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
This was the first time I have ever made chicken and dumplings and I will definitely be making this again! It was delicious and the dumplings came out perfectly!! My 12 year old couldn’t get enough!
Delicious gf version of a classic! Easy to follow directions.
Thank you, Kendra! We are so happy you loved it!
We made these Chicken and Dumplings this week and they were a huge hit! My 16 month old devoured them (the leftovers too!) and my husband and I couldn’t get enough. Will surely be making these again!
Yay! We are so happy y’all loved them, Lexi!
I made this with regular flour since I didn’t have a need for GF. I’ve never had or made chicken and dumplings before so the dough seemed a bit soft and wet to me when finished. But the meal tasted delicious and was great as leftovers even.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have never had chicken and dumplings before and my family was skeptical to try it, but it is disappearing so fast! I used brussels sprouts instead of frozen peas, it turned out really well. Your recipes never disappoint, Cassy!
YUUUUMM! Great idea with the brussels sprouts! We are so so happy y’all loved it, June!
Love this Chicken and Dumplings recipe! I’ve tried quite a few over the years and my husband says this was the best he’s ever had. I agree 🙂
Thank you!
Awwww! That is so sweet, Melanie! We are so happy y’all loved it!
This has become a staple in our home! Everyone loves it – even my 4-year-old. I follow the recipe exactly and it turns out perfectly every time.
Woohoo!! So happy y’all love it, Jess!
This was absolutely delicious! My S/O makes a really yummy non-gluten free chicken and dumplings, and he told me this recipe rivaled his. So, thank you! 🙂 (A small healthy competition never hurt anyone! And you allow me to do so!)
That is amazing, Catherine! We are so happy y’all loved it!
So good! My whole family loved it!
Yay! We are so happy y’all enjoyed it, Holly!!
One of my favorite recipes I make year over year!
That is so kind, Allison! We are so happy you love it!
Absolutely delicious!
Yay! We are so happy you enjoyed it, Naomi!
I love this recipe soooo much! I used the gluten free flour from Costco with a touch more milk and the dumplings came out perfect. I also used some homemade bone broth and it was so dang flavorful.
Yay! We are so glad you loved it, Tabitha! The homemade bone broth is such an amazing touch!
So delicious! The toddler, baby and husband all gobbled it up!
Wahoo!! That’s the best, Hailey! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
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?
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
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…..
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