Try this gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe for a taste of delicious comfort food! This recipe is also dairy-free and egg-free.
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Chicken and dumplings is a dish of ultimate comfort food. A rich creamy soup with veggies with delicious fluffy dumplings baked right on top. This is perfect cold weather food that warms you from the inside out.
My son saw a photo recently of chicken and dumplings in a cookbook and has been begging me for a few weeks to try my hand at making this dish for him.
Since I’m not one to say no to a challenge, I decided I was going to make this dish gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. If I’m making a delicious meal, I better be able to eat it too!
Making chicken and dumplings is pretty simple: make the chicken, make the soup, add the dumplings, and finish cooking either on the stove or in the oven.
A little more detail is warranted, I know. This dish is traditionally heavy on the gluten and dairy, so making chicken and dumplings without it, in theory, could be pretty tricky.
But I rose to the occasion, and I’m happy to say I’ve come up with a great recipe that is not only insanely delicious, but it’s not all that difficult or time-consuming to make either.
Let’s go over some of the basics of swaps I made, then I’ll share just how this meal comes together.
Are dumplings gluten-free?
Before we talk about how to make this delicious dish, let’s first talk about why you’d want to make it.
Most dumplings in a chicken and dumplings recipe contain all purpose flour, which is made from wheat. This ingredient makes a traditional recipe not a good option for a gluten-free diet.
You’ll want to ensure your chicken and dumplings recipe is gluten-free by using the following swaps.
Read on: Are dumplings gluten-free?
How to make chicken and dumplings gluten-free
To make chicken and dumplings gluten-free, you’ll want to be sure you’re using a gluten-free flour to thicken your soup. This creates an almost gravy-like quality to your chicken and veggie soup that is so so good with the dumplings.
To make the dumplings gluten-free, you have two options: make gluten-free dumplings from scratch or get a little help from the store.
When it comes to making dinner on weeknights, I am on board with getting help from the store as long as it allows me to stick with my gluten and dairy-free diet, AND the shortcut doesn’t break the bank.
For this recipe, I decided to use gluten-free Bisquick mix, because it was just one less step of effort on my Wednesday night dinner.
This is a great option to use for my gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe, so I don’t have that additional step of gathering and combining dumpling ingredients from the pantry.
Gluten-free Bisquick mix is made of: rice flour, sugar, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), modified potato starch, salt, and xanthan gum.
With this ingredients list, I can see that this shortcut is not only gluten-free, but also dairy-free! Woohoo!
Read on: Does chicken have gluten?
Read on: 25 Gluten-free chicken recipes
How to thicken chicken and dumplings
One thing that you might be wondering if you’re considering making gluten-free chicken and dumplings is “how can I thicken this dish without flour?”
I was able to thicken the chicken soup in this recipe using a gluten-free flour blend in place of normal white flour. More specifically, I used King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-free Flour Blend, my go-to gluten-free flour for baking and cooking.
If you are looking for a way to thicken your chicken and dumplings without gluten-free flour, another option is to create a slurry with cornstarch and water and add that mixture to your soup to thicken the dish.
Be sure the slurry is made with cold water, then as the soup warms the cornstarch, it will thicken.
How to make chicken and dumplings dairy-free
To make chicken and dumplings dairy-free, you’ll want to be sure you use dairy-free milk where you would find milk in a traditional recipe. The soup and dumplings will require a dairy-free milk.
Try almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk as a dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk in this recipe – any of these options will work. You can also try a different dairy-free milk if you have that on hand.
The other places you’ll want to make swaps for dairy are where you’d use butter in a traditional chicken and dumplings recipe. This would be the fat that you use to saute the vegetables, as well as what is used in the dumplings.
Read on: 25 Gluten-free Chicken Soup Recipes
How to make chicken and dumplings without eggs
You can make dumplings with gluten-free Bisquick mix using eggs or omitting them from the recipe entirely. I am also intolerant to eggs, so I found a way to make these dumplings without them.
While a traditional recipe would call for an egg in dumplings, I found it made no difference in the taste or flavor keeping them out. If you’d like to use eggs in your dumplings, it will also taste great.
Ingredients for gluten-free chicken and dumplings
Now that you know all the swaps and substitutions I made to make this chicken and dumplings recipe without any gluten, dairy, or eggs, let’s talk about which ingredients you will want to have on hand to make this recipe come together.
Cooked Chicken Breasts
You can make this recipe using raw chicken breasts and sauteing them in the pot before you get on with the rest of this recipe.
However, I found it easier for me to precook the chicken breasts in my Instant Pot so I could shred the chicken and add it to the pot while it was cooking.
