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This recipe for gluten free chicken and dumplings is the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold winter’s night! Hearty chicken soup is topped off with perfectly fluffy dumplings for a meal the whole family will love.
Table of Contents
Comfort Food
Gluten. Free. Chicken. And. Dumplings. Need I say more? I don’t think there’s any food more comforting than chicken and dumplings (except for maybe this chicken pot pie). Fun fact: I had never actually eaten chicken and dumplings growing up. It wasn’t until later in life, after going gluten free, that I wound up at a dinner party where it was the main dish. Sitting there looking at everyone’s steaming bowls and hearing them exclaim about how good it was, I knew I needed to experiment with my own gluten free chicken and dumplings ASAP.
Ingredients Needed
For the Soup
- 3 tablespoons of salted butter, divided
- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs (or about 3 cups of shredded chicken)
- 3/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- ½ cup of heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh sage (or ½ teaspoon of dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon of dried thyme)
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
For the Dumplings
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ cup of whole milk or coconut milk
- 6 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1 egg
Let’s just say it was a revelation. I mean, why aren’t we putting dumplings in ALL of our soups already?! My first attempt at gluten free chicken and dumplings involved making the dumplings out of Gluten Free Bisquick, but was slowly evolved into the scratch-made dumplings you see here. I know dumpling making can seem a little intimidating at first, but it really isn’t!
How to Make Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
First things first, you’ll make the soup, which is best described as a cross between traditional chicken soup and a chicken pot pie filling. Here’s the step-by-step:
- Sear the chicken – melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a dutch oven (or other heavy-bottomed pot with a matching lid) over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with a 1/2 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then place it in the pot and sear for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Flip the chicken and sear for an additional 3 minutes, or until browned, then remove from the pot.
- Saute the veggies – melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Saute the veggies for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have started to brown slightly.
- Add the flour and chicken broth – sprinkle the gluten free flour over the vegetables and whisk to combine, then slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly to smooth any lumps.
- Add the rest of the soup ingredients and simmer – stir in the cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper, sage, thyme, and peas. Add the chicken back to the pot, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let cook for 20 minutes.
- Make the dumplings – while the soup is cooking, make the dumpling batter. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, mix in the milk, butter, and egg until fully combined and set aside.
- Shred the chicken – remove the chicken from the soup, transfer it to a bowl, and shred it with two forks, then return to the pot.
- Add the dumplings to the pot – drop the dumplings in by the spoonful (about the size of a tablespoon), making sure not to overcrowd the pot as they will double in size. (Note that it is very important to make sure the soup is not boiling when you drop in the dumplings or as they cook, or they will fall apart. If the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to low before proceeding with this step.)
- Finish cooking, garnish, and serve – cover the soup and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and have expanded in size. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
Video
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 3 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (or about 3 cups shredded chicken)
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
For the Dumplings:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup whole milk or coconut milk
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot with matching lid over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then place in the pot and sear for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Flip the chicken and sear for an additional 3 minutes, or until browned, then remove from the pot.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the pot and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have started to brown slightly.
- Sprinkle the gluten free flour over the vegetables and whisk to combine, then slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly to get out any lumps.
- Stir in the cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper, sage, thyme, and peas. Add the chicken back to the pot, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let cook for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, make the dumpling batter. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, mix in the milk, butter, and egg until fully combined and set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the soup and transfer to a bowl and shred with two forks, then return to the pot.
- Drop the dumplings in by the spoonful (about the size of a tablespoon), making sure not to overcrowd the pot as they will double in size. Note that it is very important to make sure the soup is not boiling when you drop in the dumplings or as they cook, or they will fall apart, so if the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to low before proceeding with this step.
- Cover the soup and cook for 15-20 minutes, until dumplings are cooked through and have expanded in size. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
Amount per Serving
Calories
543
% Daily Value*
Fat
29.5
g
45
%
Saturated Fat
15.6
g
98
%
Cholesterol
235.6
mg
79
%
Sodium
1431.1
mg
62
%
Carbohydrates
31.6
g
11
%
Fiber
3.3
g
14
%
Sugar
5.1
g
6
%
Protein
37.6
g
75
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Jamie says
This recipe is soooo good! I had 2 helpings and didn’t want to stop eating but I was so full I had to! I used leftover rotisserie chicken and left it in the pot to make the dumplings. Thank you Cassie for another great recipe!
Julie says
Could you freeze this with the dumplings or so you think they need to be made right before eating?
Amber Goulden says
They should freeze well!
