Delicious Low-Carb Keto Chicken and Dumplings Recipe – Comfort Food Reinvented!

Who craves a creamy, comforting bowl of Chicken and Dumplings? This easy keto chicken and dumplings recipe offers a low-carb twist on a beloved classic. This recipe adapts the traditional dish for the ketogenic diet, replacing all-purpose flour with almond flour and coconut flour. It's a hearty and satisfying meal that fits into a low-carb lifestyle.

The Allure of Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is a dish with roots stretching back to the Great Depression era. The idea was to fill the bellies of the entire family cheaply. It is believed that the dish originally came from Germany, where they used a type of egg noodle as a dumpling. Many countries have their own version of the dish, in the United States slow cooker chicken and dumplings originated in the South.

Why Keto Chicken and Dumplings?

Traditional chicken and dumplings are made by cooking chicken in water, then using the resulting chicken broth as both the base of the soup and to cook the dumplings. The classic dish consists of dumplings, a biscuit style dough placed on top of a stew or soup and steamed. When covered the heat cooks the dumplings from the top and bottom. The steam creates a light and fluffy texture, however they can have a bit of a mushy mouth feel.

A traditional serving of chicken and dumplings packs a whopping 25g of carbs per serving, typically a large scoop of the stew with one medium dumpling. This keto chicken and dumplings recipe has 5 net carbs per serving and allows about 4 dumplings (though smaller).

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken: The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. When making this crockpot meal, you should opt to use dark meat chicken thighs over cuts of white meat like the breast. Plus I find that they’re just plain tastier!
Flour: Traditional dumplings are much higher in carbs than the ones in this recipe. To keep the carbs low, the traditional all-purpose flour used to make dumplings has been replaced with a combination of almond flour and coconut flour.
Vegetables: Chopped carrots and celery are traditional ingredients in chicken and dumplings. To keep the carbs low, the recipe doesn't call for carrots and celery. If you would prefer to have these in the dish, add 4 each of carrots and celery stalks (or less), chopped, to the onions when sauteeing.
Dairy: To keep the soup as more of a broth than a thick creamy mess, avoiding any 'cream' dropped the calories drastically. The recipe includes heavy cream and cream cheese to help increase the fat content.

Making Keto Chicken and Dumplings in a Crock-Pot

This slow-cooker version takes out a few of those extra steps you might not feel like dealing with and is proof that sometimes food tastes even better when you didn’t have to put in quite so much effort.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Chicken and Vegetables: You can begin by placing the chicken thighs into the slow cooker and then adding in the chopped onion, celery, carrots, minced garlic, dried thyme, basil, and oregano, the bay leaf, and finally, the chicken stock. It may seem like an awful lot of ingredients but they definitely all pay off.
Slow Cook: Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Slow cook all of these ingredients for about four-and-a-half hours, and then remove the chicken.
Shred the Chicken: Using two forks, shred the chicken and then add it back into the crockpot before stirring everything.
Add Creaminess: Next, get a small bowl and combine the cream cheese and heavy cream. This mixture of common keto ingredients serves two purposes - it adds even more great taste to the chicken meal, and it really helps to increase the fat content.
Prepare the Dumplings: Meanwhile, In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, xantham gum, baking powder, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, and the egg. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough (don't overmix).
Cook the Dumplings: Drop the dumplings (one or two at a time) directly into the soup. Continue to cook everything in the crockpot while you make the dumplings next. They’re super easy to make; just mix together your ricotta cheese, a single egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Continue to cook everything in the crockpot while you make the dumplings next. After adding your dumpling dough mixture into the crockpot, allow it cook for another 60-90 minutes before serving.
Serve: Turn the temperature setting to "keep warm" or off completely.

