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Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings (paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)

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Happy New Year! I’ve been wanting to post this recipe for Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings for weeks now but haven’t because…

instant pot chicken & dumplings

I have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. (at least that’s what I think it is) Basically what that means is: every time I use my left arm it feels like it turns into a light saber, and I get terrible pain in my shoulder. This has clearly kept me from blogging, social media, and computering in general.

So in lieu of the usual lengthy introduction, I will just be posting a couple photos and the recipe; which you probably prefer anyway. But touch shit going back to rambling once my shoulder feels better.

instant pot chicken & dumplings

I hope 2019 is off to an excellent start so far!

 instant pot chicken & dumplings

Looking for other Instant Pot recipes? I’ve got a bunch!

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Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings

Instant pot chicken & dumplings
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4.7 from 11 reviews

The comfiest comfort food there is, made in no time at all in your Instant Pot! 

  • Author: Simone Miller
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter (ghee, or avocado oil)
  • 4–5 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound, scrubbed or peeled and sliced on the thick side (about 1/3–1/2 inch))
  • 3 stalks celery (sliced about as thick as the carrots)
  • 1 medium onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • leaves from 3 sprigs thyme (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • a few grinds of black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 whole (3-4 pound chicken, any excess fat cut off)
  • chopped fresh parsley and/or chives

For the Dumplings:

  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 3/4 cup cassava flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk

Instructions

  1. Turn the Instant Pot on the high setting of Sauté (hit Sauté and then adjust, if you have settings the same as mine). Once it reads HOT, add the butter, ghee, or oil.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and sauté for about 8-10 minutes, or until slightly browned and softened. Stir it into the fat initially, but resist the urge to stir too often; you want there to be a little browning for flavor.
  3. Once the vegetables are a bit browned, add the minced garlic, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, turmeric, and garlic powder. Sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.
  4. Add the whole chicken and 8 cups of cool filtered water.
  5. Hit Cancel to stop the Sauté function and lock on the lid to the Instant Pot, making sure the seal is securely in place, and the valve is set to sealing. Set it for 20 minutes on high pressure.
  6. After the time is up, hit Cancel and quick release the pressure, being careful of the steam that releases.  Once the lid unlocks, remove it.
  7. Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large plate or baking sheet. Allow to cool slightly before discarding the skin and removing and shredding the meat from the bones.
  8. Turn the Instant Pot back on Sauté / high to reduce the broth a bit while you make the dumplings.

To make the dumplings:

  1. Whisk together the almond flour, cassava flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the coconut milk to combine. Using wet hands, form the dumplings into tablespoon sized balls (they don’t need to be round). Once the dumplings are ready to cook, Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté / Low. Drop them into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken back into the soup. Serve garnished with fresh parsley and/or chives.

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Comments

  1. Looks delicious. If I were to leave the almond flour out, do you think I would get better texture from all cassava, or some cassava and some tapioca flour? Thanks.

    Reply

    • I would try with just cassava flour so they’re not too gummy. You might need to adjust the amount of coconut milk since cassava is pretty absorbent.

      Reply

    • I accidentally used cassava flour with the tapioca flour. It was one of those ‘long day at work and out of it’ days.

      I cooked it following the time that Simone mentioned and it was undercooked (but weirdly more-ish). Simone would likely know better than I but I think the cassava will need more time to cook. (I’m guessing it was the cassava since simone uses almond flour and tapioca in her recipe.)

      I’m going to make some more later using the right ingredients. This recipe by the way is divine even with me goofing by using cassava and undercooking the dumplings. Rectified dumplings here we come!! (that’s on my pm.m to do.)

      Reply

      • Oops! Sorry I meant that the accident was that I used tapioca instead of almond flour and it’s the tapioca that I believe makes the dumplings take longer to cook. (think of the bubbles in bubble tea – they’re made of tapioca starch) and the texture is that the dumplings are shinier and round. If you want to experiment with it, I almost want to say that it might work better to use more of the cassava and less tapioca so you don’t get as much of the chew and shine. That way it’s less bubble tea like. 🙂

  2. This sounds amazing! I’m allergic to coconut though. Would almond milk work? Or is the fat important and I should go for milk or cream?

    Reply

    • Hi! Two questions: If I substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken would the cook time remain the same? Also, I have tapioca flour & coconut flour (in addition to almond flour). Of the two, which would be a better sub for the cassava flour? (Or should I really just buy cassava?)

      Reply

      • If you use boneless, skinless breasts, you’ll wind up with chicken and vegetables in water, not soup – the bones in the whole chicken are what makes the broth. And the cook time would not be the same. I’ve never cooked boneless skinless breasts in water in the instant pot so have no idea how long it would take. And I’d use tapioca for the dumplings but can’t promise they’ll turn out right because every grain-free flour is very different.

  3. In your original recipe you add 3/4 cup coconut milk at the end…I’m assuming we would do the same here? Also no arrowroot in this one (chicken is coated in it in original) does that effect the consistency at all?

    Reply

    • I didn’t actually add coconut milk to this one, and it was still thick and creamy from the dumplings simmering in there at the end. This version is several steps fewer than the original, but I was really happy with how well it came out without the extra effort! I hope you love it if you try it 🙂

      Reply

  4. So, I’m curious about how the dumplings get cooked all the way through by just simmering in the broth on low for five minutes.

    Does that really do the trick? Also, they can’t possibly get brown at all, so I guess that’s not one of the goals here?

    I’m not a dumpling connoisseur — I probably haven’t had them in 30 years. But my recollection is of golden brown dumplings on top of the soup. No?