Jenny says
Made this in the instant pot and it turned out really well! Just sauteed the veggies and chicken breasts, then added the rest of the ingredients and dumpling blobs and pressure cooked for 7 min and then natural release.
Amber Goulden says
Awesome, thank you so much for letting us know Jenny!
April says
Hi Amber! What could I use besides the Kung Arthur measure for measure? Would cassava flour work for the dumplings? Thank you! So excited to make this during the chilly weekend!
Amber Goulden says
Hi April! I’m not sure Cassava flour would work as we haven’t tested it. I have heard that you can sub it 1:1 for wheat flour, so it may be worth a try but I don’t have enough experience with it to be sure. Your best bet for a GF flour blend sub would be Bob’s 1:1!
Amy says
Could you substitute almond flower or some other Paleo friendly flour?
Amber Goulden says
Unfortunately, I don’t think a 1:1 sub will work here!
Faith says
Hi Amy I did use almond flour I used almost a half cup more than recipe asked for and didnt melt butter. Slice butter cold out of fridge into flour and work it in. Turned out amazing this recipe is AWESOME !!!!
Amber Goulden says
So glad it worked out, thanks for commenting and letting us know!
Pamela says
Cassie and team what do you think would be a good replacement for the egg in this recipe? Flax egg?
CaLynn Koshinski says
Hi,
I’ve used a flax egg instead of a real egg and it worked well great!!
Brandi Schilhab says
Thanks for letting us know, CaLynn!
Kristen says
This was delicious!!
Jill says
Really want to make this recipe, but I don’t have heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk. Could I just use whole milk in it‘s place or just leave it out?
I understand the end result will be somewhat different.
Brandi Schilhab says
That should work! It won’t thicken as much, but it’ll still do the trick.
CaLynn Koshinski says
Can I substitute a flax egg for a real egg?
Brandi Schilhab says
We haven’t tested this recipe using a flax egg, so we can’t guarantee how it’ll turn out. My hunch tells me it’ll work though…let us know once you try it!
CaLynn Koshinski says
The flax egg worked perfectly! Also added a little Hungarian spin and added paprika and stewed tomatoes. Perfect!
Brandi Schilhab says
YUM! Thank you so much for letting us know that the flax egg worked!
Gabbi says
Do you think this would work with cup4cup gluten free flour? I want to make this tonight and that is all I have right now.
Brandi Schilhab says
That should work, Gabbi! Enjoy!!
Carrie says
I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious! My husband and I loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Brandi Schilhab says
Yay!! We’re so glad you guys enjoyed it. We love it too!!
Samantha says
One of the best soups I’ve ever made. It was hard to stop eating. So dang delicious!
Brandi Schilhab says
We think so too!! So glad you loved it, Samantha!
Christine says
Pure Awesomeness! Thank You for Sharing My family just loved this
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad to hear that, Christine! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Mic says
Can I sub vegan butter or coconut oil?
Brandi Schilhab says
Sure!
Taryn says
Delicious and just what we needed for a rainy evening.
Brandi Schilhab says
Amazing! We’re so glad, Taryn!
Michelle Weber says
Made this tonight and it was so YUMMY!! Everyone inhaled it! Perfect for a cold Saskatchewan Canada blizzard night!!
Brandi Schilhab says
Awesome! So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed this, Michelle!
Nicole says
This is amazing! Is officially made our family regular rotation! Chicken breast was not dry and the seasoning was perfect. I’m dairy free so I made it with ghee and coconut cream as my subs.
Brandi Schilhab says
Amazing – we’re so glad it made the rotation! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Nicole!
Ashley says
Can you use regular flour?
Brandi Schilhab says
Sure!
Brittany says
This was amazing!! Wonderful for a chilly day. My husband said it reminded him of a pot pie. I made my dumplings a little large so they cooked a bit longer but it still turned out incredible! We will be making this again.
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you all enjoyed this, Brittany!!
Amanda Alley says
I couldn’t stop eating this! So so good! No one would EVER know it was gluten free. Thank you so much!
Brandi Schilhab says
Amazing! Thank you for the comment, Amanda!!
Sophie says
So delicious and SUPER comforting for a cold winter night!
Brandi Schilhab says
Yay! So glad, Sophie!!
Kristen Winters says
Hi ladies! I’m thinking about making this for our Christmas Day meal, all of my family adores chicken and dumplings. However we are not gluten-free, so can I just use regular King Arthur flour? Do I follow the same measurements?
Brandi Schilhab says
Yes (to both)…that should work, Kristen!
Sarah V says
Can I use an egg substitute? My kiddo can’t do eggs!
Brandi Schilhab says
We haven’t tried it, Sarah! Please let us know if you do, though!!
