Chicken and Tenderstem Casserole with Herby Cheddar Dumplings
This chicken casserole recipe is a bubbling, golden one-pot wonder with all the cosy, home-cooked charm you could want.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas mark 4.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole over a low heat and add the lardons or pancetta. Cook until they are golden and slightly crunchy. Remove from the casserole dish with a slotted spoon and sit on a piece of kitchen paper.
Toss the chicken in the flour and season well with salt and pepper. This can either be done in a bowl or, to make the job really easy, toss together in a large freezer bag. Add to the casserole dish and fry over a high heat until browned all over. Remove from the casserole and then add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the shallots, celery and carrot and cook for a few minutes until the shallots are softened, then return the lardons and chicken to the casserole, along with the bay leaf, tomato puree and chicken stock. Stir to mix everything together, and then bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 30- 40 minutes.
While the casserole is cooking you can prepare the dumplings. Place the flour, breadcrumbs and butter in a food processor and blitz to a crumb consistency. Add the cheese, thyme, eggs and seasoning. Briefly blitz until the mixture forms a fairly moist dough. Using floured hands, shape the dough into 12 even sized balls.
After 30 minutes of cooking the casserole, remove from the oven and stir in the Tenderstem. Sit the dumplings on top and return the casserole to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, without the lid this time, until the dumplings are lightly and golden. Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy of Tenderstem Broccoli
Our chicken casserole recipe is winter comfort with a cheesy crown!
If you’re after proper feel-good food, this chicken and tenderstem casserole is right on the money. Hearty, homely and wonderfully satisfying, it’s the kind of dish that turns a chilly evening into a warm night in, with chicken, sweet root veg and a savoury sauce with cheesy dumplings.
Brown the lardons until crisp, then coat the chicken in seasoned flour and sear until golden. Remove and soften the shallots, celery and carrots in the same pan, then return the meat and stir in tomato purée, bay and stock. Cover and bake until the chicken is tender, then add the Tenderstem. Of course the superstars of the show are the cheesy herby dumplings. Self-raising flour, fresh white breadcrumbs, butter, mature cheddar, dried thyme and eggs combine into moreish dumplings that sit on top of your chicken casserole like a culinary crown! Finish uncovered in the oven until the dumplings are risen and golden. It’s rustic cooking at its best!
Our chicken and tenderstem casserole is ideal for family suppers, lazy Sundays or any night when only a proper winter warmer will do. Serve straight from the dish with nothing more than a green salad, or add buttery creamy mash or crusty sourdough for extra comfort points.
Feeling creative? Swap in smoked bacon for pancetta, add a handful of peas for extra sweetness, or stir through a spoonful of mustard for a little kick of heat. However you make it, this recipe for chicken casserole is guaranteed to warm you through.
Looking for more stew-pendous one-pot wonders? Try an organic pork and mushroom casserole, a fabulously French cassoulet, or a mouthwatering Moroccan-style beef stew.