    Reply

    • Nope, it’s a simmer in the broth type dumpling. I don’t think baking them would really work but you’re welcome to try. They get a bit smaller while they simmer, but that thickens the soup which is nice. It’s real hard for me to do anything on the computer these days, Donna, so if I publish a blog post keep in mind it took a ton of effort and the recipe is written precisely how i think it’s best. You are always welcome to experiment. But I cannot reply to every comment that is questioning the quality of the recipe. I’m pretty sure you’re here because you’ve found my recipes to work?

      Reply

  5. I wonder if you could cook the dumplings separately — say on a baking sheet in a moderate oven — and then add them to individual bowls of soup as you served it.

    That way you could refrigerate the soup for a few days without the dumplings disintegrating in the liquid.

    Reply

  6. This looks so yummy! It’s been quite awhile since this Southern gal has had some chicken and dumplins’! 🙂 I hope you get to feeling better soon! Thanks for all you do!

    Reply

  8. Making this tonight for dinner. I had some Troy me finding cassava flour, so fingers crossed the dumplings still turn out ok. The recipe looks amazing! Thanks for converting it to IP!

    Reply

  9. I knew I would like this, but I really couldn’t believe how little self control I had while eating it! I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. It’s such a simple but comforting meal.



    Reply

    • So glad to hear it! And yes, but I’m not sure about adding time; with the instant pot, it doesn’t start the time until it comes up to pressure, so I think you’d keep the time the same, but it will take longer to come up to pressure.

      Reply

  11. This recipe is perfect! The dumplings weren’t what I was expecting but I am now a GF dumpling fan (just don’t boil them or they’ll start to shrink, oops). I made this recipe for the first time this Spring, tweaking a few ingredients because I didn’t have them along with accidentally shrinking the dumplings and it still turned out good…then I made it again last Sunday following the recipe exactly as written and it turned out GREAT to say the least, like I’m resisting not making this again today (one week later). Definitely a keeper!



    Reply

  12. Thank you for this recipe! I’m so looking forward to trying it. I LOVE chicken and dumplings. If I were to use just chicken breasts or chicken thighs rather than a whole chicken, would that be OK? I was thinking of putting in 3 pounds of chicken, just not a whole chicken, as I don’t have one on hand at the moment.

    Reply

    • We are definitely working with what we’ve got at the moment these days! If the chicken doesn’t have bones, the broth won’t have as much flavor, but the recipe will still work. If you have some chicken stock or broth in a carton, that would be a good addition. Or you might just want to taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Hope that helps, and that you love the recipe!

      Reply

      • Just wanted to give you an update. I made this tonight and used the leftover chicken stock we had in the fridge along with water. I also had some frozen chicken bones that I was saving for bone broth, so I added those to the pot and it turned out wonderfully! It brought back memories of when I used to eat this when I was eating gluten and it really satisfied my craving for this food. I was surprised with the texture of the dumplings. I was skeptical they would taste the same, but I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you again and I will be making this recipe whenever the craving strikes!



  13. Not that I’d dare tell the Paleo recipe goddess what to do, but I’ve had better luck with my dumplings if I make them right when the chicken goes in the instant pot and then chill them in the refrigerator before I cook them. They stay together a bit better.



    Reply

  14. Hi Simone. I’ve had trouble getting cassava flour in the UK but have tapioca flour – would that work as a straight swap…? If so I’m planning to give this a go tomorrow with leftover roast chicken. We all have back-to-school colds and it sounds just the ticket.

    Reply

    • hi Charlotte! For something like this, tapioca starch should work. It’s less absorbent than cassava flour, so you might need a bit more. Please let me know how it goes. I hope everyone feels better soon.

      Reply

  15. This is so delicious! It’s like a hug in a bowl. The dumpling flavor is amazing and adds great texture and seasoning. I think the dumpling recipe would make a great slurry for a dairy-free cream-based soup if you don’t want dumplings. Maybe omit the baking soda if you’re not making dumplings? I added a splash of sherry to the soup to finish it, and I had no regrets. I also added parsnips instead of celery because I’ve never met a soup or stew that didn’t benefit from the sweet earthiness of parsnips (and I’m allergic to celery). This is going into regular rotation during soup/comfort food season.



    Reply

  16. Love this!.. can u give a recipe for cashew cream as a substitute for coconut milk? I will be making this next week. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  17. I haven’t made this yet, but it looks really good! I am just wondering, after the whole chicken cooks are you removing any of the fat from the broth befoe it reduces? I imagine there must be quite a bit of fat in it. I know my stomach won’t be able to handle that, but I am wondering if you are removing some of it?

    Reply

    • You can definitely skim the fat off if there’s a lot of it. The end result is a thickened soup and it all sort of emulsifies in there and isn’t greasy, but if you think the fat will bother your stomach definitely skim it.

      Reply

  19. I love healthy comfort food and this really hit the spot! Great recipe and easy to make. The day after leftovers were actually twice as good! I want to make this again with a whole chicken as directed. I just used the package of chicken thighs I had on hand and reduced liquid to 6 cups and it still turned out great. I’m putting this in our rotation. Thanks so much for your time and effort putting this together! 🙂



    Reply

  20. YUM. I subbed King Arthur GF for the dumplings and they still turned out great. Never would have thought to use coconut milk and it worked really well.



    Reply

  21. My dumplings, most of them, fell apart 🙁 used canned coconut milk, everything as in the recipe. Very disappointed…



    Reply

    • That can happen if your boil is too strong. They’re meant to get a bit smaller, which helps to thicken the broth. Sorry you had a disappointing experience, especially since the other commenters didn’t seem to have the same issue.

      Reply

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