Crockpot Chicken and Dressing Casserole is packed with flavor and can be served straight from your slow cooker. Enjoy a heaping helping for dinner with a side of homemade mashed potatoes and green beans for a comfort food feast any time of year.
Crockpot Chicken and Dressing Casserole
True to my Southern roots, I frequently refer to stuffing as dressing. In particular if there's cornbread involved. This easy slow cooked casserole is made with chicken breasts, smothered with a flavorful easy sauce, that's then topped with cornbread dressing flavored with onion and celery. While I'm not one to cook with canned soups very often, in this recipe it works like a charm and adds to the ease of preparation. Everything in moderation, right? For an oven version you may like to also checkout my chicken and dressing casserole that can can be handy for those days you'd prefer making this comforting dish in the oven.
Tips and Pointers:
- I prepare this casserole in my 6 quart oval slow cooker. You can, of course, make this in any shape slow cooker that you have. See more tips for successful slow cooking here on Food Network.
- Keep in mind, slow cookers vary wildly in how quickly they cook from brand to brand as well as age. Know your appliance and adjust cooking times as needed, for the best end result.
- The chicken breasts I used in this recipe were large and thick. I simply cut them in half. If you're using thinner pieces, this may not be necessary.
- There is only a small amount of added salt used to season the chicken breasts in this dish. This is due to the fact that there's ample in the soups and the gravy mix that smothers the chicken breasts. You may taste the sauce and and adjust to your taste, if desired.
- You may use 1 for a more moist dressing or 2 packages of dressing mix, if you prefer a more dry consistency with no other adjustments,
- My slow cooker has a removable crock, so, I often assemble this entire dish in the crock the night before, cover and chill. In the morning, after allowing it to warm on the counter for 15 minutes, I place the crock into the slow cooker and set the time to cook while I'm away from home. Before doing this, check your appliances manufacturers recommendation regarding any safety precautions or recommendations needed for chilling a dish in the removable crock.
- At the end of cooking, you may take 2 forks and gently shred the chicken pieces, if desired. As the casserole rests, the gravy will continue to thicken.
- I love a splash of green for garnishing any finished dish. I used chives but, you can top this with fresh sage or parsley or omit altogether.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Crockpot Chicken and Dressing Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 rib celery diced
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
- 1 10 oz can cream of celery soup
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 0.8 oz dry chicken gravy mix
- 1-2 6 oz box cornbread stuffing/dressing mix
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6 quart oval slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer on bottom. Season with poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, garlic and salt.
- In a skillet on the stovetop, cook the onion and celery with butter over medium-high heat. Cook until softened and beginning to brown. about 3-5 minutes Season with black pepper to taste..
- In a medium-size mixing bowl whisk together, both soups, chicken broth and gravy mix. Pour ¾ evenly over chicken in crockpot.
- Add the stuffing/dressing mix and cooked vegetables to remaining soup in bowl. Mix well then spread on top. Cover opening with doubled paper towels, then place lid firmly into place.
- Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes prior to serving. May fluff dressing with a fork, if desired.
Notes
- You may use 1 box of dressing for a more moist dressing or 2 packages of dressing mix, if you prefer a drier consistency with no other adjustments.
- To prevent condensation from dripping back into the dish while cooking, cover the opening with double paper towels then lock the lid in place.
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Carolyn
Hello. Need clarification- Do I double paper towels over top of slow cooker? Is this to prevent condensation? Does it keep casserole from becoming mushy or watery? If the answer is yes- could I use dish towel in place of paper towel?
Melissa
Doubled paper towels are placed over the opening then lock the lid on top. It's to prevent condensation on the lid from dripping back into the slow cooker. I suppose it depends on the thickness of the towel, it's your call.
Carl McClain
Im making this now... I used two 6oz boxes of stuffing, and added a little more chicken broth. It's been cooking now for about 3 hours, and Im nervous it's too soupy. Hopefully by the 6th hour, it will be okay. It smells wonderful! Thanks for the recipe.
Melissa
Hi Carl. I do hope you doubled paper towels over the top of the slow cooker, it really does make a difference. It also will set-up when you let it stand. Two boxes, you should be good to go.
Cari
I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit!! I didn’t have time in the morning to sauté the onion and celery so I just threw it in the slow cooker raw. It turned out great! I will add this to my make again recipes. Thanks!
Melissa
Wonderful, I'm so happy you loved this, thank you!
Catherine Seay
I cooked mine on low for 6 hours, that was way too long. It was mushy and didn’t need any extra salt added. I like the concept of the recipe, but I will tweak it next time.
Melissa
Please note, if you use thinner pieces of chicken, it naturally won't take as long to cook. Perhaps you need to use two boxes of stuffing. Also, it really does make a difference if you skip the paper towels. The condensation formed that drips back into the dish will make it watery.
