Comfort food
When the weather starts to get cold, I look forward to a hot meal that makes me feel safe and warm. Nothing is more comforting than a big pot of hot chicken stew with homemade dumplings.

What kind of dumplings?
When I ask the question, ‘who wants dumplings?’ The response is usually ‘What kind of dumplings?’ There is a slight obsession with dumplings that go well with coconut aminos. My cabbage and prawn dumplings are a firm favourite but probably not the best thing to put in a stew. The dumplings I like to put in my stew are grain free and reasonably high in protein, thanks to a healthy dose of egg whites.
This chicken stew and dumplings might actually be the ultimate in comfort food. If you want a good for you meal on the table for the family, give this a go.
Freezer meal
Hands up if you are busy. Who is way too tired to get in the kitchen to cook at the end of the day? Definitely not me.
My days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, emails and telling people what to do, by the time I finish work the last thing I want to do is get stuck into cooking a meal and then cleaning up afterwards. I want to work out and spend some time with Jaime. That is why freezer meals are my favourite solutions to the challenge of a busy life. A few hours on the weekend, and you find yourself with a stack of options for dinner that can be thawed and cooked for a healthy, delicious meal for the family.
Chicken stew and dumplings recipe

Ingredients
For stew
- 500g chicken breast, cubed
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

For dumplings
- 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 5 egg whites




Chicken stew and dumplings

Nothing is more comforting than a big pot of hot chicken stew with homemade dumplings.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast, cubed
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, softened
Directions
- Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over a medium heat, melt the coconut oil.
- Add in half of the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown on all sides when golden brown remove from the pan and put to one side.
- Cook the other half of the chicken until golden brown and put it with the other chicken to rest.
- Add the onions to the pan the chicken was cooked in, you may need to add more coconut oil.
- Sautee the onions, when they begin to brown add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Have the chicken broth warm and ready to use.
- Add tapioca flour to the pan and stir well to coat bottom of pan and onions
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk together the stock and the onions, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you are whisking to get all of the flour and flavours from the pan.
- Once all of the stock has been whisked in add in the vegetables and chicken to the pan.
- Season and add in the Italian seasoning.
- Bring the liquid up to a gentle simmer then cover the pan, you want the heat low, but the liquid should still be simmering.
- Cook for 20-30minutes, this will depend on how large your vegetables are.
- While the stew is simmering, you can make the dumplings.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone liner.
- In a large bowl mix together the buckwheat flour, coconut flour and baking powder.
- Mix in a 1/4 cup of coconut cream and the softened coconut oil, you should end up with a crumbly mix
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture, this takes a little time, but you should end up with a wet-looking combination.
- Using a spoon divide the mixture into 12 portions onto the baking tray.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden.
- Once the dumplings are cooked
- Stir in the remaining coconut cream and spring onions into the stew and take it off the heat.
- Add the dumplings to the pan and serve.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 337 calories; 16 g fat; 16 g carbohydrates; 23 g proteinEquipment
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Saucepan or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Large bowl
- Baking tray
- Baking paper or a silicone liner
- Scales
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.