Chicken and cheddar cobbler pie
Donal Skehan delivers comfort food perfection with this creamy chicken and broccoli pie, topped with golden, cheesy dumplings.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 75g/2⅔oz unsalted butter
- 125g/4½oz pickled pearl onions, drained
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 150ml/5fl oz single cream
- 1 rotisserie chicken, removed from the carcass and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 150g/5½oz purple sprouting broccoli, stalks chopped, florets left whole or halved if large
- 100g/3½oz baby spinach
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cobbler dumplings
- 225g/8oz cold butter, cubed
- 475g self-raising flour
- 100g/3½oz Irish cheddar, grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Melt the butter in a medium, ovenproof casserole dish. Add the pickled onions and carrot and fry gently for 5 minutes, or until softened with a little colour. Add the thyme leaves and flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time.
Gradually add the stock, whisking briskly until it thickens. If it goes a little lumpy, don’t worry, just whisk vigorously until it becomes smooth.
Season well and add the mustard. Pour in the cream and stir through, along with the chicken, broccoli and spinach. Let the spinach wilt as you simmer for a minute, then set aside.
Make the dumplings by rubbing the butter and flour together in a bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add most of the cheese and season. Briskly mix in enough cold water with a knife to make a dough (about 175-200ml/6-7fl oz), then bring together into a ball using your hands. Knead slightly, before rolling into 20 dumplings, each about the size of a golf ball.
Arrange the dumplings on top of the chicken mix in the casserole, starting from the outside and leaving a little space between each to allow for rising. Work your way to the inside to cover the mixture. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake for 25 minutes until the dumplings are risen and golden. Serve straight away.