Jennifer
Which is the best stuffing mix to use?
Melissa
You can use your favorite brand of cornbread or bread stuffing mix, whether it's a brand like Stovetop or private label store brand that you like. I prefer cornbread, I think it holds up better to the slow cooker process but, both are delicious.
Terrie
This sounds so good, but was wondering if you can use bread stuffing instead of cornbread
Melissa
You can if you prefer. You may also use 2 packages.
Michele
Jackie I agree with your assessment about the heat levels. But if you read above, Nancy asked if it could be "prepared and not cooked." and then she asks if it could be frozen also. I took that as her wondering about two separate ways to prepare this in advance. And my concern was NOT to prepare it without cooking it right away. The juices from the chicken soaking into the stuffing is just a food poisoning science project waiting to happen. But preparing it and immediately freezing it would definitely work.
Shelley
Very good, but SUPER salty. I'd leave out the salt and use water instead of low sodium chicken broth. Everything else has salt so overall it is too much.
Melissa
Salt is subjective to every single person. What you may find salty, won't be enough salt flavor for the next person. It would seem as if you're sensitive to it so, you should adjust the amount in this or any other recipe.
Nancy
Hi! Just wondering if this can be prepared, but not cooked. Would it freeze well until ready to cook?? Thanks!!
Melissa
Hi Nancy, yes you can freeze this casserole.
Michele
I can't help but think about the issues of food poisoning that happens very frequently at Thanksgiving when people prepare their stuffing recipes and stuff their raw turkey the day before to save time. The cooked onions and celery mixed with the bread crumb stuffing mixed with raw chicken and canned chicken soups together seems in the same vein. Maybe I'm wrong?? But I don't think I would do it. This recipe is easy enough, and can be done in a manner of 15 minutes and you just walk away. I make this recipe at least once a month, and it pretty fool proof.
Jackie Brangard
Stuffing in turkeys can be dangerous because it is inside the bird. If the bird isn't cooked long enough, the stuffing will not get up to a temperature that will kill the bacteria as the bird is, in essence, blocking the heat from getting to the stuffing, thus making people ill. This recipe in a crook pot allows the stuffing and vegetables to get to a sufficient temp to kill any bacteria as they cook independently alongside the chicken, so long as you are setting the crook pot to the correct temp and time you should have no problems.
Karen
Do you make the stuffing with the directions on the box, or just add it dry to the soup mixture?
Melissa
Please follow the recipe not the package instructions.
Cindy
I personally don’t like Stove Top Stuffing but do have a bag of the Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing will this work?
Melissa
Absolutely!
Mary S.
This recipe sounds great! I think I will add a 10-12 oz. frozen bag of vegetables to it and make it a true all-in-one dinner.
Melissa
Great idea, let me know how that goes.
Yuri
Hi
This is very interesting for me tonight dinner.
Do you think can I do with Instant Pot with this recipe ?
If so and you know how much set for time and so on that you can tell me ?
Thank you so much and I always love your meal !!
Melissa
I'm certain you could make this in an Instant Pot however, I haven't tested it so I'm unable to give you specific instructions.Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Yuri
Thank you for your reply.
If I'm gonna do with Instant Pot, I will be post for future this section.
Thank you again
Melissa
Thanks Yuri!
Michele
Okay, tried this in my Instant Pot. There needs to be a little "tweaking" to the recipe . Instead of a 6 oz box of stuffing mix, you need to use a 12 oz package or...2 of the 6 oz boxes. the 6 oz is just too soupy and wet, really not a good texture to eat.
So I played with the recipe and realized that it just needed another 6 oz of stuffing. And Voila! it worked.
Even my 19 year old son told me it was great. Had I served it to him in the 6 oz version that was soupy, I would have never heard the end of it.
So, just follow the recipe as Melissa has written.....pretend that you are making it in a slow cooker. But....instead.....put it on 30 minutes in the "manual" mode of the Instant Pot, with the steam release option on. After you finish the steam release and are able to open the Instant Pot, you can shred the chicken and let it sit for a bout 10 minutes and it is ready to serve!!.
Yuri
Michele !
You are awesome . Thank you so much for your testing with instant pot recipe !
I got to try ! I will tell you after that I try .
Thank again !! Happy cooking .
Michele
Yuri - You're welcome! Just know that when you mix the 12 oz of stuffing with the last bit of the soup and the onions and celery mixture, it will be dry and crumbly because there just isn't enough to cover all of the stuffing. But do not worry! The Instant Pot really creates a lot of steam and liquid, and the chicken with the 3/4 of the soup mixture poured on it in the bottom of the pot really gives off quite a bit of moisture while it cooks so all of that will soak up into the stuffing mix quite nicely.
Yuri
OMG ! Michel, I just almost asking about this thing !! You Psychic ability or what ! LOL
Thank you again !! Definitely I'd like to make this big time !!