Megan says
Overall I really enjoyed this recipe but I’m not sure if my dumplings came out right. I subbed lite coconut milk instead of full fat to save calories and not sure if that makes a difference in the firmness. I plopped the dumplings on top of my soup and had my burner on The lowest setting so there would not be any bubbles since it said “do not boil” , they did double in size but they were not quite as firm as I was expecting. The dumplings might have been a little bigger than a tablespoon, i had 21 dumplings.
Brandi Schilhab says
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Megan! We haven’t tried it with lite coconut milk, so we can’t say for sure if that had any effect on the finished product, but it sounds like you did everything else as written, so that definitely may have been it!
Caitlin says
Ah-mazing!!! I accidentally put a whole bag of frozen peas in and it still turned out delicious. This is going in our regular rotation!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you all loved it! Thank you for sharing this with us, Caitlin!
Shantella says
I’ve only had rolled out, cut dumplings for this dish. When I tried making my own with gluten-free flour, the dumplings were gummy and tasteless. Do you think you could perfect a rolled out, cut dumpling using g-f flour? I’ve tried making them with the King Arthur Flour and other name brand measure for measure gluten free flours and have had the same result.
Brandi Schilhab says
I’m not sure, Shantella. I’ve never tried it! The method used here should work with GF flour, though (that’s what Cassy uses).
Kerri McEntire says
Delicious! My family is a huge fan of this comfort classic. Of course they were arguing over the leftovers. Thank you!
Sheridan says
I just made this tonight and it is delicious! Perfect for a cold night or if someone in your family isn’t feeling great. I swapped gluten-free flour for gluten-full flour, left out the heavy cream, increased the broth by about 3 cups (I think it would be very thick otherwise and not have enough broth to cook the dumplings), upped the herb amounts, and cut down to 4 TBSP butter in the dumplings. It turned out great! The dumplings took a little longer than 20 minutes to not be sticky to the touch. I was worried the decreased butter would be a mistake but they still melted in your mouth. I had more batter than I could fit in the pot so I finished cooking the rest in a little stock in a separate pot.
Brandi Schilhab says
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe so much, Sheridan! This really is the coziest meal ever!
Abigail says
This was so DELICIOUS!!! I have made several of your recipes now, but this and your healing chicken soup are by far the best!!! I crave chicken and dumplings. Although I can’t eat them, bc I’m allergic to gluten and dairy. THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Seriously making this again! My 3 yr old and anti-soup husband loved it too! Thank you so much!!!
Melissa Guevara says
What a win all around! We are so glad to hear that everyone in the family enjoyed and that this soup gives you an option for classic flavors you love. Thank you for taking the time to share with us. -Melissa
Abigail says
This was so DELICIOUS!!! I have made several of your recipes now, but this and your healing chicken soup are by far the best!!! I crave chicken and dumplings. Although I can’t eat them, bc I’m allergic to gluten and dairy. THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Seriously making this again! My 3 yr old and anti-soup husband loved it too! Thank you so much!!!
Tracy says
I am so happy to have found this recipe. A different recipe I tried resulted in DENSE dumplings! Not this one. I used this recipe, in part, because it didn’t use as much flour as other recipes…it was the perfect amount.
The instruction to not boil the dumplings is spot on as the dough is very soft. I used 3 tbsp butter in the dumplings and they were fine. And I also added parsley and thyme to the dry mix as well. The dumplings were perfect.
Also, I used less chicken and more vegetables as I like more vegetables in my soups.
Excellent recipe which I have saved and will use thyme and thyme again…..
Melissa Guevara says
We see what you did there. 🙂 We are so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Tracy! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. It truly means so much! -Team FF
Kristi says
Thank you for this recipe! The soup part turned out amazing. I had family in town and it was a hit. Unfortunately, my dumplings didn’t turn out. I’m not sure why. I used the King Arthur GF flour blend and full fat coconut milk. The dumplings didn’t expand and turned out gummy. There were some bubbles in the last 20 minutes but it didn’t boil. Thoughts on what I might have done wrong?
Melissa Guevara says
Oh no, Kristi! We are so sorry this was your experience! Sometimes if the dough is overworked, it can become dense, and depending on the type of coconut milk, there many have been some thickening agents that impacted the dough. It is so hard to know exactly what happened since we can’t be there in the kitchen with you. We’re so glad that the soup part was tasty, and so sorry that the dumplings didn’t turn out as expected. -Team FF
Hailey Lanier says
So delicious! The toddler, baby and husband all gobbled it up!
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahoo!! That’s the best, Hailey! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!