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This low carb gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe from scratch has been on the reader request list for a while. It’s a comfort food many of you have told me you miss. And with the weather turning chilly, it’s the perfect time to add it to the list of comfort foods (cauliflower pizza or cheeseburger casserole, anyone?), keto soup recipes, and low carb Instant Pot recipes to make. I’m so excited to be bringing keto chicken and dumplings to life for you!
My husband’s (unprompted) reaction was, “This soup is incredibly good!” I hope that’s your family’s reaction, too.
What Is Chicken and Dumplings?
Dumplings can actually mean different things in various recipes. Sometimes they are kind of like pierogies, which are dough stuffed with a filling. But, in the case of a low carb chicken and dumplings recipe, they aren’t filled with anything.
An easy chicken and dumplings recipe is basically a soup, even though I’ve never actually seen it called that. For our gluten-free version, I suppose you could call it gluten-free chicken and dumpling soup.
Either way, it includes chicken, broth, herbs, spices, and some kind of dough boiled in the broth. The dough is what we call dumplings, and it makes up he most comforting aspect of the dish.
For gluten-free, low carb and keto recipes, the main issue with a traditional chicken and dumplings recipe is – you guessed it – the dumplings. But, I’m a firm believer that we can make almost anything low carb and keto.
What Dough To Use For Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings?
When making a regular, not gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe, the dough is typically a biscuit dough.
However, I don’t recommend using anything like almond flour biscuits for the low carb version. They are just a different texture, and would be more like soup soaked croutons than dumplings. They also fall apart pretty easily when added to a liquid like soup.
Instead, we are going to use fathead dough! You might have already seen it used in fathead pizza and fathead bagels and even fathead cinnamon rolls.
Fathead dough works perfectly for low carb dumplings as well, because it’s more stretchy and sturdy than other types of low carb dough.
Tips For How To Make Chicken and Dumplings Keto
To get your keto chicken and dumplings to come out right, here are a few tips…
Saute the veggies to your liking.
I put an estimate of ten minutes to saute he veggies, but it’s up to you! You can even caramelize the onions if you want to. I did less to save time. Here is how mine were done:
Familiarize yourself with fathead dough.
Fathead dough can get sticky if your kitchen is warm. If the dough is too sticky or difficult to work with, you can chill it in the fridge for about 20 minutes until it’s less sticky and easier to roll out.
If you haven’t worked with fathead dough before, make sure to check my other tips in my posts for fathead pizza here and fathead bagels here.
Roll the dough thinly and cut small strips.
If the dough is too thick, the pieces might not cook through as well before he outside starts to fall apart. Here is what the dumplings look like cut up before adding to the soup:
Add the dumplings a few minutes before serving.
Even though the gluten-free chicken and dumplings hold up better than other types of low carb dough, they can still start to disintegrate if they sit in the soup too long. It’s best to add them, cook for a few minutes, and then serve right away.
You can choose chicken broth or bone broth.
You can either use regular chicken broth or a mixture of it with chicken bone broth. It’s a great way to get in some extra collagen and nutrients!
Feel free to add a little cream.
If you prefer a creamy low carb chicken and dumplings soup, try adding a little cream toward the end. I omitted it and thought it was already delicious as-is!
Stove Top Alternative for Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
I really prefer this keto chicken and dumplings recipe in the Instant Pot. Pressure cooker chicken and dumplings are much faster than making them on the stove!
But, if you want to make this on the stove top, you can. The method is the same. Saute the veggies, add the chicken and broth, and cook them while you prepare the dumplings. Shred or chop the chicken, return to the soup, then add the dumplings and cook for a few minutes.
So, what’s the difference? It will just take longer to make on the stovetop. The chicken could take up to 30 minutes to cook through.
But, if you have pre-made shredded chicken, you can also use that here. In that case, you could make this Instant Pot chicken and dumplings recipe almost just as quickly on the stovetop. You’d still need a bit more time to simmer the whole soup together after adding the chicken.
Can You Make Keto Chicken and Dumplings Ahead?
Yes, you can make low carb chicken and dumplings ahead. The only caveat is the dumplings – you need to keep the dough separate. Simply heat the soup and drop in the dough to cook for a few minutes before serving.
It’s not recommended to store the soup with dumplings already in it, because they start to disintegrate. That being said, I did have leftover soup and my entire family (including the little ones!) happily ate it anyway. Disintegrated dumplings and all. 😉
How To Freeze Chicken and Dumplings
If you want to, you can freeze gluten-free chicken and dumplings. Just freeze the dough separately from the soup.
When you’re ready to serve, heat the soup until hot, then you can just drop in the frozen dumplings. There’s no need to thaw them. They’ll only need to cook for a few minutes, not much longer than fresh ones.
Keto Low Carb Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Tools To Make Low Carb Chicken and Dumplings
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot – The main tool we use to cook our low carb chicken and dumplings! It makes it super convenient to do everything in one place, and it saves time.
