Warming winter chicken casserole

January started off mild but it's now freezing with snow on the way, which makes it the perfect conditions to use our Christmas Le Creuset casserole pot to cook a warming winter chicken casserole with dumplings. (Anyone else a Le Creuset fan?)

This recipe serves two hearty portions, with lots left over for lunches.

You'll need:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 white onion, sliced roughly
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into chunks 
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
  • Salt and black pepper to season
  • 400g chicken breast fillet, diced
  • Plain flour
  • 500g new potatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 200g butter beans
For the dumplings (makes 6):
  • 50g self-raising flour
  • 25g vegetarian suet
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 40ml water

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Add the oil to the pot; once it is heated up, add in your chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until soft. Then put in your carrots and parsnips and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Coat your chicken in plain flour in a separate bowl - about 2-3 tablespoons will be enough to do this. Season with salt and black pepper, then add to the pot. Once the chicken is browned, add the potatoes, rosemary sprigs, dumplings and stock.

To make the dumplings, put the vegetarian suet, self-raising flour, salt and black pepper in a bowl and mix. Add 40ml water and mix together to form one big dumpling. Then, flour your hands and make smaller dumplings from the big one.

Once your pot full of casserole goodness starts to boil, transfer it to the pre-heated oven for forty minutes. Once these forty minutes are up, remove your pot and add in the butter beans. To thicken your casserole, put two tablespoons of plain flour in a cup, add two tablespoons of water, and stir until a paste is formed. Add this to the pot.

Give everything a good stir, add in the dumplings, then return to the oven for another twenty minutes. Bon appétit! x

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