Seasoned bread cubes, cream of chicken soup and canned chicken are the base of this delicious Crock Pot Dressing recipe.

This dressing is easy to mix up and cook in the slow cooker, which frees up the oven for busy holiday meals. This traditional dressing is meaty, flavorful and a family favorite!

Moist dressing on a plate with turkey and carrots with a fork in the background

An Easy Crock Pot Dressing Recipe

This Farmhouse crockpot chicken and dressing is simple, delicious and has a hearty meat flavor. A can of chicken adds a heartiness that you crave and a fuller flavor. This is the perfect side dish for a special meal!

Just like my Grandma’s Dressing that’s made in the oven, our dressing recipes stand out with herbs and spices mixed into dried bread cubes. Cream of chicken soup gives this easy crock pot recipe a smooth and creamy flavor. The generous amount of chicken is what makes you crave more of this premium homemade dressing.

My mother in law shared this easy crock pot dressing recipe and told me it’s one of her favorites. After making it I can see why. The chicken adds a heartiness that makes this dressing stand out over other recipes that I’ve eaten.

Large serving spoon holding a serving of dressing with chicken, celery and seasoned bread cubes over a slow cooker full

More of a side for a classic holiday meal than our Chicken and Stuffing Casserole which makes a great main dish anytime of the year, both of these are worth a try!

Ingredients Needed For Slow Cooker Dressing with Chicken:

Can of Chicken – a can of turkey is equal and very interchangeable.
Dried Bread Cubes – we like the herb seasoned cubes, but slices of bread can be used too.
Cream of Chicken Soup – creates the rich, creamy flavor and helps tie everything together.
Eggs – help add structure and a deeper, premium flavor.
Butter – because it makes everything better.
Chicken Broth – helps soften the bread and better distribute the herbs and spices throughout the dish.
Onion – adds a nice depth of flavor and when finely chopped is not a prominent flavor.
Celery – adds a nice crunch and helps keep some structure as the dressing cooks.
Sugar – gives a hint of sweetness.
Sage – a classic Thanksgiving herb, we use dried sage because it’s easier.
Salt
Pepper

Ingredients to make crock pot dressing are chopped celery, butter, canned chicken, herb seasoned cubed stuffing, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, onion, sugar, salt, pepper, sage and eggs

Day Old Bread vs. Seasoned Bread Cubes

Using day old bread that is slightly stale is a great way to use up bread that is going bad, but there are several more steps involved to get equal flavor. Fresh bread that has not dried over night may become soggy.

I prefer the ease and convenience of seasoned cubed stuffing. There are different varieties so you can chose your favorite type!

Plate with dressing coated in gravy, slices of turkey and glazed carrots

Can You Use Leftover Chicken?

Cooked chicken or leftover shredded chicken works in this dressing, but we prefer canned chicken. It shreds more finely and mixes evenly throughout the whole dish.

Cooked chicken also tends to dry out and is tricky to shred evenly, so some bites may end up with a big chunk of chicken while others have none.

Why Is Dressing Runny?

Dressing can be runny if there’s too much liquid, it hasn’t cooked long enough or bread that is too fresh was used.

If dressing is runny try cooking on low a little longer and stir often.

Fresh bread will get soggy and not provide the same structure as toasted, lightly dried or day old bread. I like to use a bag of seasoned bread crumbs to avoid this issue.

Large black crock pot full of dressing with shreds of chicken for more flavor

How To Prevent Dressing From Burning?

Stir often and use a crock pot liner to help prevent the dressing from burning in the crock pot.

The corners where the sides of the crock meet the bottom are the first spots to burn. A liner will help give a little bit more space and a bit of a buffer to help slow down the burning.

Step By Step Instructions

Add bread cubes to a large mixing bowl.

Drain meat and pour into bowl. Use a fork to fluff and separate the pieces of meat.

Then use the fork to beat the eggs.

Two cans of cream of chicken soup poured on herb seasoned bread cubes in a white mixing bowl

Chopped onion and diced celery poured into a bowl full of crock pot dressing ingredients

Add eggs, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and melted butter to the bread. Stir well.

Mix in the onion, celery and remaining spices.

Stir until the bread is well coated and all ingredients are mixed well.

Wooden spoon working to mix cream of chicken soup into bread cubes and other seasonings to make dressing

Stirring together ingredients to pour into a slow cooker to make an easy dressing

Pour into a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker that is generously greased or has a liner.

Stir every 30 – 60 minutes to help the crock pot chicken and dressing recipe cook evenly.

When the edges firm up it’s time to stir again!

Partially cooked dressing in a crock pot ready to stir to prevent burning

Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

When dressing is an evenly cooked through and reaches your desired consistency it is ready to enjoy.

How Long To Cook Dressing In a Crock Pot

While appliances vary greatly this dressing cooks in 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours on high in a 6 quart crock pot.

I prefer to cook on low for 5 to 6 hours and stir often as this decreases the likelihood of burning.

We travel for family gatherings and this recipe holds really well in a 6-quart slow cooker. This crockpot dressing recipe is very moist which means it keeps well until serving time!