This creamy gluten-free, AIP/Paleo Chicken and Dumpling Soup is rich and comforting. Made with juicy chicken thighs, fresh vegetables and grain-free dumplings, this hearty one-pot meal is wholesome and delicious.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe
Get cozy with a bowl of this nourishing AIP/Paleo Chicken and Dumpling Soup. It’s the perfect comfort food to keep you warm during the cold winter months!
Creamy chicken soup without dairy
That’s right! This Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipe is an allergy-friendly, AIP/paleo version of chicken and dumplings, so that means it’s completely dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. The trick is the full-fat coconut cream that makes this soup so thick and creamy without butter, heavy cream, evaporated milk or any other dairy! Don’t worry, there isn’t a strong coconut flavor here as it’s well balanced with the chicken stock or bone broth. I’ve used this technique in my White Chicken Chili recipe which has a similarly silky, creamy texture with a flavorful chicken base.
This chicken and dumpling soup recipe begins with an aromatic vegetable base of onions, celery and carrots which provides a wonderful depth of flavor. Chicken thighs with seasonings like garlic, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and fresh sage and thyme are added to the mirepoix to enrich the flavor profile. Chicken bone broth deepens the flavor, forming a liquid base for the soup which balances the full fat coconut cream to create a rich and creamy texture.
The gluten-free dumplings are the pièce de résistance of this hearty soup and take the comfort factor to another level! They’re made with cassava flour, coconut flour and arrowroot starch so they’re also nut-free and grain-free. The properties of these grain-free flours together with the baking soda, cream of tartar and coconut milk create the perfect texture for tender, moist and fluffy dumplings that rise while they cook!
Recipe Ingredients:
- olive oil
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- yellow onion
- celery
- carrots
- garlic
- sea salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- fresh sage
- fresh thyme
- chicken bone broth – you can use a store bought variety or make your own. I use sodium free bone broth, so this is something to keep in mind when adding the salt called for in this recipe. If you’re following AIP, ensure the ingredients are compliant.
- full fat, additive-free coconut cream
- chives – optional, for garnish
Gluten-free dumplings:
- cassava flour
- coconut flour
- arrowroot flour/starch
- sea salt
- baking soda
- cream of tartar
- full fat coconut milk – If you’re following AIP, ensure it’s additive-free.
Ingredient Substitutions
- I love the deeper flavor of dark meat in this chicken soup but you can replace the chicken thighs with chicken breasts if you prefer.
- I recommend using fresh sage and thyme for the best flavor and results, but dried herbs work if you’re in a pinch.
- I haven’t tried substituting the coconut cream with full fat coconut milk but suspect the broth will be thinner and less creamy.
- You can substitute the chicken bone broth with chicken stock.
How To Make Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Stovetop Instructions
Step 1: Make the Chicken Soup Base
First, in a large stockpot or dutch oven, cook onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until onions are translucent. Then, add garlic, chicken thighs, herbs and spices and cook about 5 minutes, browning the chicken on all sides. Next, reduce heat and add chicken broth. Allow to simmer 20-25 minutes.
Step 2: Make Dumpling Dough
While soup simmers, make the gluten-free dumpling dough in a large bowl. Combine the flours with the baking soda, cream of tartar, sea salt and coconut milk to make a soft dough.
Step 3: Shred Chicken
Then, transfer chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to soup.
Step 4: Add Coconut Cream
Add coconut cream and allow to come to simmer.
Step 5: Add Gluten-Free Dumplings
Next, spoon the dumpling dough into balls with a cookie scoop or large spoon and place into the simmering pot for 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Don’t overcook dumplings or else they will dissolve.
Step 6: Adjust to Taste and Serve
Taste and adjust salt as necessary. Finally, remove from heat. Garnish individual servings with sliced chives (optional).
Slow cooker/Instant Pot Instructions:
Making this chicken and dumpling soup recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot is really easy!
- First, use medium heat on your slow cooker or the Sauté function on your Instant Pot to sauté the aromatics and brown the chicken. (Follow Steps 1-3 from the recipe card below). This can also be done on the stovetop, before transferring to the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Next, add bone broth and cook on Low for 1 hour.
- Follow Steps 5-7 from recipe card in your slow cooker or Instant Pot:
- Make dumplings as described in step 5.
- Remove chicken, shred, and return to slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Add coconut cream and let simmer on Low.
- Lastly, add your dumplings at the very end and cook on High for 5-10 minutes. You don’t want to cook them too long, or else they will dissolve.