This option allowed me to save a little time during the dinner time prep, since I cooked up the chicken earlier in the day. You could even do this the day before if you wanted to prep ahead, or make extra chicken for other meals during your week.
Gluten-free Bisquick Mix
This gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe comes together quickly with a little help from the store.
I like using gluten-free Bisquick mix, because it saves me a step of having to make my dumplings from scratch: gathering ingredients from the pantry and combining them.
You can definitely make your own gluten-free dumplings from scratch if that’s something you’re interested in or have extra time for. The rest of the recipe will work if you want to use a different dumpling option.
Chicken Stock
I use a mixture of chicken stock and dairy-free milk for the liquid in this soup. I love the flavor the chicken stock provides, and the creaminess that comes from the dairy-free milk. Be sure to use a chicken stock brand that is gluten-free for this dish.
Read on: Is chicken stock gluten-free?
Dairy-free Milk
To make this recipe dairy-free in addition to being gluten-free, I’ve swapped regular cow’s milk for dairy-free milk in a traditional recipe. You can use whatever dairy-free milk you have on hand.
For this recipe, I used canned coconut milk, because I had it on hand and I like the thicker texture and creaminess of it for this dish.
Vegetables
You can use whatever vegetables you love in your chicken and dumplings recipe. I used chopped carrots, onion, celery, frozen peas, frozen corn, and frozen green beans, because I had them on hand.
I’ve seen other recipes use bagged frozen vegetables with carrots, peas, and corn. This is a great way to save a little more time and effort, so if you’re looking for one more shortcut this is a good option!
Herbs
To give this dish loads of flavor, add some fresh or dried herbs. Fresh herbs will lend the most flavor to the dish, but if you only have dried herbs on hand (like I did), then these will work great too. If you don’t like some of the herbs listed, feel free to omit them.
I made the recipe with the intention that you can pick and choose the herbs you like or have on hand. Parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and sage will all be delicious in this dish. Use half the amount if you are planning to use dried herbs instead of fresh.
Vegan Butter or Olive Oil
You can choose either vegan butter or olive oil for the fat the vegetables cook in. I chose vegan butter because it adds that butter-like flavor to the dish. You’ll want to use vegan butter for the dumplings to give them the extra buttery flavor.
Read on: Dairy-free Butter and Butter Substitutes
How to make gluten-free chicken and dumplings step by step
It’s simple and easy to make gluten-free chicken and dumplings. With about an hour and a few ingredients, you can enjoy this delicious comfort food that will warm you up and fill your belly.
Soften the vegetables
In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.
Add the gluten-free flour
Add the gluten-free flour to the pot, and stir in with the vegetables. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the liquid, chicken, and seasonings
Add the chicken stock or broth, dairy-free milk, cooked chicken, salt, pepper and herbs to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the soup has thickened.
Make the dumplings
Keep the soup simmering as you make the gluten-free dumplings. In a bowl, add the gluten-free Bisquick mix, dairy-free milk, and melted vegan butter. Stir to combine, but don’t over mix.
Add the dumplings to the soup
Scoop the dumplings from the bowl and gently drop them into the soup using a rounded spoonful or cookie scoop. Lower the heat to low, and cook the soup uncovered for 10 minutes.
Finish cooking the dumplings
Cover the pot and cook for 15 more minutes to finish cooking the dumplings.
Serve and enjoy
Serve each bowl of soup with a few dumplings and loads of chicken and vegetables.
Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings (Dairy-free, Egg-free)
Try this gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe for a taste of delicious comfort food! This recipe is also dairy-free and egg-free.
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, shopped
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen green beans
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour blend
- 3 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups dairy-free milk
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh herbs, your choice OR ½ tbsp dried herbs, your choice
Gluten-free Dumplings
- ¾ cup gluten-free Bisquick pancake and baking mix
- ½ cup dairy-free milk
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.
- Add the gluten-free flour to the pot, and stir in with the vegetables. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock or broth, dairy-free milk, cooked chicken, salt, pepper and herbs to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the soup has thickened.
- Keep the soup simmering as you make the gluten-free dumplings. In a bowl, add the gluten-free Bisquick mix, dairy-free milk, and melted vegan butter. Stir to combine, but don't over mix.
- Scoop the dumplings from the bowl and gently drop them into the soup using a rounded spoonful or cookie scoop. Lower the heat to low, and cook the soup uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Cover the pot and cook for 15 more minutes to finish cooking the dumplings.
- Serve each bowl of soup with a dumpling or two and loads of chicken and vegetables.
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If you love the comfort food of chicken and dumplings, I hope you love this recipe that’s been made gluten and dairy-free. This is perfect for cool winter days when you want a meal that will warm you and your belly up.
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