Southern chicken and dumplings in a bowl - feature image for this post

Southern Low Carb Chicken and Dumplings

This Southern low carb chicken and dumplings recipe is full of old fashioned flavor. My dish has everything about traditional southern chicken and dumplings that you love and leaves out the pesky carbs. Whip up a pot of this home cooked comfort food and enjoy!

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Southern low carb chicken and dumplings that I made in a shallow bowl and a light blue napkin.
Southern low carb chicken and dumplings. Delicious comfort food.

How many carbs are in chicken and dumplings?

With just 3 net carbs there’s no reason not to make this chicken recipe often. Although this dumplings recipe calls for chicken breast you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs for even more flavor. With a low carb count, it’s an easy keto meal to make.

PLEASE NOTE– This recipe contains a small amount of gluten which does not add carbs. While it’s fine for a low carb or keto diet, those who are allergic to gluten or have celiac disease should not eat this dish.

For this recipe you’ll need: eggs, cream cheese, wheat gluten, herbes de Provence, olive oil, chicken breast, 0 carb chicken stock, onion, celery, salt, pepper, heavy cream, and butter.

What is chicken and dumplings?

I nearly fell over after tasting this recipe because these low carb chicken and dumplings are about the best thing I’ve had on a fork lately. The chicken breast cooks up SO tender that it shreds. The dumplings are chewy and soak up the flavor of the sauce. The sauce is rich and creamy. I’m telling you this is real keto comfort food.

I love Southern food. The sad thing is that Southern food is usually pretty heavy in the net carbs department and it doesn’t always lend itself to low carb (or keto or low fat) lifestyles. This recipe is exactly that, a southern comfort food dish that apparently came out during hard economic times (like now for instance?). The ingredients are low cost and the meal is filling in case you have to go plow the fields later.

I’ve been working on this recipe on and off for about a year but I couldn’t get the dumpling part perfect. If they were too thin the recipe came out like chicken and noodles. If the dumpling came out too thick they had a weird texture. Add to that the frustration of getting a thick creamy sauce and I was ready to give up many times.

I even tried using coconut flour and almond flour for the dumplings recipe and they were a disaster. Weird tasting and weird texture.

I’m glad I didn’t give up and hopefully you will be, too.

Southern low carb chicken and dumplings that I made in a Bowl With a Silver Fork in It.
So tasty and easy to make !

How do you make keto chicken and dumplings?

This recipe for Southern low carb chicken and dumplings is not difficult to make but there are a few things to be aware of.

  • There is no substitute for the gluten. I’ve had a lot of people say that they used this or that but so far nothing works as well as the gluten. Gluten is wheat protein, it’s not a carb. I use only a small amount and it doesn’t add carbs. If you are not allergic this will not kick you out of ketosis so your keto efforts will not be sidetracked. Oh and gluten free chicken isn’t a thing since meat doesn’t have wheat in it.
  • A very surprising thing is the time it takes for the liquid to evaporate can vary a lot, even from one day to the next. Keep an eye on it and simmer as long as it takes to keep the finished dish from becoming dumpling soup.
  • If you’d like to add some sliced carrot you can. Be careful of the amount and the carbs.
  • While I like chicken breast for this, for more flavor you can use chicken thighs. They have a bit more saturated fat but your body is running on fats when you are on a keto diet. Since my family loves the dark meat on a rotisserie chicken, the chicken breast is left over to use.
  • Some chicken stock brands have carbs. Some do not. Make sure to read the labels carefully.
  • This will keep overnight in the refrigerator but don’t try to freeze it. I tried it and it was just weird in texture after.
  • You want the dumpling dough to be a little thick but not so thick they it has a spongy texture. You may need to try a couple of different sized pans to get the thickness you prefer. I found that an 8?8-inch square works best for me.
  • Don’t overcook the dumplings. They’ll be really weird in texture.
  • You can use more chicken to create a bigger, heartier meal without adding net carbs. This was perfect for 2 meals for me.

Recipe Variation for Chicken and Dumplings

You can make this into a creamy keto chicken enchilada casserole by adding chiles in place of the celery, cumin in place of the herbes de Provence, and stirring in about 2 tablespoons of sour cream at the end. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cilantro and some grated cheddar cheese on top before serving.

Closeup of Low Carb Southern Chicken and Dumplings in a Bowl.
The herbes de Provence add amazing flavor while making this recipe beautiful

Step by Step Images

Here are some images that will help you visualize how the dish comes together and looks at different stages. The first image is a picture of the keto dumplings after they’ve come out of the oven and as they’re being cut. You can see that I made them about 1/2-inch thick.

