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healthier crockpot chicken & dumplings aplenty

Recipe by
Jenny Glenn
Irving, TX

There are many wonderful chicken & dumpling recipes to be found, however, none quite suited my needs. I wanted something that was quick and easy to prepare, that I could customize with items on-hand and, finally, that I could feel a little less guilty about. I love dumplings, as does my family. In fact, after initially making this dish, the only change my family asked me to make was to double the dumplings! So, that's the recipe that you'll find here. There are heart-healthy soups, as well as sodium-free and gluten-free ingredients, that you can use & adjust to make this dish even healthier.

yield 6 -8
prep time 15 Min
cook time 6 Hr 15 Min
method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For healthier crockpot chicken & dumplings aplenty

  • CHICKEN THIGH SEASONING:
  • 1 3/4 tsp
    adolph's tenderizer
  • 1 3/4 Tbsp
    poultry seasoning
  • As desired
    sea salt (adolph's will be salty!)
  • As desired
    pepper, fresh ground
  • CHICKEN SOUP INGREDIENTS:
  • 6
    chicken thighs, skinless and boneless (about 1.75 lbs)
  • 1 can
    cream of chicken and mushroom soup (10.5 oz. condensed)
  • 1 can
    cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz. condensed)
  • 1 can
    cream of celery soup (10.5 oz. condensed)
  • 1 box
    chicken broth (48 oz. reduced sodium)
  • 1 tsp
    chicken bouillon granules (reduced sodium)
  • 1 Tbsp
    dry minced onion
  • DUMPLING INGREDIENTS (DOUBLED RECIPE:)
  • 2 c
    heart smart bisquick
  • 2/3 c
    evaporated fat-free milk

How To Make healthier crockpot chicken & dumplings aplenty

  • Ingredients
    1
    Prepare your 6 quart (or larger) crockpot by adding a plastic or silicone liner and/or spraying with cooking spray. (I used to use the plastic liner bags until I fell in love with my silicone liner. I give it a little spray, just for good measure.)
  • Season both sides of thighs
    2
    Season your chicken with desired ingredients. I prefer to use thighs, as I find them to be more moist and flavorful, but you may use boneless breasts, if you prefer. When using Adolph's Tenderizer, I also pierce the thighs to aid in the process.
  • Place thighs in crockpot
    3
    Set your crockpot on low or warm to preheat. Add seasoned chicken, followed by soup ingredients.
  • Add soups, broth, bouillon & minced onion
    4
    Cover and cook chicken, 6 to 8 hours on Low or about 4 hours on High. (I cooked this batch on Low.)
  • Add dumplings, add aplenty
    5
    Near the end of the chicken cooking, you'll need to allow about 15 minutes to prepare your dumpling dough and shred the chicken. For fewer dumplings, you can cut the ingredients in-half. (FYI, you can substitute any kind of milk that you prefer with whichever style Bisquick that you like, adjusting the amounts as necessary.) Also, it's okay to let your dough sit a few minutes while you shred the chicken. It actually helps the dumplings turn out fluffier. If you've been cooking on low, be sure to increase the temperature to High, so that you can add your dumplings by spoonfuls to the simmering soup.
  • My family loved my new, healthier version of crockpot chicken & dumplings, but made one request, to double the dumplings next time. So that's what this recipe will have!
    6
    Continue cooking chicken and dumplings until both are done. You can remove a dumpling and cut it in half to see if it's no longer doughy in the center. It should be fluffy and cake-like.
  • 7
    REMEMBER: Crockpots vary in temperature. Cooking times (above) are simply guidelines. You may need to adjust your settings and cooking times, accordingly. Also, when preparing dumpling dough, be sure to stir with as few strokes as possible, just until no dry mix is showing. Otherwise, your dumplings will be dense and tough. For my next version, I plan to use Campbell's Healthy Request soups, as well as unsalted chicken broth for an even healthier dish.
  • 8
    For other helpful tips on Bisquick dumplings, or if you prefer to substitute Gluten-Free or Original Bisquick, I suggest that you check the following link: marginmakingmom.com/bisquick-dumplings-recipe/
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