I've made this recipe several times now and there's only one thing I'd change. I don't believe the dumplings are necessary. My husband and I both preferred a couple slices of fresh baked sourdough bread for sopping up the liquid, the dumplings were just a bit too much and don't store well if you want to have leftovers.
For the Chicken Casserole: (serves 4-6)
8-12 chicken portions (legs, thighs, etc)- 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
- 4 celery stalks, halved
- 2 leeks (white part only), finely chopped
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 2 parsnips, chopped
- 1 celery, finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. of dried thyme
- 1 lemon grass stalk
- piece of fresh ginger root, bruised
- sea salt and pepper
For the Cilantro Dumplings:
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded suet or shortening (I didn't have either of these ingredients so I instead used cold lard)
- 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- cold water
How You'll Do It
Place your chicken pieces in a large oval casserole. I used a large dutch oven. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add all the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and then add all of the herbs, ginger and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until chicken is very tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool (this can be done a day in advance). Once the casserole has cooled, skim the fat off of the surface. Remove the chicken pieces from pan and take skin and meat off of the bones. Discard the chicken skin. Return chicken back to pan and check the seasoning, adding more if necessary.
Next, make the cilantro dumplings by mixing the flour, suet and cilantro together in a bowl. Add enough cold water to make a soft pliable dough. Shape the dough into small dumplings. I made them the dumplings into 1" round balls. Reheat casserole on stove until liquid comes to a boil. Drop in the dumplings, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until dumplings have doubled in size and are fluffy. Remove and discard the herbs and ginger. If you used dried thyme, obviously that can not be removed, but do discard the rest of the herbs. Serve immediately and enjoy with some fresh baked bread!
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