce.

How to Cook the Soup First and Steam the Dumplings on Top

Build the slow-cooker broth

Add the chicken thighs, chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, and bay leaves to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F. The vegetables soften while the chicken cooks, and the broth takes on their flavor. Keep the bay leaves in the cooker for this stage, then remove them before serving.

Shred the chicken back into the soup

Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and discard the bay leaves. Use two forks to pull the chicken into bite-size shreds; it should separate without much effort. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it through the broth and vegetables. This spreads the chicken through the soup so it isn’t all sitting in one place beneath the dumplings.

Mix a tender dumpling dough

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and milk only until no dry flour remains. The dough should come together without a long mixing session; a few soft, uneven spots are fine. Overworking it develops the flour and can make the dumplings heavy rather than tender.

Steam the dumplings, then finish with cream

Set the slow cooker to HIGH and drop the dough over the soup in 8 rounded spoonfuls. Cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through when split open. Opening the cooker releases the steam they need, so resist checking before the cooking time is up. Once they’re cooked through, stir in the heavy cream, cover again, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the soup is hot.

Two Useful Ways to Adapt This Chicken and Dumplings Soup

Questions That Come Up When Making Chicken and Dumplings Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings Soup

Slow cooker chicken and dumplings soup combines tender shredded chicken and vegetables in a creamy broth with soft, puffed dumplings cooked right on top. The slow cooker makes this comforting one-pot dinner easy to prepare.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 7 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Calories: 680

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the soup

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 6 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 carrots medium, peeled and sliced
• 3 ribs celery sliced
• 1 yellow onion medium, diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 0.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

For the dumplings

• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 0.75 cup whole milk

For the finish

• 1 cup heavy cream

Equipment

• 1 6-quart slow cooker

Method

 

Cook the soup

1. Put the chicken, broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaves in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
2. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and discard the bay leaves.
3. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the slow cooker.

Make the dumplings

1. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in the melted butter and milk just until no dry flour remains; do not overmix.

Finish the soup

1. Set the slow cooker to HIGH and drop the dumpling dough in 8 rounded spoonfuls over the soup. Cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through when split open.
2. Stir in the heavy cream, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the soup is hot.

Notes

For tender dumplings, do not overmix the dough and keep the slow cooker lid closed while they cook. Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because the dumplings and cream can change texture. For a lighter finish, half-and-half can replace the heavy cream.