Pesto chicken stew with cheesy dumplings
Cooking time
Prep: 50 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 20 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 8A slow-cooked chicken casserole with Italian basil flavours that makes a perfect weekend one-pot
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Freezable
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 831
- protein
- 50g
- carbs
- 38g
- fat
- 52g
- saturates
- 17g
- fibre
- 5g
- sugar
- 5g
- salt
- 2.7g
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12-15 chicken thighs, skin removed, bone in
- 200g smoked bacon lardons or chopped bacon
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 celery sticks, chopped
- 3 leeks, chopped
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 200ml white wine
- 1l chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 200g frozen peas
- 140g sundried tomatoes
- 140g fresh pesto
- small bunch basil, chopped
For the dumplings
- 140g butter
- 250g self-raising flour
- 100g parmesan, grated
- 50g pine nuts
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Method
- Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Brown the chicken until golden on all sides – you might have to do this in batches – remove the chicken from the pan as you go and set aside.
- Add the lardons to the pan and sizzle for a few mins, then add the onion, celery and leeks, and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the flour, season and cook for a further 2 mins.
- Gradually stir in the wine and allow it to bubble away, then stir in the stock. Return the chicken to the pan with the bay leaves and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1½ hrs or until the chicken is tender. The stew can now be cooled and frozen if you’re making ahead. Just defrost thoroughly, then gently warm through back in the pan before continuing.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Add the peas, sundried tomatoes, pesto and basil to the stew. To make the dumplings, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the grated cheese and add 150ml water, mixing with a cutlery knife to bring the crumbs together to form a light and sticky dough. Break off walnut-sized lumps and shape into small balls. Roll the tops of the dumplings in the pine nuts so a few stick to the outside, then place the dumplings on top of the stew and scatter with any remaining nuts. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 25 mins until the dumplings are golden brown and cooked through. Serve with mashed potato and extra veg if you like.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2012
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Comments, questions and tips
Comments
Simply devine recipe. I shall certainly be cooking this again. I didn't use pesto but added some torn Basil leaves. I also used DRIED sun-dried tomatoes instead of the ones in oil and the bacon was thinly sliced 'taste the difference' which I chopped and dry fried to remove the fat. All the other ingredients were as per the recipe including the pine nuts which gave a gorgeous texture.
I first made it about three weeks ago and have today posted it to facebook so others can enjoy it. I am also going to make it again today.... can't wait for dinner time!!!! Scrumptious. xxx
Delicious!
So tasty, and so different!
I had boneless chicken thighs, which were fine for this recipe, and I'd probably use boneless again, as the children (and husband) don't really like dishes that include bones.
I couldn't find "fresh" pesto (and didn't have time to make any!), but had a jar of ready-made in the cupboard. I used two dessert spoons of pesto, which just gave the dish a subtle taste. I think any more would have overpowered the dish.
The dumplings were divine: much lighter than my usual "suet" dumplings.
Served with lots of steamed green vegetables.
Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you to those people who left comments about the ACTUAL recipe and didn't give themselves 5 stars for a recipe of their own making. Leaving ingredients out or substituting other ingredients is not the same recipe as the one written and basically those people are just giving themselves a pat on the back for their own recipe!
I substituted chicken breast for thighs as my husband is anti brown chicken meat. Cut the breasts in two on the diagonal before browning. I reduced the cooking time. I did about 10 mins on the hob and then 40 mins in the oven to ensure the chicken breast was cooked through. Put the dumplings on top with 25 mins to go. Chicken was still succulent so happy with timing. Husband said nom nom nom which is a good result. Omitted Parmesan mainly due to cost in the local shop.
Had this at my friend's house for dinner last night and it was amazing!! This recipe has gone straight into the binder! Re: browning the meat- don't overcrowd the pan and do it at a high-ish temperature. Can't wait to make this. We had it with mash & green beans although the dumplings were filling enough so didn't really need the mash.