- Ladle – This one is both beautiful and functional. My favorite part is it’s very comfortable to hold.
- Glass bowl – Better than plastic if you use the microwave to melt the cheeses together for the dough.
- Double boiler – Another option for melting the cheeses together. If you prefer not to use the microwave, use this on the stove.
- Rolling pin & parchment paper – For rolling out the fathead dough.
Keto Low Carb Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Low carb keto gluten-free chicken and dumplings are comfort in a bowl! This Instant Pot pressure cooker chicken and dumplings recipe is easy and delicious.
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Set the Instant Pot to saute on high. Add olive oil, onions, carrots and celery. Saute for about 10 minutes, until tender.
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Add the Italian seasoning. Saute until fragrant.
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Add the (raw) chicken, chicken broth and bay leaves. Close and lock the lid. Set to Manual high pressure for 6 minutes. When the soup is done cooking, use the quick release to release pressure.
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Meanwhile, make fathead dough according to same directions and amounts as the fathead bagels recipe, except cut the recipe in half. (You can either enter "3" in the servings box for the bagels, OR make the whole recipe of dough but only use half of it for the keto chicken and dumplings.)
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If the dough is sticky, refrigerate it for about 20 minutes until firm. (This part is optional, and I usually skip it unless it's very warm.)
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Place the fathead dough between two pieces of greased parchment paper. Roll out to a rectangle, about 1/4 in (.5 cm) thick. Cut into strips, about 2 in (5 cm) long x 1/2 in (1 cm) wide.
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When soup is done and pressure releases, remove the lid. Remove the bay leaves.
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Remove the chicken and cut into bite size pieces (or shred). Return to the Instant Pot.
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Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode again. Add the dumplings. Stir for about 3 minutes, until cooked through.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1.5 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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46 Comments
Sarah
0Dumplings did not turn out, other then that good.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sarah, Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. I would like to help you troubleshoot if you could tell me what exactly was wrong with the dumplings?
Jamie
0I love Wholesome Yum and make your recipes all the time! I had a little bit of trouble with this one though. My stock had really good flavor, however my dumplings fell apart when I added them to the broth. Do you have any tips to help to prevent that? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jamie, Did you refrigerate the dumplings before adding to the soup?
Luanne
0Made this recipe stovetop. Browned cubed chicken with the sauteeing vegetables and substituted poultry seasoning. After reading the reviews of the dough falling apart, I rolled it into little balls and baked them first. It held up in the soup beautifully and added delicious flavor. Great recipes with that great comfort food feel. Thank you.
Gina
0The soup was great, but the dumplings all broke up in it.
Suzy Tritten
0I want to begin by saying you and I have a different definition for ‘dumplings’. What you call dumplings, I call noodles. To me, a dumpling is a small drop biscuit that is plunged into the boiling broth. Chicken and Dumplings used to be my all-time favorite meal. However, when I married my Yankee husband, we had to come to a compromise. He didn’t care for dumplings. 🙁
The compromise became chicken with Reims egg noodles.
Then, we decided to go low carb. This summer, Chicken and zoodles sufficed. It was a good, light alternative. Now, however, it is winter, and zucchini is out of season. And, zoodles wouldn’t replace those awesome egg noodles now that it is cold.
I was devastated. My go to winter meal,when I am feeling blue was gone forever.
Then, I literally stumbled onto this recipe. Would these noodles/dumplings bring my favorite comfort food back from the grave?
For the most part, it did. Like so many others, my noodles fell apart, just after hitting the liquid, even though I took the time to chill them. The meal was still quite good, but the hunt for a replacement noodle continues.
One poster asked about using gnocchi. I haven’t found a gnocchi recipe on this site. My husband’s thought is to bake the dough for a short time before cutting.
Any thoughts?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Suzy, That’s an interesting idea that could work really well! I have a gnocchi recipe in my Easy Keto Cookbook, but not one currently on the website.
Marina Gilbert
0I tried to make this recipe and my dumplings broke up in the broth. Please help! I use the the remaining rough for biscuits.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Marina, Yes, this will happen if you are making the dumplings a larger size. If you want to keep them whole, then I would make the dumplings smaller than directed.
Lisa Peace
0Excellent! Add heavy cream at the end. Dumplings dissolved so I think they need a little more almond flour and to be a little thicker. Delicious! Definitely making this again.
Kassidy Perkins
0What about using your gnocchi recipe for the dumpling part. Would they hold up better? We also like a creamier thicker soup, would a little cream and Xanthan gum help? If so, how much do you think?! Thanks so much! Love your recipes and your cookbook. It’s amazing! ready to try your new sweeteners!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kassidy, I have not tried that. I think the gnocchi might be too dense to use as dumplings, but please feel free to experiment and share your results with us! To make the soup thicker and creamier, yes, heavy cream (1/2 c) and xanthan gum (1/4 – 1/2 tsp depending how thick you want it) will help.
