Grandma’s Easy Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

Grandma’s easy chicken and dumplings recipe is packed full of flavor and is a classic hearty meal for the entire family.

It’s budget-friendly and easy to make, and the fluffy dumplings and tender chicken are the most comforting meal on a cold night.

Give this flavorful and great recipe a try today. It’s comfort food at its best.

The Ultimate Comfort Food

What Ingredients Do I Need?

• Chicken breasts
• Can of condensed cream of celery soup
• Can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• Chicken broth
• Water
• Onion (diced)
• Frozen peas and carrots
• Salt
• Pepper
• Buttermilk biscuits (or a homemade biscuit recipe)

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Honestly, is there anything more comforting than chicken and dumplings? The recipe is perfect for cold nights, sick days, or when you want to have a home-cooked meal. You can let the creamy stew cook and simmer in the Crock Pot all day for a great meal in the evening.

Ya know it’s funny. I wasted a lot of my time being a picky eater when I was a kid. In all truth, I’m still pretty picky, but not as bad as I was in my childhood. I refused to eat chicken and dumplings. I mean, who does that? 

A few years ago, one of the ladies at church brought some chicken and dumplings for Vacation Bible School volunteers, and I was pretty hungry, so I ate it. And it was good. Really good. My taste buds felt like they were having a party. Why in the world would I ever turn this stuff down?

Not long after, I was craving chicken and dumplings, but in all honesty, I was scared to make it because I thought it would be a difficult recipe.

An Easy Recipe

As a kid, I remember my mom slaving over chicken and dumplings. Well, not really, but it seemed like it. So, I had this idea in my head that it was going to be super hard to make from scratch.

It wasn’t. At all. In fact, it’s one of the easiest meals to make. And to top it off, it was pretty inexpensive, too–a super budget-friendly meal.

She always made the flat dumplings, but we’ve figured out that we like the biscuit-like dumplings, so that’s what we are using in this recipe.

I love meals that are not only budget-friendly but filling. And it’s filling. 

And, if this is your first time making the dish, I promise you will love it.

Reasons To Love This Recipe

• It’s super easy to make and can cook while you’re at work or doing other things. I made this recipe while redoing our house!
• The recipe will feed about six large servings.
• The recipe is filling.
• It is inexpensive if you get the chicken on sale.
• Chicken and dumplings are great for cold days or evenings.
• You can bring the recipe to potlucks, office parties, or large gatherings.
• If you’re like me and forget to thaw the chicken, don’t worry about it. You can still stick it in the Crock Pot frozen. Believe me, it will still turn out tender after cooking.

Fresh Market offers a sale on chicken each week, so I buy it and freeze it. It’s a great way to save. 

If you love Southern recipes, give this Southern peach cobbler a try.

How To Make Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

1. Place the chicken breasts in the Crock Pot.
2. In a large bowl, add condensed cream of celery soup, condensed cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, water, onion, salt, and pepper, and mix well. (Or, to make life easier, add the ingredients to the Crock Pot).
3. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and replace the lid.
4. Set the slow cooker for six hours on medium heat or eight hours on low heat.
5. One hour before the timer goes off, shred the chicken with two forks. Add the peas and carrots.
6. Cut up the biscuit dough into small pieces (or make your own dumpling dough) and place it in the Crock Pot, making sure to dunk it under the liquid (be careful, it’s hot).
7. Cook for one more hour.

If you’d like to save even more money, you can easily make your own biscuit dough.

I have used Julia’s Simply Southern Southern Buttermilk Biscuit recipe quite a few times, and no matter what, it comes out awesomely delicious. 

The biscuits will puff up and cook on the inside.

I will usually pull one out and check the inside to see if they are done or doughy. If they are doughy, I will let them cook a little longer.

Assembling The Dish

Start by adding the chicken breasts to a slow cooker.

I sprayed the slow cooker with nonstick spray first so that it would be easier to clean when it’s done cooking.

My chicken was still a little frozen when I placed it in the slow cooker. I am the pits about remembering to take it out of the freezer to let it thaw.

If you’re like me, that’s ok when you forget. You can still cook it frozen.

Add the cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup to the pot.

If I don’t have any cream of celery in the house, I will use two cans of cream of chicken soup.

Next, pour the chicken broth into the pot.

Pour the water into the slow cooker.

Next, add the diced onions, salt, and black pepper.

If you don’t have an onion on hand, add some minced onions from your seasonings.

I always keep a large container of dried minced onions on hand for occasions when I don’t have fresh onions.

You can always add a few more of your favorite herbs and spices to this recipe. Sprinkle a little parsley on top for some added flavor!

Give everything a little bit of a stir, replace the lid, and set the cook time for eight hours on low.

If you want to cook the chicken a little faster, you can place it on medium for six hours or the high setting for four hours.

After the chicken cooks for seven hours on low, shred it.

Add the frozen vegetables.

You can use your favorite vegetables. For this recipe, I chose carrots and peas.

Lay the raw biscuits on a cutting board and cut each into four pieces.

When you’re preparing the dumpling dough, you can use a pizza cutter, and it will slice right through. You can also just pull it apart if that’s easier.

I like using biscuits because it’s just easier and quicker. But if you want to make homemade dumplings, they will work perfectly in this recipe.

Drop dumplings into the slow cooker in a single layer. Take a spoon and press it down under the liquid. Replace the lid and cook for one more hour on the low setting.

For this recipe, I used Pillsbury buttermilk flaky layers biscuits.

You can make them at home or choose your favorite type of dough.

Once the biscuits are done cooking, the meal is ready to eat.

I will take a fork and pull one of the biscuits apart to see if it’s cooked all the way through.

Leftover Storage and Reheating Instructions

If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container or cover them with plastic wrap. The chicken and dumplings are perfect for lunch the next day.

To heat them up, simply add the recipe back to a saucepan, add a little chicken broth, and heat it up.

Additional Flavor Tips and Variations

• Minced onions
• You can always add a few more of your favorite herbs and spices, such as sage, rosemary, or thyme, to this recipe. Sprinkle a little parsley on top for some added flavor.
• Buttermilk biscuits, cheesy biscuits, or herb-flavored biscuits taste great in the dish.
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Cloves of garlic
• Add some diced celery, carrots, or green beans.
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs work great in this recipe if that is all you have.

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken?

Yes, you can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another meal.

However, the cooking time will be much less. You can add the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for about two hours on low; add the veggies and dough and cook one more hour.

The chicken will be nice and tender.

Can I Use A Pressure Cooker or a Dutch Oven?

You can make chicken and dumplings in a pressure cooker or a Dutch oven. The cooking times will be different for the Dutch Oven. Be sure to check your manual on cooking times for the pressure cooker.

A Simple Recipe And Family Favorite

Check out the homemade chicken and dumplings recipe card below, grab those ingredients from the grocery store, and start cooking! This is a wonderful and filling dinner, and I know you’ll love it.

Southern homemade chicken and dumplings are a comforting meal that everyone will love, even your pickiest eaters.

The old-school recipe features simple ingredients and plenty of goodness.

Get the recipe today!