Chicken and gammon stew with buttermilk dumplings
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Stuart West
Chicken and gammon stew with buttermilk dumplings
Succulent chicken thighs are cooked in a rich, creamy sauce and topped with fluffy dumplings to help soak up all the juices. Swap the wine for some cider if you fancy mixing up the sauce a little
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
873Kcal
Fat
42gr
Saturates
20gr
Carbs
58gr
Sugars
6gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
53gr
Salt
4gr
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 leeks, thickly sliced
- 1 x 640g pack chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunky pieces
- 1 x 200g unsmoked gammon steak, chopped (excess fat trimmed)
- 40g plain flour
- 200ml white wine
- 500ml hot chicken stock (made using 1 stock pot or cube)
- ½ x 20g pack thyme, sprigs tied together
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 50ml double cream
- 100g frozen peas
For the dumplings
- 200g self-raising flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 100g suet
- ½ x 30g pack parsley, leaves finely chopped
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 50ml buttermilk
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
Step by step
Get ahead
Make up to the end of step 2 the day before, cover and chill. Reheat until piping hot, adding a splash of water or milk, before adding the dumplings to bake.
- Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and leeks with a pinch of salt, and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
- Add the chicken and gammon, turn up the heat and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine, cook for 3 minutes, then pour in the stock and add the bunch of thyme. Bring to a simmer, season to taste, then reduce to a low heat and cover the pan. Cook for 1 hour. After this time stir through the cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and cream. Season and remove the thyme.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Make the dumplings by mixing together the flour, baking powder, suet, parsley and salt. Combine the buttermilk, mustard and 3 tablespoons of water in a jug and then swiftly mix into the dry ingredients. Bring together with your hands; the dough should be firm but pliable. Form the mixture into eight equal-size dumplings.
- Arrange the dumplings on top of the stew, then cook in the oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, spoon in the peas around the dumplings, and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and have a golden brown crust. Serve in bowls.