Low Carb Dumplings Have Come Out of the Oven.

Next, the cut up dumplings go into the pan with the onion, celery, and chicken. They’ll simmer in the chicken broth to pick up more flavor and absorb some of the liquid.

Pieces of Chicken and Squares of Dumpling in a Saute Pan

Once the keto dumplings and chicken have simmered in the broth AND the broth is almost completely evaporated, it’s time to add the cream mixture.

Butter, Cream, Stock, and Cream Cheese Are Added to the Pan.

The ingredients are simmered in the pan until the cream mixture reduces and coats the cooked chicken and dumplings.

Cream Mixture Is Reduced Until It Has Thickened and Clings to the Chicken.

At that point it’s finished and time to eat!

A tarnished silver fork is in a bowl of Southern chicken and dumplings - recipe image

Wheat gluten is a wheat protein that works to keep these noodles together. It gives texture as well as structural support so they don’t fall apart during the simmering stage. You don’t use much and a bag of it will last forever in the freezer.

Southern Low Carb Chicken and Dumplings

Southern chicken and dumplings in a bowl - feature image for this post

This Southern chicken and dumplings recipe is sure to be one of your favorites. Want to make more? You can slide the number of Servings up and it will change the amounts in the ingredients. Place your cursor over the number “2” to the right of the Servings heading in the recipe. A slider will appear and you can move it to the desired quantity. It’s great if you want to make this for the whole family and not just chow down by yourself. While the kids are in school. Not that I’ve done that. Like several times, no never.

If you like this recipe please give it 5 stars!

A tarnished silver fork is in a bowl of Southern chicken and dumplings - recipe image
Print Pin Recipe

Southern Low Carb Chicken and Dumplings

Like my other keto friendly recipes, this has everything about traditional Southern chicken and dumplings that you like but leaves out the pesky carbs. Stir up a pot of this home cooked comfort food and enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE- This recipe contains a small amount of gluten which does not add carbs. While it's fine for a low carb or keto diet, those who are allergic to gluten or have celiac disease should not eat this dish.
Course Low Carb Main
Cuisine American – low -carb
Keyword Biscuits, chicken, southern
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 647kcal
Author Katherine Peters

Ingredients

Dumplings

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ounce cream cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon herbes de provence
  • 1/4 teaspoon vital wheat gluten

Chicken

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast , cut in bite sized pieces – use more as desired
  • 1 cup chicken stock , 0 Carb
  • 1 tablespoon onion , chopped
  • 2 tablespoons celery , chopped
  • salt & pepper , to taste

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock , 0 carb
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 ounce cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence

Instructions

Dumplings

  • Preheat the oven to 325F.
  • Add the dumpling ingredients to a blender.
  • Blend for a minute or two until completely mixed into a thin batter.
  • Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with silpat. It’s not going to fit perfectly but just push it in and up the sides.
  • Rub the silpat with olive oil. (I used an olive oil flavored with herbes de Provence)
  • Pour in the batter.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm and set.
  • Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.
  • Gently remove from the baking dish and cut into squares.
    Low carb dumplings have come out of the oven.

Chicken

  • Put a little  olive oil in a saute pan and heat up.
  • Add the onions, celery, and chicken and saute for a few minutes – just to soften the vegetables.
  • Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock and turn the heat to a simmer. 
  • Add the dumplings. Cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The dumplings will puff up like balloons and it will look weird but when you take the cover off they will deflate.
    Pieces of chicken and squares of dumpling in a saute pan
  • Remove the cover and let the chicken stock almost boil away but don’t let the pan go dry.
  • Meanwhile, add the 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 1 ounce of cream cheese to a microwave safe dish.
  • Microwave for 1 minute.
  • Whisk until smooth.
  • Pour the cream mixture into the pan.
  • Add the butter and herbes de Provence.
    Butter, cream, stock, and cream cheese are added to the pan.
  • Stir and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
  • Simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened. This can take 10 minutes or more. Just don’t let it go completely dry.
    Cream mixture is reduced until it has thickened and clings to the chicken.
  • Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Notes

You may use chicken thighs in place of breasts.

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 400mg | Sodium: 701mg | Potassium: 1139mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1335IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2.2mg

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10 thoughts on “Southern Low Carb Chicken and Dumplings”

  1. Donnamarie Schuele

    4 stars
    Made this tonight. It did take me a few bites to get acclimated to the texture of the dumplings. The dish had good flavor and I enjoyed it! Packing leftovers for lunch. Yum. Would definitely make again. I used meat from a precooked rotisserie chicken and just followed the directions as written. Ohh and I used xanthan gum in place of the gluten.

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