Siobhan
0Do you happen to know if the fathead dough recipe would work if the cream cheese was substituted with more mozzarella?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Siobhan, I think the recipe would still work without the cream cheese, but it offers a lot in the final texture of the bread.
Jaine
0We made this last night but had the same issue with them disintegrating almost immediately, even before they were all in. Although it didn’t look pretty, it tasted great.
Angi James
0So happy that I came upon your site. I’ve been cooking gluten free for over 20 years and growing up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, it took a lot of time to duplicate the rivals, dumplings, and pot pie dishes I have missed. I’m anxious to try this keto recipe. Your rolled and cut dumplings look like my pot pie noodles. So excited to try it!
Kevin
0I tried to make the dumpling part twice now. Both times the dumpling fell apart and disapated into the soup part.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kevin, the dumplings dissolve after a while so it’s best to eat pretty soon after adding them.
Bev
0I wasn’t expecting much when I decided to try this. I was pleasantly surprised. Made according to recipe. Hit a snag when rolling out dumplins. Kept sticking to parchment paper. Re-read instructions. I had missed the oil. Worked great. Left dumpling strips on bottom parchment and put in fridge for an hour on cookie sheet. When I put in pot they stayed together. Stirred gently and they turned out great. Broth excellent.
Jackie
0Yet again you give me a lifesaving recipe. Woke up feeling totally crummy and wanted comfort food but doing Keto…came here & found this amazing recipe. The dumplings did dissolve but next time I’ll try drying them in the fridge for a bit. Added a tsp of poultry seasoning and a tbsp of chipotle in adobo to the broth before pressure cooking. Seriously, heavenly…I’d want it over non-Keto Chicken and dumplings ;D any day and it took less than 30 minutes to make enough for multiple days…Can’t wait to try even more of your recipes!
Benji
0I followed the bagel recipe and the dough dissolved in the pot. What did I do wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Benji, The dumplings dissolve after a while so it’s best to eat pretty soon after adding them.
Sheryl
0Love the recipe! I don’t always have time to make the dumplings and was wondering if a nutritional breakdown is available for the soup without the dumplings…..Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you like the soup, Sheryl! Sorry, I don’t have macros available for just part of the recipe, so you’d have to enter the ingredients you used into an online calculator.
BJ
0Oh My!!! When I first saw this recipe I was in shock….My most favorite dish with so many memories of my Aunt who always made the most delicious Chicken & Dumplings for every family reunion….I immediately sent a copy to my 3 daughters because they love this dish also.
Ruthi
0I have a pasta maker. Can I use it instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ruthi, I don’t have one so haven’t tried that, sorry.
Lisa Bates
0Is there any way (or other recipe) to just drop the dumplings in the pot rather than rolling into strips??? Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, You can make the dumplings in different shapes if you want to. I found it’s faster to roll out and cut than it is to form individual dumplings, but either way should work.
Anna Jarvis
0My noodles just went to mush what did I do wrong any idea.
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Anna, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s best to add them, cook for a few minutes, and then serve right away. They can still start to disintegrate if they sit in the soup too long.
Kristen
0I made this last night, and my family loved it. This soup is delicious and filling. My dumplings looked like yours prior to putting them in the pot, but they mostly disintegrated when I stirred them in. Nonetheless, delicious flavor, even if it ended up more like rice than dumplings! Thanks for a great recipe–will definitely make again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Kristen! I’m glad you loved it. Sorry to hear the dumplings disintegrated… it might be just stirring too much, they are pretty fragile, but like you found I think the flavor is great and worth it. 🙂
Kay
0Well since I do not have an Instant Pot what is my alternative?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kay, Check the post above for the stove top alternative.
Chandra Cornwell
0For your chicken and dumpling recipe, can I use the stove or a Crock Pot, if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chandra, I haven’t tried the Crock Pot, but I have stove top instructions in the post above.
Marcy
0Is there a way to make the dumplings dairy-free? I was excited until I saw the ingredients
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marcy, Some readers have reported making fathead dough with vegan cheese products. Let me know if that works out for you!
Sandy Hollingsworth
0Can you still make the chicken and dumpling recipe without a pressure cooker? That’s one thing I don’t have.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandy, Yes, you can. I talked about that in the post above!
Carolyn Whitaker
0This sounds delicious but I can’t eat dairy products. Is there a substitute for the cheese?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carolyn, Some people have made fathead dough with vegan cheese products. I haven’t tried it, but have heard it works!
Carolyn Whitaker
0I will try to find the vegan cheese. I haven’t noticed any in the grocery store though. A lot of great sounding “bread” recipes seem to be using cheese.
Thank you very much for your reply!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You can try this bread – it has no cheese.