Winner, winner, chicken dinner

A couple of people asked for the recipe that I mentioned in my Me on Monday post so without further ado here is my version of the one shown in this month's Waitrose magazine. You can find the original here

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs - bone in
2 carrots cut into chunks about 1" wide
1 bunch salad/spring onions chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves
500ml chicken stock
3 teaspoons mustard - I used dijon mustard

50g suet - I used Atora vegetable suet
100g Self raising flour
25g flat leaf parsley, chopped - I probably didn't use this much
190g frozen peas

This recipe is supposed to feed 4, but I suppose it depends on the size of the chicken thighs.   the four that I bought would not have been enough for 4 but fed the two of us just right.

Pre heat oven to 180 C or gas mark 4

Heat oil in flame proof casserole and fry chicken for about 10 mins.  Transfer chicken to a plate and remove skin.

Put carrots, spring onions, crushed garlic and half the thyme into the pan and fry for about 5 mins.  

Pour in stock and 2 teaspoons of the mustard then return chicken to pan.  Season and bring to boil.  Cover and put in oven for 25 mins.

Meanwhile, when stew has been in oven for about 15 mins, start to make the dumplings.  Mix suet, flour, chopped parlay and remaining thyme in a bowl, mix in 1 teaspoon of mustard and enough water (about 50 ml?) to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Divide dumpling mix into 8 and when the stew's 25 mins is up, drop dumplings into stew, cover and bake for a further 20 mins.

Scatter peas between the dumplings then return to the oven, uncovered for 5 mins.

Enjoy!