Keto Chicken and Dumplings (Whole30 + Paleo)
Published Oct 23, 2020 Updated Jul 11, 2023
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Ok y’all, this may be my favorite recipe to ever hit the blog. I have worked and worked to make this Keto Chicken and Dumplings perfect and I finally got it right. I grew up eating chicken and dumplings on most fall and winter weekends growing up. Oh my goodness, my momma would make her dumplings using Bisquick and it was like eating a bowl of pure heaven.
My mom always kept her recipe pretty simple and didn’t include veggies like a lot of other recipe. Simply, broth, chicken, dumplings with salt and pepper. Y’all, it was simply amazing. So warming and comforting with very few ingredients. My goal was to create a recipe that would give me the same cozy feeling and I succeeded. This recipe is Whole30, Keto, Paleo, and Gluten/Dairy Free.
Click here to watch the FULL Keto Chicken and Dumpling step by step cooking video!
Ingredients needed for this Keto Chicken and Dumplings:
- Chicken breasts
- Onion
- Chicken broth
- Ghee
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Thyme
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Xanthan gum*
- Parsley
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Coconut milk
- Egg
How to make:
Stove Top Chicken Soup:
Soup:
Add a large pot of water with the chicken breast along with salt and pepper over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower the heat slightly. Allow this to simmer for 10-12 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken breasts. The internal temperature should be 165F. (Make sure not to over cook them or they will become rubbery).
Remove the chicken from the pot and pour out the water. Set the pot to the side. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Once cool, transfer the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred using a hand held mixer or a fork. (I find that the hand held mixer is a much easier way to shred chicken quickly). Transfer the large pot back over medium heat along with 2 tablespoons of ghee, minced garlic and the chopped onions. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent, around 3 minutes or so. Once the onions are cooked, add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, coconut milk and salt/pepper (I use 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper). Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Dumplings:
While the soup is simmering, to a large mixing bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, parsley, baking powder and salt/pepper. Mix together. Once combined, add in the large egg and coconut milk. Mix until it becomes a dough like mixture. Use your hands to form and pack the dough into 18-24 small or medium dumplings. Drop the dumplings into the simmering soup and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Make sure not to overcook or they will dissolve. Just heat them enough to cook through. Garnish with fresh thyme and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Version:
Add a small skillet over medium/high heat. Place the ghee, minced garlic and chopped onions in the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent, around 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken broth, raw chicken, salt/pepper, cooked onions, and garlic to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and allow to cool. Shred the chicken and then turn the heat up to high and add the coconut milk and dumplings to the slow cooker, allowing them to cook for 15 minutes, or until they’re cooked through. Garnish with fresh thyme and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure not to boil your chicken too long. This will make it rubbery.
- Use a hand held mixer for easy shredded chicken.
- When making the dumplings, you may have to press it in your hands a few times and pack it together to get a perfect ball. It may be crumbly at first but the more you pack it together, the better the ball form will be.
- Don’t cook the dumplings too long or they will dissolve. I always cook between 5-7 minutes.
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Keto Chicken and Dumplings (Whole30 + Keto)
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 3 pounds boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoons ghee
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Thyme for garnish
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk unsweetened
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Dumplings:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum*
- 1 tablespoon ghee melted
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup coconut milk canned unsweetened
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Stove Top Chicken Soup:
- Add a large pot of water with the chicken breast along with salt and pepper over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower the heat slightly. Allow this to simmer for 10-12 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken breasts. The internal temperature should be 165F. (Make sure not to over cook them or they will become rubbery).
- Remove the chicken from the pot and pour out the water. Set the pot to the side. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Once cool, transfer the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred using a hand held mixer or a fork. (I find that the hand held mixer is a much easier way to shred chicken quickly).
- Transfer the large pot back over medium heat along with 2 tablespoons of ghee, minced garlic and the chopped onions. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent, around 3 minutes or so. Once the onions are cooked, add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, coconut milk and salt/pepper (I use 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper). Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add in the 1/4 tsp xanthan gum. Mix together.
Dumplings:
- While the soup is simmering, to a large mixing bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, parsley, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt/pepper. Mix together. Once combined, add in the large egg, ghee and coconut milk. Mix until it becomes a dough like mixture. Use your hands to form and pack the dough into 18 medium dumplings.
- Drop the dumplings into the simmering soup (on low heat) and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, uncovered. Keep an eye on them as they cook and make sure not to overcook or they will dissolve, low heat is a must) Just heat them enough to cook through.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Version:
- Add a small skillet over medium/high heat. Place the ghee, minced garlic and chopped onions in the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent, around 3 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken broth, raw chicken, salt/pepper, cooked onions, and garlic to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and allow to cool. Shred the chicken and then turn the heat up to high and add the coconut milk and dumplings to the slow cooker, allowing them to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they’re cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure not to boil your chicken too long. This will make it rubbery.
- Use a hand held mixer for easy shredded chicken.
- Feel free to sub tapioca or arrowroot flour for the xanthan gum.
- When making the dumplings, you may have to press it in your hands a few times and pack it together to get a perfect ball. It may be crumbly at first but the more you pack it together, the better the ball form will be.
- Don't cook the dumplings too long or they will dissolve. I always cook between 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m a long-time keto recipe cook and I gotta say that this was pretty good… For a keto recipe. If u are expecting these to be glutenous, flour-based doughy dumplings they are not those… But they come close considering they are almond flour. They are a little sweeter and not as snooth (read: grit, because almonds.) but for standard keto fare, this is good.
I feel like there is some real opportunity to get adventurous and make some weird Asian/southern fusion with ginger and lemongrass here merely because the coconut flavors were really overpowering for me… But I like that weird stuff. The dumplings held together much more than I was expecting, but I did have a bit of rogue almond flour gritting up the broth by the end. Overall, I wish I could give this three and a half stars, but I’m rounding up to four because I want to experiment with it in the future… Just don’t expect your mama’s dumplings. 🙂
Definitely going to try this soon. Also, I love the soup crocks, can you share where they are from? Thx!