Donal Skehan's chicken stew for the soul
Live from Ireland, Donal's rich chicken stew tastes just like a Sunday roast, with little clouds of chive and cheddar dumplings plopped on top to steam and soak up the sauce.
True winter food, best served on the darkest of days!
Chicken stew for the soul
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp oil1kg chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces3 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces1 large onion, roughly chopped A few sprig of thyme, leaves picked50g butter 2 tbsp plain flour1 litre chicken stock, store-bought Sea salt & ground white pepper
For the dumplings
100g cold butter, cubed225g self-raising flourA good handful of chives, finely chopped100ml buttermilk50g grated Irish cheddarSea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat oil in a large heavy based casserole pan over a medium heat. Cooking in batches, add the chicken skin side down, cook for 3-4 minutes until golden, turn and brown that side also. Repeat until all the chicken thighs are browned. Set aside on a plate.
2. Add the celery, carrots, onion and thyme to the fat left in the pan along with the butter. Stir occasionally for about 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the chicken back to the pan along the flour and toss to coat everything. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for 30-35 minutes without a lid until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced, it should be thick. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
3. To make the dumplings. Rub the butter into the flour, season with lots of pepper and a little salt. Stir through the chives, then mix through the buttermilk and cheddar. Using a large dessert spoon, scoop portions of the dough onto the top of the chicken stew. They should cover the top of the surface, you’ll get 12 in total. Put the lid on and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes. The dumplings when cooked will have covered the surface.
4. Serve in bowls topped with a little extra chopped chives