Good morning everyone!! Hope you’ve been having a good long weekend. I have been super busy creating some delicious recipes and taking time for some much-needed rest.
How crazy has the change in weather been, the mornings are much colder and I find myself reaching for that extra duvet every night. With the colder weather now in clear sight, I thought I’d share my family’s favourite winter dish, chicken and dumplings.
Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
Chicken Stew
Olive oil
6 chicken thighs, bone-in
1 large onion finely diced
500 g stew mix frozen vegetables
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Dumplings
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons salted butter
milk, enough to make a smooth dough
Salt
pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Method
Heat a heavy-based pan on medium-high heat. Add in a splash of olive oil.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, sear on both sides until browned. Move to a plate and set aside.
Brown onions and stew vegetables. Once browned remove from the pan and set aside.
Add butter to the pan, sprinkle in flour, and whisk, allowing it to brown, about 8-12 minutes.
Whisk in chicken stock and fresh thyme and red chilli flakes, allow it to get smooth then bring to a boil.
Add the chicken and cooked vegetables to the pot and allow to thicken on medium heat until tender. Taste for seasoning and add final salt and pepper to taste.
Dumplings
Add dry ingredients including spices to a bowl, rub in the butter. Add in milk a little at a time until the dough is soft and sticky.
Using a spoon, drop dollops of dough into the pot spaced out. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low.
Allow dumplings to cook and puff up without for about 20 minutes, then test dumpling by cutting in half. The dough shouldn’t be raw. If it needs more time, cover with the lid and allow it to cook a bit longer.
Once ready, add chopped coriander and serve.
The Tocka Blog 