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Waste-Nothing Chicken & Dumpling Stew Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 115 reviews

A comforting waste-nothing chicken and dumpling stew that makes the most of leftover roast chicken by turning it into a hearty homemade stew with tender vegetables and fluffy dumplings on top.

Ingredients

Scale

Stew Ingredients

  • 1 cooked whole chicken (around 2kg), with around 500g meat leftover, plus any fat from the roasting tray reserved
  • 2 onions, finely chopped, skins reserved
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 3 carrots, finely sliced
  • 1 parsnip, finely sliced
  • 4 celery sticks, finely sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 10g thyme sprigs, leaves picked (divided)

Dumpling Ingredients

  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 100g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 60–75ml milk
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Stock: Shred any leftover meat from the cooked chicken and set aside. Place the chicken carcass, reserved onion skins, and black peppercorns into a deep saucepan. Add any trimmed ends of onions, carrots, parsnip, and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pour enough cold water (about 1.5 litres) to cover the carcass. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming off any scum. Use a potato masher to break up the carcass to extract maximum flavor. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on bones to release juices. Discard solids and set stock aside. You should have approximately 1 litre of stock.
  2. Cook the Vegetables: In a flameproof casserole dish, spoon leftover fat and juices from the roasted chicken tray and melt over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, parsnip, celery, and garlic. Fry covered partially over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
  3. Make the Stew Base: Stir in plain flour, bay leaves, and half the thyme leaves into the softened vegetables. Cook for a couple of minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Gradually add the prepared chicken stock and shredded chicken to the casserole. Bring the mixture back to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables and meat are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Prepare the Dumplings: In a mixing bowl, combine self-raising flour, cubed unsalted butter, remaining thyme leaves, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the texture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 60ml of milk and stir with a knife until the mixture clumps into a soft dough. Add more milk by the tablespoon if needed. Bring the dough together with your hands and divide it into 12 equal balls.
  5. Add Dumplings and Cook: Place the dumpling balls evenly on top of the simmering stew. Cover the casserole with a lid. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the dumplings have risen, are fluffy, and cooked through.

Notes

  • Saving the chicken fat and juices from the roasting tray adds extra flavor to the stew base.
  • Use self-raising flour to ensure the dumplings rise nicely without additional leavening agents.
  • If the dough feels too dry, add milk gradually to avoid overly sticky consistency.
  • Skim the stock carefully to keep it clear and flavorful.
  • Simmer the stock gently to avoid cloudiness and maximize flavor extraction.
  • The dish is perfect for using up roast chicken leftovers, making it budget-friendly and minimizing food waste.

Keywords: chicken stew, dumplings, leftover chicken recipe, waste-nothing cooking, comforting stew, homemade dumplings

Find it online: https://cookcrisis.com/waste-nothing-chicken-and-dumpling-stew-recipe/