Chicken Stew & Dumplings

Chicken Stew & Dumplings

Chicken Stew Recipe

This dish is a warming hug in a bowl! It brings back childhood memories of cold days, or days where you are feeling a bit low and need true comfort food. It is also a perfect example of maximising your left-over chicken and minimising food waste.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 2-3 hours if making own stock (30-40 mins if using pre made stock)

Serves: 4 people

Chicken Broth

2kg Chicken Carcass or wings

2 x Carrot

1 x Leek (green top)

2 x Onion

1 x Stick Celery

2 x Garlic Cloves (crushed)

4 x Peppercorns

Parsley Stalks, sprig thyme & bay leaf

2 x Chicken Legs (no skin)

Stew

1 x Onion

2 x Potatoes

2 x Carrots

2 x Sticks celery

1 x Leek (white)

1 x Parsnip

1 x small Swede

Sprig Thyme

Dumplings

100g Self raising flour

50g Suet

Pinch of salt

Cold Water to bind

Method

Broth

Place everything except chicken legs into a large saucepan with a pinch of salt then cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, skimming when needed. Then put chicken legs into broth for one hour, when meat is tender falling off the bone take out put all the chicken meat into a bowl and place bones back into broth cook for another hour. If you feel stock is full of flavour you can miss the additional hour. Pass through a sieve.

The broth will keep in the fridge for a week and for three months in the freezer

Tip: Whenever we have chicken bones, we freeze till we have enough for batch of stock, you can use straight from freezer.

Dumplings

Mix all dry ingredients into a bowl, add enough cold water to make a firm pliable soft dough, divide mixture into 8 balls.

Stew

Peel and dice all vegetables (except potatoes) add to your warm broth with Thyme and cook until tender add diced potatoes cook until nearly cooked through. Add your chicken meat & then Add your dumplings to boiling broth, cover and simmer for 15mins.

To Serve

Serve stew into bowls ensuring 2 dumplings per person. Garnish with sprigs of Thyme.