Chicken and Dumplings

Method

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1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion, carrots and celery for 6 minutes until starting to soften.

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2. Stir in the garlic and flour and cook 1 minute, stirring, until it smells nutty.

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3. Whisk in the stock a ladle at a time so no lumps form, then add the chicken, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.

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4. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and 74°C / 165°F.

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5. Lift out the chicken and pull the meat from the skin and bones in large pieces. Return the meat to the pot with the milk and peas and discard the bay leaves.

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6. For the dumplings, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Grate in the cold butter and rub with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.

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7. Stir in the buttermilk and parsley with a fork until just combined into a sticky, shaggy dough. Do not knead.

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8. Bring the stew to a steady simmer and drop the dough onto the surface in 12 large spoonfuls, leaving space between them.

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9. Cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and a skewer comes out clean.

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10. Sprinkle with parsley and serve in wide bowls.

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Chef’s Tips

• Keep the lid on for the full 15 minutes. Steam is what cooks the tops.
• Grate the butter while it is very cold so it stays in pieces.
• Do not overmix the dough. Shaggy and sticky makes light dumplings.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of buttermilk? Stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into the same amount of ordinary milk and let it sit five minutes before using.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed green beans
• Buttered sweetcorn
• Sweet tea

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days. The dumplings soften and absorb broth, so reheat gently with a splash of stock. Freeze the stew without dumplings for 3 months and make fresh dumplings when you reheat it.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.