Chicken casserole with herby dumplings

• 500gChicken thigh fillets
• 1Brown onion
• 3Carrots
• 2 sticksCelery
• 2Leeks
• 1 tbspOlive oil
• 220gPlain flour
• 1 tspDried thyme
• 2 cubesChicken stock cube, in 700ml water
• 1 tbspDijon mustard
• 2 tspBaking powder
• 100gButter, cold
• 30gFresh parsley
• 150mlSemi-skimmed milk

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1. 1

   Cut the chicken into large chunks. Chop the onion and celery, cut the carrots into thick coins, and trim, wash and slice the leeks.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole with a lid and brown the chicken in two batches, about 4 minutes each, until golden. Lift onto a plate.

3. 3

   Add the vegetables to the casserole and cook for 8 minutes, until softening. Stir in 2 tbsp of the flour and the thyme, then gradually stir in the stock cubes crumbled into 700ml boiling water, and the dijon. Return the chicken, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

   36 min, mostly hands-off

4. 4

   Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). For the dumplings, mix 200g of the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt, and rub in the butter with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped parsley, then enough milk to make a soft, sticky dough. With floured hands, roll into 8 balls.

5. 5

   Sit the dumplings on top of the casserole, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Take off the lid and bake for 10 minutes more, until the dumplings are risen and golden.

   30 min, mostly hands-off

6. 6

   To batch, leave to cool, then lift the dumplings into their own tub and portion the casserole into tubs for the fridge or freezer.