Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Grain-free dumplings have a reputation, and it is not a good one. Too many people have made a batch that disintegrated into the broth or came out tasting like the inside of a bag of coconut flour. These do neither. They hold their shape, they are genuinely soft, and they turn a good chicken soup into the kind of dinner you actually look forward to on a hard week.

The chicken thighs are doing more than filling the bowl: their connective tissue breaks down into glycine as it simmers, an amino acid researchers have connected to maintaining a healthy gut lining, the same lining that has to hold steady for an overactive immune system to find its way back to calm. Sage and thyme, added in with the vegetables, round the whole pot into something that smells like it has been on the stove far longer than it actually has.

The dumplings are the detail that makes this soup feel like more than survival food. Drop the dough in by the spoonful, cover the pot, and resist checking on it - a gentle simmer left alone is what keeps a dumpling holding its shape instead of dissolving into the broth. A little restraint, rewarded.

Ingredients

Chicken soup:

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion, diced
• Celery, diced
• Carrots, sliced
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Garlic, minced
• Sea salt
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Fresh sage, finely chopped
• Fresh thyme, finely chopped
• Sodium-free chicken bone broth
• Full-fat coconut cream, additive-free
• Chives, for garnish (optional)

Grain-free dumplings:

• Coconut flour
• Cassava flour
• Arrowroot flour
• Sea salt
• Baking soda
• Cream of tartar
• Full-fat coconut milk

Note: exact quantities are not included in the source archive file. See the source URL for amounts before scaling or publishing.

Method

Warm a generous pour of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to go translucent - about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the carrots and garlic and stir for another minute until fragrant. Nestle in the chicken thighs and season everything with salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, and thyme. Pour in the bone broth and bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken is fully cooked through and beginning to fall apart, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While the soup simmers, make the dumpling dough. Whisk together the coconut flour, cassava flour, arrowroot flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a bowl. Add the coconut milk and stir until a soft, scoopable dough forms. It should hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.

Lift the cooked chicken out of the pot and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the broth. Stir in the coconut cream and bring the soup back to a low simmer. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough into the simmering soup, keeping the heat gentle. Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are cooked through and no longer sticky on top.

Ladle into bowls and scatter chives over the top if using.

*Adapted from Heal Me Delicious*