Variations to try
The grain-free and gluten-free dumplings created for this recipe are an AIP/paleo take on the more traditional style of chicken and dumplings.
Try these grain-free cassava flour dumplings from my Trinidadian-inspired Beef Stew and Caribbean-inspired Beef Soup for a Caribbean-style version of this dumpling soup recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of using butter and flour or heavy cream, this chicken and dumplings recipe relies on coconut cream to make it thick and creamy without dairy. Plus, the dumplings are made with coconut milk so they’re also dairy-free.
The coconut cream really is key to the amazing texture, and I promise it doesn’t leave a strong flavor in this soup. The coconut milk also helps bind the dumpling dough. If you’re looking for a coconut-free AIP/paleo soup, try my Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables.
If you’d like to try this soup without the coconut ingredients, it won’t be as rich and creamy as this version. You could try substituting the coconut cream with more bone broth and another type of milk that you can tolerate. Similarly, replace the coconut milk in the dumplings with another type of milk.
Refer to the Ingredient Substitutions section of the blog post for my suggestions.
While traditional recipes may use a roux base of butter and flour to create thickness, this dairy-free and grain-free chicken and dumplings uses coconut cream as a thickener. If you’d like even thicker soup, you can try adding a slurry with 1 TBSP arrowroot or tapioca starch with 1.5 TBSP cold water and whisk it into the soup just before taking it off the heat.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Fridge: Store this soup overnight in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat on the stovetop before serving.
Freezer: This soup freezes well! Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. I recommend defrosting in the fridge until liquid and then reheating on the stovetop before serving.
If you try this creamy AIP/Paleo Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipe I would love if you could give the recipe a star rating and short review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious
you’ll love these other comforting aip/paleo soups:
- Chicken and Pumpkin Soup
- Ginger-Garlic Pork Noodle Soup
- Turkey and Kale Soup
- Gingery Roasted Winter Squash Soup
you might enjoy these other cozy aip/paleo one-pot meals:
- Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Pork and Spinach
- Paleo Chili (AIP, Nightshade Free)
- AIP Lamb Curry with Cauliflower
Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This creamy gluten-free and dairy-free Chicken and Dumpling Soup is rich and comforting. Made with juicy chicken thighs, fresh vegetables and grain-free dumplings, this hearty one-pot meal is AIP, paleo, so wholesome and delicious!
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1.5 cups diced celery – about 3 large stalks
- 2 cups carrots sliced into 1/2 inch rounds – about 4 medium sized carrots
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 3 cups sodium free chicken bone broth (if following AIP, ensure ingredients are compliant)
- 2 cups full fat coconut cream, additive free
- chives, for garnish (optional)
Grain-free Dumplings
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup cassava flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar*
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- To a large stockpot or dutch oven, add olive oil and heat stove on medium heat.
- Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until onions turn translucent.
- Add chicken thighs, garlic, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sage and thyme. Stir the pot occasionally so that the chicken begins to brown on all sides (approximately 5 minutes).
- Reduce heat slightly and add sodium free chicken bone broth. Allow to simmer 20-25 minutes.
- While soup simmers, combine coconut flour, cassava flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and coconut milk in a large bowl to make a soft dough. If necessary, add additional coconut milk by the TBSP until a soft dough is achieved (see picture for reference).
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a bowl and use two forks to shred it before adding back to soup.
- Add coconut cream and allow to come to a simmer.
- Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, spoon the dumpling dough into balls and place into the simmering pot for 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Avoid overcooking the dumplings or they will dissolve**.
- Taste and adjust salt as necessary.
- Remove from heat and garnish individual portions with sliced chives, as desired.
Notes
*Don’t skip the cream of tartar here, it really helps create the fluffier texture of these dumplings. Alternatively, if you aren’t following AIP, you can substitute the baking soda and cream of tartar for 1 tsp baking powder.
**Dumplings will dissolve if overcooked.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Comfort Food
Hi, I haven’t made this yet. I really want to but when researching AIP, specifically Hashimoto’s disease, it says to avoid Cassava as it contains goitrogens and other things that can work against the thyroid. I wish there was another way to make the dumplings.
Hi amber, cassava is permitted on the AIP protocol. Both on core AIP and modified AIP. You can read more about the AIP protocol here: https://healmedelicious.com/aip-diet-food-list/
Overall I think this recipe is great. Loved the flavor & it wasn’t too complicated. I’m not sure what I did, but the dumplings didn’t come out right. Gonna try this again in a week or two & see if I can make the dumplings work.
