Chicken & Parsnip Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients

12g dried porcini mushrooms
2 leeks
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 chicken stock cube
250g diced chicken leg
1 bouquet garni
400g parsnips
1 lemon
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
200ml crème fraîche
1 egg
A handful of flat leaf parsley

Prep: 25 mins | Cook: 30 mins

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Method

1. Fill and boil your kettle. Pop the porcini mushrooms into a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 mins, then drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze out any remaining water and roughly chop the porcini.

2. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/ Gas 6. Trim and rinse the leeks, then thickly slice them. Trim the carrot and slice it to match (no need to peel). Trim the ends off the celery stick and thinly slice it. Crumble the stock cube into a heatproof jug and pour in 400ml hot water from the kettle. Stir to dissolve.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof casserole dish. Add the diced chicken and fry for 4-5 mins, turning occasionally, to brown all over. Lift out of the pan and set aside on a plate.

4. Tip the porcini, leeks, carrot and celery into the pan, season with salt and pepper and add 4 tbsp water. Turn the heat down to low. Fry for 5-8 mins, stirring often, till starting to soften. Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices from the plate. Pour in the stock and add the bouquet garni (you can tie the herbs together to make them easier to fish out later). Cover and simmer for 10 mins.

5. Meanwhile, peel and coarsely grate the parsnips into a large mixing bowl. Finely grate in the lemon zest. Add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 heaped tbsp crème fraîche. Pour the egg mixture into the parsnip bowl. Mix together to form a soft, sticky dough, adding 2-3 tbsp cold water if needed to bring the dough together. Set aside.

6. Juice the lemon. Stir the juice into the remaining crème fraîche and pour it into the simmering chicken. Stir well, taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.Take the dish off the heat.

7. Pull golf ball-sized pieces off the dough – they don’t need to look too neat. Drop them on top of the creamy chicken. Slide the cobbler into the oven to bake for 20 mins. The top should be golden brown and set, and the chicken bubbling.

8. Finely chop a handful of parsley leaves. Let the cobbler sit in the dish for a few mins before spooning into warm bowls and garnishing with the chopped parsley.