Classic and cozy, this recipe for Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings is full of delicious flavor. Packed with tender chicken, fresh veggies, and fluffy dumplings, it is the perfect comfort food for a chilly day.
Cozy and Delicious: Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
Is there anything cozier and more delicious than a hot bowl of gluten free chicken and dumplings on a cold day? If you follow a gluten free diet and have been missing your beloved chicken and dumplings this recipe is perfect for you.
WATCH: How to Make Chicken and Dumplings (Gluten Free)
I won’t lie, I wouldn’t categorize this recipe as “healthy” on the surface. It’s made with the real deal ingredients like butter and heavy cream. But, some classic recipes just need the flavor of real butter, you know what I mean? That being said, there is more to a “healthy” recipe than the ingredients. Some recipes are just good for the soul and that’s always healthy.
Chicken & Gluten Free Dumplings Ingredients
- Chicken breasts and thighs – he combination of both white and dark meat gives the soup a delicious flavor.
- Veggies – the classic veggie combination you would expect: carrots, celery, and onion.
- Low sodium chicken broth – I like to use low-sodium broth when cooking so that I can control the amount of salt in the dish.
- Herbs – bay leaves and fresh thyme give these chicken and dumpling the most amazing flavor.
- Heavy cream – this adds a delicious richness to the soup. You could of course use whole milk, half and half, or coconut milk if you prefer.
- Gluten free flour – to keep the gluten free dumplings gluten free, we’re using a gluten free flour. This is my favorite brand and the one I keep in my pantry at all times.
- Baking powder – this is necessary to ensure that the dumplings are fluffy and have a nice rise.
- Melted butter or ghee – chicken and dumplings is one of those recipes where you NEED that rich flavor that can only come from good butter. If you don’t have butter on hand you can use ghee. It also has that rich buttery flavor.
- Arrowroot starch – to thicken the soup up just a bit at the end.
How to Make Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
Step One: The first step in this recipe is to sear the chicken in one tablespoon of ghee or butter. While it might seam like an unnecessary extra step, searing the chicken is crucial to being able to develop flavor in the dish. Before searing, season both sides of the chicken liberally with a generous sprinkle of salt pepper for even more flavor. Remember, you don’t have to cook the chicken all the way through at this point, you just want to brown it on both sides before removing it from the pot.
Step Two: Once the chicken has been browned, and removed from the pan, add the other tablespoon of butter or ghee to the pot and then add the veggies and garlic. Sauté everything for a few minutes until the onion starts to become tender and everything is super fragrant.
Step Three: Now, add the chicken back to the pot, cover with the chicken broth, and add in your herbs. Simmer the soup for around 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through completely and is no longer pink.
Remove the chicken from the pot and then use two forks to shred the meat and then add it back to the pot. Next, stir in the heavy cream and arrowroot starch. Give the soup a taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Step Four: Next, make the gluten free dumplings. Start by adding the gluten free flour, salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to whisk the dry ingredients together. Next, add the chives, milk, and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined and you have a sticky dough.
Step Five: Bring the soup to a simmer and then use a small cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to drop the dough into the simmering soup. Once all the dumplings have been dropped into the soup, cover the pot with a lid and let the dumplings cook for ten to twelve minutes or until they are fully cooked through.
Step Six: Remove the lid, lower the heat, and stir in fresh parsley before ladling the chicken dumplings into bowl. Sprinkle on more fresh parsley and chives until serving.
Gluten Free Chicken and Dumpling Variations
- Add in extra veggies.
- Leave out the dumplings for a simple creamy chicken soup.
- Add more fresh herbs like rosemary or sage.
- Use leftover shredded chicken or turkey. After the soup has simmered, but before you have added the dumplings, stir in leftover shredded chicken or turkey.
Gluten Free Dumpling Recipe FAQs
Can I make this recipe dairy free?
Yes! You could substitute coconut milk instead of cream or milk.
Can I use coconut flour or almond flour to make the dumplings?
No. These dumpling will not work if you substitute the gluten free flour for coconut flour or almond flour.
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Get all of our reader favorite soup recipes, here!
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I hope you give this Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings a try! This recipe is so good and even more comforting.
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Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Classic and cozy, this recipe for gluten free chicken and dumplings is full of delicious flavor. Packed with tender chicken, fresh veggies, and fluffy dumpling, it is the perfect comfort food for a chilly day.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut cream
- 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- Fresh parsley, for serving
For the Dumplings:
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour (like Cup4Cup or King Arthur)
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups half and half (could use whole milk or full fat coconut milk)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, add one tablespoon of ghee or butter.
- Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and then add to the pot. Brown the chicken on both sides, for 3-4 minutes and then remove from the pot.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter or ghee to the pot. Next, add in the veggies and garlic. Sauté everything for a few minutes until the onion starts to become tender and everything is fragrant.
- Next, add the chicken back to the pot and then add the chicken broth and herbs. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the soup simmer until the chicken is cooked through completely and is no longer pink.
- Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the pot and discard. Remove the chicken from the pot. Use two forks to shred the meat and then add it back to the pot. Next, stir in the heavy cream and arrowroot starch. Give the soup a taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Now, make the gluten free dumplings. Start by adding the gluten free flour, salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to whisk the dry ingredients together. Next, add the chives, half and half, and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined and you have a sticky dough.
- Bring the soup to a simmer and use a small cookie dough scoop, or tablespoon, to drop the dough into the simmering soup. Once all the dumplings have been dropped into the soup, cover the pot with a lid and let the dumplings cook for ten to twelve minutes or until they are fully cooked through.
- Remove the lid, lower the heat, and stir in fresh parsley before ladling the chicken dumplings into bowl. Serve with fresh parsley and chives.
Man this was good! I never thought Gf dumplings could be sooo satisfying… it’s a hug in a bowl! Hearty and satisfying. Thanks Ashlea!
You’re welcome, Stephani! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Made this tonight with my parents and everyone loved it! Great flavor and nice for a cold day.
I’m so happy you loved it, Carly!
This recipe is soooo delicious! I’d never made chicken & dumplings before and was beyond happy at how it turned out. It’s the ultimate comfort food. I’m crazy about the recipes I’ve made off your site, so keep them coming!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Tiffany! Thank you for sharing!
Do you have any advice if I am looking to make this in an Instant Pot? I currently don’t have a pot big enough to make on the stove top, so the Instant Pot is my go-to.
So excited to try this recipe out!
Hi, Anna! I haven’t tried making this recipe in the instant pot. I’d recommend making it on stovetop as I’m not sure how the dumplings will hold up in the IP.
I have made this three times now and it’s a perfect Sunday evening meal! The taste and texture is perfect and it so comforting.
I’m so happy you love the recipe, Jen! Thank you for taking the time to leave to a review!
Brilliant little recipe with lots of comfort and taste. Will definitely be making into my regular rotation of favorites!
So happy you love it, Amy! Thank you for leaving a review!
This was hearty and delicious! Mine came out rather thick but I think that’s because my lid doesn’t fit on my pot correctly, oops!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Kaydence!
The soup base is wonderful! I did pack in veggies by adding in a full bag of frozen carrots and peas, added 1 more celery stalk and some kale.
However, I think I did something wrong with the dumplings- when I added the ingredients as listed, the dough was soupy, not sticky. So I added more flour until it was sticky (and looked like the photo on the recipe page) but it was still kind of loose. They were ok, but I don’t know if that’s because I messed them up or what happened.
Overall, still an excellent recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kimberann!
This was so simple to make and yet it felt like such a treat! Loved being able to use thanksgiving leftovers. My husband said the dumplings are like having a biscuit that soaked up all the juice haha. We loved it, thanks!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Maricela! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This was incredible! My husband, who had never had a chicken and dumpling soup that he liked, devoured and loved this. Even my two picky-eaters gobbled this up. Thank you so much for an easy-to-follow, intuitive-to-assemble, show-stopping recipe! I printed it and plan to put it on our regular winter rotation.
Yay! So happy to hear this, Jenna! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
This recipe was so tasty and such a great way to use up veggies from the fridge (I added some kale in addition to the carrots/celery/onions)! The gluten free dumplings were obviously the best part and were also so easy to make!! I also love that I have leftovers for tomorrow. Perfect cold-weather meal.
I’m so happy you loved the recipe, Simone! The addition of kale is such a great idea. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
By the way, I forgot to add that I used coconut milk all the way and it was delicious! I love the added deliciousness coconut milk can add. So if anyone out there is wondering, yes, coconut milk works wonderfully!
Thank you so much for sharing that helpful tip, Kathy! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
We actually had a chilly day here today and this sounded so good so I made it. It was delicious. True comfort food. I was just wondering if you might have any idea about the calories per serving? Thank you for sharing this. Everyone loved it.
You’re welcome, Kathy! Thank you for taking the time to share!
I’m supper stocked can’t wait to make this for my family
I hope you love it, Jaime!
This recipe totally hit the spot! It was everything I was hoping it would be. My five year old helped me make it, he loved dropping the dumplings in. Adding it to our meal rotation!!
So happy you loved it, Jamie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
This recipe was super simple and a great way to use our thanksgiving leftovers ! Will definitely make this base again
So glad you loved the recipe, Rachel!