Amazing dish! I added a little more broth and the whole can of coconut cream. I also used Siete almond flour tortillas instead of making the dumplings.
Delicious!!
Incredible. My friends were shocked it was not made with cream and the dumplings were gluten free? Mind-blown. This is such a flavorful meal. Thanks for making healing food taste exciting! I’ll be checking out all of your recipes now.
This was really good! i had read all the other comments about the dumplings not coming out right and i was a bit leary about it. I went ahead and made the soup anyway and the dumplings came out just perfect! The soup flavor is delicious and was a hit! We made the dumplinga the size of a bouncy ball you’d get out of the 25 cent machines abd then smashed them a little so theyd cook through. We had also forgotten to add the coconut cream to the pot, so we added it after everything else was cooked. The dumplings didnt dissolve abd everything tastes great! oh! we also used chicken breast that i cut into chunks instead of whole chicken thighs. yum!
Everything tasted great except for the dumplings. The dumplings had a grainy texture and somewhat doughy after cooking for 10 minutes.
I cooked this tonight, and it’s absolutely delicious! Only thing I did differently was add butternut squash. The dumplings turned out perfectly. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ve been mostly AIP for about a decade now and this was by far the most enjoyable soup I’ve had yet! And my non-paleo kids loved it too!
Everything about this recipe is so delicious except I probably will try a different dumpling recipe. The dumplings had a little bit too much coconut flavor for me and I love coconut but just not in a dumpling lol thank you for creating a wonderful recipe.
Hi, when freezing this recipe is it better to freeze with the dumplings in the soup or freeze them separately? We are trying for the first time tonight and it smells delicious so far!
Thanks,
Hi Sarah, you can freeze and reheat together!
This is my favorite soup at the moment! I could eat it every day! The dumplings are phenomenal, just don’t make them enormous. The flavors are wonderful and everything melds together perfectly.
LOVED this dish! I am not a particularly good cook but this recipe was manageable and the result DELICIOUS. I’ve been in elimination phase of AIP for almost two months and I was so craving something warm and creamy and comforting and this definitely fit the bill! I didn’t get the dumplings quite right but they were still good and the soup was excellent.
Made this tonight! So much flavor! Like Olivia, I struggled with the dumplings a bit too. I do t think mine were cooked all the way through. I didn’t add any additional coconut milk to the dough mixture. I was slightly crumbly, but soft and formed well. Wasn’t sure exactly what the texture should be like. I had the temp at a hearty simmer (low boil), and cooked them for 8 minutes. Any advice? I will definitely make this again!
Thanks for your review, Lisa. If they aren’t disintegrating then keep cooking a bit longer until they’re cooked through – or make them smaller!
Delicious! You and your website have saved me as I’ve navigates the AIP elimination diet! Thank you! ❤️
Felt like comfort food to me! so buttery and rich with all of the cleanest ingredients. My first recipe I have made of yours. I am so excited to try many more!
I can’t seem to cook through the dumplings and yet being mindful of the warnings of overcooking them, I feel I was eating them uncooked. It says cook them in the simmering pot. Is the heat on high while the dumplings are cooked?
Hi Olivia, you can turn the heat up if your dumplings aren’t cooked after 10 minutes, or try making them smaller – but definitely cook them all the way through!
This is DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I added in some minced fresh ginger and a splash of lemon juice – just personal preference in any chicken soup I made. The little “carb balls” aka dumplings are soooooo good. It feels so indulgent that it’s hard to believe it’s good for those of us with food sensitivities!
I’m so glad you enjoyed and love those additions! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Nicole, this recipe looks amazing. I have been looking for clean ingredient dumplings for years. I didn’t know you had the other recipe that you mentioned in the post for them using cassava flour as well – I’ll have to check that out.
My question on these is if you store the dumplings in the soup do they continue to soak up the liquid in the soup like my cassava pasta does? Maybe the dumplings should be stored separately..? Thanks in advance.
Hi Holly, they store just fine in the fridge, it’s the heat and cooking of them too long that will cause them to break down so no worries there. Enjoy!
Nicole, this is an outstanding recipe! It’s rich and savory and those dumpings..Holy Cow, they are SO delicious! This recipe will cure any carb and comfort food cravings for sure. Thank you once again for sharing such unique and incredibly tasty creations.
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Holly! Thanks for your review!