From Grace’s Kitchen – Southern Chicken-n-Dumplings (Gluten Free)

Abigail Mercer
Jul 17
3 min read

There’s really no surprise in the fact that food brings comfort. It’s what binds us together—whether in times of celebration, loss, or a Sunday dinner around the table. For our family, food has always been at the heart of every gathering. And one dish that holds a special place in all our hearts is my Grandma Grace’s Southern Chicken-n-Dumplings.

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A Southern Legacy:

With each holiday or family reunion, the menu is planned weeks in advance. Everyone arrives with pride, carrying a dish of their own. But the dish we all remember best—what truly ties us to our roots—is this one.

Grandma Grace was the queen of southern hospitality. She rarely used recipes, relying instead on instinct: a smidge of salt here, a dash of garlic there. Her Chicken-n-Dumplings was the dish people waited for.

My dad often tells the story of watching her and her sister in the kitchen, chattering while rolling out the dumplings. Years later, at Grandma Grace’s celebration of life, her sister brought that same dish to the gathering—a gesture of love and remembrance.

Recreating the Recipe:

Years passed, and I began to crave that dish again—not just for the flavor, but for the connection to my family’s story. I started calling relatives to find the recipe. No one had it written down, but each person had a piece of the puzzle. One remembered the extra egg yolk, another the way they rolled the dough so thin. My dad stood beside me as I pieced it all together. It wasn’t long before the recipe was reborn—“light yella” noodles and all.

Today, this version is the most requested recipe in our family—and Daddy approved.

🐓 Grace’s Southern Chicken-n-Dumplings (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

Chicken:

1 whole chicken (or 4 quarters)
4 c. chicken broth
1 batch cream of chicken soup (recipe below)

Dumplings:

3 T buttermilk
2 T soft butter
1 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 egg, plus 1 extra yolk for color
This recipe can easily be converted to a non-gluten free meal option by using regular flour in the same measure

Cream of Chicken Soup (GF):

6 T butter
6–8 T gluten-free flour
1 c. milk
1 c. chicken broth
½ tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Directions:

Cream of Chicken Soup:

Melt butter in saucepan and whisk in flour.
Add milk and broth slowly, whisking constantly until smooth.
Simmer until thickened. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Chicken & Dumplings:

Boil chicken in 4–6 c. water for 30–40 mins or until cooked through.
Remove meat from bones and shred.
Mix dry dumpling ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg and yolk, stir in buttermilk and butter, then combine with flour mix.
Flour countertop and roll dough thin. Cut into 1” squares.
Add prepared broth and soup to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Drop in dumplings one by one. Boil for 20 mins.
Return chicken to pot and heat through, ~5 mins.