Detailed Crock-Pot Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and, when it's shimmering, add the onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more, stirring frequently.
Place the onion mixture into the crockpot. Add the chicken and broth, then stir gently.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, xantham gum, baking powder, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, and the egg. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough (don't overmix). Using your hands, form the dough into 1-inch dumplings, pressing them well several times each to make sure they're packed well (this will help prevent them from falling apart when cooked).
Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and either cut into bite-sized pieces or shred it. Return the chicken to the crockpot. Add the salt, pepper, and heavy cream to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Reduce the heat to low.
Drop the dumplings (one or two at a time) directly into the soup. Cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes, just until cooked through.
Turn the temperature setting to "keep warm" or off completely.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Stovetop Instructions

Heat a stockpot over medium heat. Add the oil and, when it's shimmering, add the onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more, stirring frequently.
Place the chicken in the pot and pour the chicken broth over the top. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and either cut into bite-sized pieces or gently shred it. Return the chicken to the stockpot.
Allow the soup to gently simmer while you make the dumplings.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, xantham gum, baking powder, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, and the egg. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough (don't overmix). Using your hands, form the dough into 1-inch dumplings, pressing them well several times each to make sure they're packed well (this will help prevent them from falling apart when cooked).
Add the salt, pepper, and heavy cream to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Reduce the heat to low.
When the soup is at a very low simmer, drop the dumplings (one or two at a time) directly into the soup. Cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes, just until cooked through. Alternatively, you can turn off the heat just before adding the dumplings to ensure they don't get overcooked and fall apart.
Serve immediately.

Instant Pot Instructions

Press “Sauté” to preheat your Instant Pot. When the word “hot” appears on the display, add the oil. When it's shimmering, add the onions to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring frequently. Turn off the Instant Pot.
Add the chicken to the pot and pour the broth over, taking care that all the chicken is submerged. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Press “Manual” and immediately adjust the timer to 10 minutes. Check that the cooking pressure is on “high” and that the release valve is set to “Sealing”.
Meanwhile, In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, xantham gum, baking powder, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, and the egg. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough (don't overmix). Using your hands, form the dough into 1-inch dumplings, pressing them well several times each to make sure they're packed well (this will help prevent them from falling apart when cooked).
When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the IP and gently stir. Add the salt, pepper, and heavy cream to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Press "Sauté" and make sure it's set to low.
Drop the dumplings (one or two at a time) directly into the soup. Cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes, just until cooked through.
Turn off the Instant Pot or set it to "keep warm". If you prefer a thicker soup, sprinkle ½ teaspoon xantham gum over the surface of the soup after cooking, then stir it in (before adding the dumplings).

Tips for Perfect Keto Dumplings

Press the Dumplings: Be sure to press the dumplings into your hands several times when forming them.
Don't Overcook: Don't overcook the dumplings! Take care to cook the dumplings just before serving, and don't cook them too long or they could dissolve into the soup.
Coconut Flavor: A small few have mentioned they can taste the coconut in the dumplings, which I've personally never noticed, but it's something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to that particular flavor. The last thing I'd want is for you to spend time making a recipe and not have it be something you'd enjoy and make again and again!

Serving Suggestions

Chicken and dumplings is a full rounded meal that does not need sides. But, Here are a few great sides dishes to compliment this dish. Please MAKE NOTE, some are keto and some are not.

Keto Stuffing Recipe - on the side OR spoon the stew right over it in a bowl for a Thanksgiving style flavor and feel. Yum.
Air Fryer Broccoli or Broccoli Tender , adding a vegetable like broccoli will lighten up the dish a bit.
Instant Pot Turtle Cheesecake- not one of the chicken and dumplings sides but in my opinion dessert is necessary. This is NOT keto. Use the search for our keto cheesecakes.
For a pretty presentation, you can sprinkle some fresh parsley over your chicken and dumplings. I like to serve a green salad with all of our favorite toppings as a starter for this dish. If you’d like, you can serve this dish with a side of keto cornbread or English muffins. You can also serve it with a side of any low carb cooked vegetables. Some great choices include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green beans, and spinach. You can also serve this dish with a side of mashed cauliflower, mashed kohlrabi, or mashed turnips and rutabagas, then use the broth in the dish as gravy.

Storage and Reheating

Freezing: Yes! You can freeze this dish by spooning it into freezer safe container(s) and placing it in the freezer once cooled. Use within 2 months.
Reheating: To reheat from the refrigerator, you can either heat individual servings in the microwave 1 minute at a time OR put in a sauce pot and reheat on low right on the stove. To reheat from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator first then proceed with above.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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