Chicken & Tenderstem® Broccoli Casserole with Cheesy Dumplings

This casserole, from Jo Pratt via the Tenderstem® Broccoli website, is just perfect autumnal comfort food.  Perfect for those days when a Beef Stew would be too much, yet you're wanting something one-pot for ease.  Something that's rich with flavours and vegetables, yet that bit naughty with its cheesy dumplings.

I'd found myself "going off" of chicken just recently.  I suppose it's not that surprising when you consider how much chicken we've eaten over the last 12 months.  You only have to look at the Recipe Index to see that!  I'd started to not want to do the trimming of the raw chicken breasts and was slightly revolted by the smell of raw chicken.


Hence, I'd given myself a bit of a rest from chicken for a few days.  I am pleased to say that when it came to trimming up these chicken breasts, I had no such qualms.  All of which is good, because it was beginning to colour my enjoyment of chicken dishes.


I hadn't really left myself enough time to prepare this dish and was flapping a bit in the early stages.  I seem incapable of working out how long I need, if I don't have a clock face to work it out from.  Now I know I've got number blindness, but really, that seems a bit much!  However, I shall just have to grab a clock the next time I am trying to work out how long I need for preparation, as rushing through it because you're scared it's going to be late, just isn't on.


However, it is testament to the ease with which the casserole came together, that it wound up only 20 minutes late instead of an hour.  The last 10 minutes of that were probably superfluous, as I was just making doubly sure that the dumplings were done.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, although I wasn't as wedded to the idea of the cheesy dumplings with the chicken as the chaps were.  They were very appreciative of their cheesiness, but I wonder how much of that was just because they were dumplings - and my chaps do love a dumpling!


One note for future reference, was that the gravy wound up being in excess of what was wanted and also rather on the thin side.  In fact, for speed, I broke out the gravy granules and threw a spoonful of those in to thicken the gravy.  In future, I think I would reduce the amount of stock involved to begin with - and have reflected that in the recipe below.  The only other changes were that I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs - so go ahead and use thighs if your family like them and omitted the herbs from the cheesy dumplings.  The only reason I had for doing so, was because I am totally fed up with Thyme at the moment.  I seem to be putting it in every-flipping-thing, so decided against it in this instance.  I've included it in the recipe though, so it's up to you whether you want to include it or not.


Having made the casserole, I think that I might include some mushrooms for the next time around.  They would improve the vegetable quota without affecting the texture or flavour all that much.  Likewise, you could also add some cubes of swede, or pieces of parsnip, if you wanted to increase the vegetable quota.


The casserole wasn't a great one from an Inflammation Factor point of view (being chicken), so I just did my best with it in that I had less chicken and fewer dumplings, but more carrot and Tenderstem® broccoli.  Hopefully that will have evened the score up a bit!

CHICKEN & TENDERSTEM® BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS

(serves 3)

Ingredients :

2 tbsp olive oil

200g smoked streaky bacon, diced

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 heaped tbsp plain flour

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

3 banana shallots (or equivalent amount of any other kind of shallot)

2 sticks of celery, sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp tomato puree

400ml chicken stock

200g Tenderstem® broccoli, each stalk cut into 2

For the dumplings :

100g self-raising flour

100g white breadcrumbs

140g butter, cubed

100g mature cheddar, grated

1 tsp dried thyme

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method :

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180deg C/fan 160deg C/gas mark 4.

2.  In a large casserole, heat 1 tbsp of the oil and add the bacon.  Fry until golden and slightly crunchy, then remove from the casserole and reserve.

3.  In a plastic bag, toss the chicken in the seasoned flour.  Picking out the chicken, reserve the flour and add the chicken to the casserole and fry until browned all over, then remove and reserve.

4.  Add another tbsp of oil, then add the shallots, celery and carrot and cook until the shallots have softened.

5.  Add the remainder of the flour to the casserole and cook for a minute or so.

6.  Add the chicken stock and stir to combine.

7.  Return the bacon and chicken to the pot, then add the bay leaf and tomato puree.  Stir to make sure everything is combined and well mixed.

8.  Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

9.  While the casserole is in the oven, make the dumplings.

10.  Place the flour, breadcrumbs and butter into a food processor and whiz to a crumb-like consistency.  Add the cheese, thyme, eggs and seasoning and pulse whiz to bring it all together.

11.  Take spoonfuls and form them into dumplings.  You should have enough for around twelve.

12.  When the casserole has had 30 minutes in the oven, remove and stir in the Tenderstem® Broccoli.   Sit the dumplings on top and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the dumplings are cooked.

Serve.

Printable version

Inflammation Factor (approx) : -494 (-165 per person).

Adaptable meal planning to include a birthday

It's son & heir's 13th birthday on Halloween - the 31st October.  Yes, he's a Halloween baby - and we brought him home from the hospital on Guy Fawkes' Night.  There's two dates I'll never forget!

