📖 Instructions

1. First, grease the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. This makes cleanup way easier later.
2. Next, place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot. You can use boneless, skinless thighs too, for a richer flavor.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and milk. Add the dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir to make sure everything is mixed well.
4. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken. Make sure the chicken is mostly submerged. If not, add a splash more chicken broth.
5. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. The chicken should be cooked through and easily shreddable with a fork. I personally prefer low, but if you're in a pinch, high works just fine! My slow cooker runs a little hot, so I usally check about 30 minutes before the suggested time.
6. About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks. This step is optional but will help you make sure that you don't dry out the chicken, but I like to leave some of the chicken in bigger peices.
7. While the chicken is cooking and then shreading, you can prepare the dumpling dough. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make sure you’re cutting cold butter into the flour for the flakiest dumplings.
8. Stir in the milk until just combined. Do not overmix! The dough should be slightly sticky. Overmixing leads to tough dumplings.
9. Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough into the slow cooker on top of the chicken mixture. Try to spread them out evenly.
10. Cover the slow cooker and continue cooking on high for 20-30 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through and no longer doughy in the middle. It's important not to lift the lid too often during this time, as it will release heat and prolong the cooking time. The dumplings are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If they aren’t done after 30 minutes, give ‘em a little longer, but keep a close eye!
11. Once the dumplings are cooked, remove from the slow cooker and allow to cool slightly before serving. Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy! I’m a big fan of adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little kick, but that’s totally optional.