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.
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This recipe is…
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
More Favorite Soup Recipes
Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
Hearty chicken soup is topped off with perfectly fluffy gluten free dumplings for a meal the whole family will love.
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
Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.6g | Protein: 37.6g | Fat: 29.5g | Saturated Fat: 15.6g | Cholesterol: 235.6mg | Sodium: 1431.1mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 5.1g
Delicious and just what we needed for a rainy evening.
Amazing! We’re so glad, Taryn!
Can I sub vegan butter or coconut oil?
Sure!
Pure Awesomeness! Thank You for Sharing My family just loved this
So glad to hear that, Christine! Thank you for sharing this with us!
One of the best soups I’ve ever made. It was hard to stop eating. So dang delicious!
We think so too!! So glad you loved it, Samantha!
I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious! My husband and I loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay!! We’re so glad you guys enjoyed it. We love it too!!
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.
That should work, Gabbi! Enjoy!!
Can I substitute a flax egg for a real egg?
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!
The flax egg worked perfectly! Also added a little Hungarian spin and added paprika and stewed tomatoes. Perfect!
YUM! Thank you so much for letting us know that the flax egg worked!
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.
That should work! It won’t thicken as much, but it’ll still do the trick.
This was delicious!!
Cassie and team what do you think would be a good replacement for the egg in this recipe? Flax egg?
Hi,
I’ve used a flax egg instead of a real egg and it worked well great!!
Thanks for letting us know, CaLynn!
Could you substitute almond flower or some other Paleo friendly flour?
Unfortunately, I don’t think a 1:1 sub will work here!
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 !!!!
So glad it worked out, thanks for commenting and letting us know!
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!
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!
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.
Awesome, thank you so much for letting us know Jenny!
Could you freeze this with the dumplings or so you think they need to be made right before eating?
They should freeze well!
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!