As a consequence, this week's meal planning is going to have to be adaptable in the extreme owing to the rate at which our plans have changed.  So far, I think we're onto Plan E or F - all of which might change, depending on when his friends are available.

However, we have a plan at the moment - and I'm hoping it'll hold!

Here's how it's looking :

Tues : Posh Porks, carrots, tenderstem broccoli & white rice

Weds : Leek & Bacon Bake, celeriac mash, carrots & peas

Thurs : Minced Beef & Onion Pie, carrots, swede & green beans

Fri : Chicken & Cheesy Dumpling casserole

Sat : Toad in the hole, chips & baked beans

Sun : Roast Chicken, chipolatas, roast potatoes & parsnips, carrots, broccoli,

Sage & Onion Stuffing, bread sauce & Yorkshire puddings

Mon : Coronation Chicken Wraps with chips.

Tonight's Posh Porks (which you may recall was scheduled for last week, but never made it) may very well be under threat already, as we forgot to take the pork out of the freezer this morning.  So we may opt for Fish & Chips tonight and move it on to tomorrow.  However, all that is actually okay as it is good to have a dinner "in hand" so to speak (and a relatively easy dinner too) just in case plans change.

However, let's assume that plans don't change, the pork defrosts in time and the plan continues, with Wednesday offering a reprise of another dish I first cooked before I was writing Rhubarb & Ginger.  It involves cutting the leeks into little logs and laying them into a baking dish.  Add bacon, creme fraiche, breadcrumbs and cheese and bake.  I can remember that we all very much enjoyed this the last time around, so see no reason why it shouldn't go down well again.

I was planning on using up the other half of the celeriac (a good source of Vit. K) with some mashing potatoes for celeriac mash and pairing it with some carrots (for Vit. A and beta-carotene) and peas (Vit. C).  Simple, but very nice with it - and has the added benefit of getting lots of lovely vegetables into a reluctant teenager.  If only he knew how good for him all these lovely vegetables were - and began to look at them in a different light - it would make my meal planning a whole different affair!

Artist's impression : Beef & Onion Pie

Thursday brings a new venture for hubby.  He's going to have a go at making rough puff pastry - and converting it into a Minced Beef & Onion Pie.  He's never made a pie from scratch before, so we'll both be interested in the results!  We're pairing his pie with the ever-popular carrot, some swede and green beans.  Goodness, but the boys won't be getting scurvy this week!

Friday's casserole is a recipe I discovered when I was learning more about the lovely Tenderstem Broccoli and was browsing the website dedicated to it.   You can find the original recipe here - and plenty more!

I like the sound of the casserole part with its chicken, shallots, bacon & carrots.  The boys like the sound of the herby cheddar dumplings.  We all love Tenderstem Broccoli, so sounds like a deal, to me!

My last effort - let's hope it's better than this!

Now we're getting into delicate territory from the Plan's point of view, come Saturday.  Son & heir plus a pal, are supposed to be spending the day at a local tourist attraction.  Because of his new-found age and responsibility (yes, I am crossing my fingers as I say that) he's going to be allowed to go without parental accompaniment.  Needless to say, we'll be on the end of the telephone ready to bail him out should anything untoward occur, so of necessity, Saturday's dinner needs to be simple.

So maybe hubby's first go at making Toad in the Hole isn't such a great idea for that night?  *chuckle*  Pray for calm seas and a following wind - we'll get through it somehow.

Sunday is demonstrating all the tell-tale signs of a day in which the parents of the birthday boy are going to be needing to de-stress.  Probably in an armchair with regular applications of coffee, tea and as we go through to the evening, a light alcoholic beverage.  So I'm gong to be making a no-holds-barred, full blown, going for it kind of roast dinner.  I must need my head examining, but I'm told that the key to successful production is in the preparation, so I'll be doing all I can before kick-off is announced.

At last, on Monday (and the day upon which poor old birthday boy has to return to school) the long-awaited birthday will dawn.  He's already said that he doesn't want to receive any birthday presents until he returns home from school, but we'll see how long that resolve lasts!

I did ask him what he wanted for dinner on his birthday and didn't get much response.  As a result, we're having my interpretation of his favourite dinner of the moment - Coronation Chicken Wraps.   I know, in the past, he's said that he could eat these until he was sick - and we'll prevent him from getting that far - but hopefully, they'll be well received.  Add to that a huge slice of chocolate birthday cake (ssssshhhh! Don't tell!) and - fingers crossed - we're sorted for the week.

Oh!  One quick note before I go - last night's Full English Breakfast (eaten at dinnertime) was divine.  Top marks to hubby for a superb dinner - and yes, I did make it through the lot.  Just.

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