Pumpkin Nutmeg Gravy Smothered Chicken & Bacon

Infusing fall flavors and squash or pumpkin into comfort food meals is my FAVORITE. Especially a recipe like this one that can be modified easily to be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, paleo to even keto!

If you are short on time- you can always skip the fried chicken process! Feel free to toss the chicken strips into a little flour and sear it for a few minutes on each side in the bacon fat. Then add it back in with the gravy. The breading for sure adds a little something extra to the recipe but the gravy can carry this dish completely all on its own if it needs to!

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Gravy + crispy chicken is heaven on earth! While this dish looks heavy- you’ll be surprised when you try it. It’s really not! The pumpkin purée makes it a bit healthier and lightens it up!

The flavor of the gravy is really nice, you mostly get nutmeg in the flavor! Kind of like a béchamel sauce with some pumpkin added. It’s really lovely!! The chicken is really tender and crispy. I really need to make chicken breast this way all the time- it keeps the chicken extremely juicy!

I whipped up some mashed potatoes for us to go with this for dinner last night. (Not kidding- I just used boxed! I had to much going on otherwise to make them from scratch!) Rice would also go nicely with it.

It was a really really good dinner! It’s going into the regular rotation even after fall ends. Give it a try & snap a photo to post on social media!! Tag me so I can see. @BakingAngell.

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This is by far my favorite dairy free creamer! It’s as close to the real thing that I have found. Plus no sugar- so it works for keto too. So far I have seen it at Whole Foods, Walmart & Savory Fresh thyme market.

TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE:

Follow the recipe as written. You can use any brand/type of gf breadcrumbs. My go to brand is usually Ian’s. I like their gluten free panko! (that is what we used to make the chicken pictured here!)

TO MAKE PALEO:

Opt for one of the dairy free cream suggestions.

For the breading: just use a flour mix rather than a mix of bread crumbs and flour. I recommend half cassava flour and half potato starch!

For the gravy- cassava flour will work perfectly.

Serve with mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice!

TO MAKE KETO:

Use real cream or any of the suggested dairy free options.

For the breading: the absolute best fried chicken I have made low carb was a mixture of lupin flour and garbanzo bean flour. So that’s what I would personally do. Pork rind bread crumbs are also an option too! Most people think of almond flour first for breading and while it does work - it burns quickly. So I use that as a last resort option.

For the gravy:

Almond flour is my favorite thickener for low carb/keto gravies. You could also increase the amount of pumpkin or squash purée too! Garbanzo bean flour would work great too.

Serve with mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice!

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Gluten & Dairy Free Pumpkin Nutmeg Gravy Smothered Chicken & Bacon

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Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

Crispy Chicken Breading

• 2 Large Eggs Or Egg Replacer
• 1/2 Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour 
• 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Breadcrumbs (any kind including panko)  
• 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1 lb Chicken Tenders Pounded out into an even thickness
• Oil for Frying 

Pumpkin Nutmeg Gravy

• 6-8 Strips of Bacon- cooked until crispy.
• 4 Tbsp Vegan Butter or regular Salted Butter
• 2-3 Tbsp Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1/3-1/2 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree (to taste)
• 3/4  Cup Dairy Free Heavy Cream or Regular Cream
• 3/4 Tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 - 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt (depending how salty your broth is)
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

Instructions

1. In a large pan, heat up 1 Tbsp of oil before cooking the bacon in the pan. Drain the bacon strips on paper towels to get rid of the excess grease and set to the side.
2. Add more oil to the pan to fry the chicken.
3. While the oil is heating, in a small bowl mix the eggs together and in another bowl mix the dry ingredients for the chicken breading. 
4. Using a meat tenderizer flatten the chicken strips so that they are even. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then coat the chicken in the breading. 
5. Fry the chicken until golden on both sides and drain on paper towels to avoid the breading becoming soggy.
6. Once all of the chicken has been fried, drain the oil from the pan and remove any burnt pieces.
7. On a medium low heat add the butter into the pan and then the flour once the butter has melted. Add the broth and cream into the pan. Stir in the pumpkin puree, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the gravy. If the gravy becomes too thick slowly add 1/2 cup of water until the gravy is your desired thickness.
8. Right before serving add the chicken to the  gravy and garnish with bacon (and fresh parsley if you wish!) Serve.  (Note: if the chicken cooled down- you can turn the gravy up to a simmer for a few minutes with the chicken in it.) 

Notes:

Feel free to use a variety of egg subs for the breading process. Dairy Free Milk, Dairy Free unsweetened yogurt, "just egg" would be ideal here. You could also use the starchy liquid from a can of garbanzo or white beans.

My go to dairy free heavy cream these days is made by silk! It comes in a small carton. It tastes the closest to real cream that I have found. Full fat coconut cream will taste great in this too!

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