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If there’s one thing that screams pure comfort food to me it’s a hearty Gluten Free Chicken Casserole with dumplings. Chicken thighs are cooked in a creamy, delicious sauce and topped with stodgy, delicious gluten free dumplings. Delicious on a cold winter’s evening.
My gluten free chicken casserole is absolutely my favourite winter dish – and topped with gluten free suet dumplings it’s just delicious!
This cosy and comforting chicken casserole is gluten and dairy free, with tender chicken thighs, bacon bits and a creamy sauce flavoured with white wine, sage and thyme.
Having a failsafe gluten free chicken casserole recipe in your repertoire is always a good thing for when you’re craving something comforting to eat.
It’s a really easy one-pan meal to make instead of something like a classic Sunday roast, and is also an excellent recipe for batch cooking and freezing.
You can serve this gluten free chicken casserole recipe with a big pile of cheesy mashed potatoes, crispy roast potatoes or even my air fryer baby potatoes.
For the warmer months try my Spring Chicken Casserole recipe instead – or even make my Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole if you want something you can chuck in and leave.
Ingredients
There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free chicken casserole with dumplings below. But here are the main ingredients you’ll need for the shopping list.
For the chicken casserole:
- Chicken Thigh Fillets: This recipe uses skinless, boneless chicken thighs but you can use thighs on the bone, just ensure they’re cooked through.
- Olive Oil: For frying off the meat and veg.
- Streaky Bacon Rashers: You can use bacon lardons instead if you prefer.
- Carrots: Chop them into chunks or use baby carrots (chantenay carrots) instead.
- Onion: I use a standard brown onion.
- Plain Gluten Free Flour: I use a plain gluten free flour blend like FREEE. You can use a ‘normal’ flour if you don’t need gluten free.
- Gluten Free Chicken Stock: I tend to use Knorr stock pots because they’re gluten free, or my own homemade gluten free chicken stock.
- White Wine: Replace with extra chicken stock if you want an alcohol-free version.
- Dijon Mustard: Most dijon mustard is gluten free but always double check.
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Sage
For the gluten free dumplings:
- Plain Gluten Free Flour: I use the FREEE plain flour blend.
- Baking Powder: Make sure you’re using a gluten free baking powder.
- Vegetable Suet: Not all suet is gluten free. I always use the Morrisons or Tesco vegetable suet (in the UK) which at the time of writing is safe. You could use very cold grated butter or lard if you cannot find gluten free suet.
How to make chicken casserole with dumplings
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this chicken casserole with gluten free dumplings is to make.
Preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. You will need a large, lidded casserole dish to make this recipe.
Add the gluten free flour to a large plate and then season with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken thighs out on the plate and coat them well.
Drizzle a little olive oil to a large casserole dish and place on the hob on a high heat. Fry the chicken thighs for 7-8 minutes, turning half way through, until they have nicely browned.
Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add the chopped streaky bacon, carrots and onion and fry, with the lid on, for 7-8 mins, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken thighs back into the pan then add the dijon mustard, dried thyme, dried sage, chicken stock and white wine.
Stir well, bring to a simmer and then place the lid on the pan. Place the pan (lid on) in the hot oven for 35 minutes.
To make the gluten free dumplings:
Meanwhile, mix the dumpling ingredients together until they form a sticky dough. Cover and leave for 10-15 minutes.
When the casserole has had 35 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and roll the dumpling mixture into 8-10 even-sized balls.
Place these into the casserole so they are half-submerged in the sauce and replace the lid.
Cook for another 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve straight away while hot.
If you want to cook my gluten free chicken casserole on the hob or in the slow cooker instead, check out the FAQ section below for instructions.
Storing and Freezing
This gluten free chicken casserole is perfect for making in bulk for meal prep. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container.
You can also freeze this recipe. Portion the cooked casserole and dumplings into containers, label them up and freeze for up to 6 months.
Reheat thoroughly before eating – you can microwave from frozen for an easy gluten free ready meal, but homemade!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy chicken casserole recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
I make my chicken casserole first on the hob, and then in the oven – but there are lots of different ways you can do it. Technically a casserole is cooked in the oven, with the heat from all directions, in a casserole dish.
While a stew is cooked on the hob where it stews with the heat from below – though really, who’s going to be pedantic if you cook this on the hob? Not me!
Yes, you can! I have tweaked my slow cooker version over the years to make sure you get the same delicious results. You can follow my gluten free Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole recipe instead of this one. To add gluten free dumplings, make them as per this recipe and add them to the slow cooker, replacing the lid, an hour before serving.
Making this gluten free chicken casserole on the hob is really easy if you don’t have access to an oven. Follow the recipe up to step 5, where you’d ordinarily place it in the oven. Instead, pop the lid on the casserole dish and reduce the heat to low, then follow the same cooking times and directions. You may need to stir the casserole once or twice before you add the dumplings, but it should still cook just as well.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Chicken Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 2 tbsp plain gluten free flour
- 4 large chicken thigh fillets
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 streaky bacon rashers, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 500 ml gluten free chicken stock
- 185 ml white wine
For the dumplings:
- 150 g plain gluten free flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75 g gluten free vegetable suet
- 120 ml cold water
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4.
- Add the gluten free flour to a large plate and then season with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken thighs out on the plate and coat them well.
- Add a little olive oil to a large casserole dish and place on the hob on a high heat. Fry the thigh fillets for 7-8 minutes, turning half way through, until they have nicely browned.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add the streaky bacon, carrots and onion and sauté, with the lid on, for 7-8 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken back into the pan then add the dijon mustard, dried thyme, dried sage, chicken stock and white wine. Stir well, bring to a simmer and then place the lid on the pan. Place the pan (lid on) in the hot oven for 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the dumpling ingredients together until they form a sticky dough. Cover and leave for 10-15 minutes.
- When the casserole has had 35 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and roll the dumpling mixture into 8-10 even-sized balls. Place these into the casserole so they are half-submerged in the sauce and replace the lid.
- Cook for another 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve hot with mashed or roast potatoes and lots of yummy green veg.
Video
Notes
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this chicken casserole and dumplings should look.
- Storing and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on how to store and freeze this easy gluten free chicken casserole.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Chicken Casserole!
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
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Can I use a substitute for the suet? Cannot find it here in the US.
For the suet (makes 300g)
100g lard
200g gluten free plain flour
Simply cut the lard into cubes in a large bowl, add the flour and using your fingers or a pastry blender, work until you have a large breadcrumb texture.
Absolutely fantastic! So good I will be cooking it for friends at the weekend.
Great chicken casserole recipe. I am not a cook by any means, but I followed the steps you laid out and ended up with a brilliant meal that looked just like your pictures and tasted great. Thanks a bunch 😉
This is the tastiest chicken casserole I’ve ever had. So surprised with the dumplings, they were spot on 😁