Delia Chicken Casserole Food

CHICKEN PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of the oil in the frying pan or casserole and gently frying the chicken joints or thighs to a golden colour, you will probably need to do this in two batches. As the chicken is ready, use a draining spoon to transfer it to a plate, and season it with salt and pepper. In the oil left (add a little more if you need to) fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, if you are using fresh tomatoes, you can skin them. To do this, pour boiling water over them and leave them for exactly 1 minute or 15-30 seconds if the tomatoes are small, before draining and slipping off their skins (protect your hands with a cloth if they are too hot). You can also watch how to skin tomatoes in our Online Cookery School Video on this page.. Now stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and paprika into the onions, with a wooden spoon, to soak up the juices before adding the chopped tomatoes. Stir them around a bit, then add the stock. Bring everything up to a simmering point, then return the chicken to the pan or casserole, put the lid on and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. After that, stir in the chopped pepper, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes. Just before serving, spoon the soured cream all over, mixing it in just to give a marbled effect, then sprinkle on a little more paprika.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE WITH HERBY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the chicken pieces with the flour and some salt and pepper, to coat them - it's easy to do this in a plastic food bag.
• Heat the oil in a casserole with a lid. Brown the chicken pieces well on all sides - you'll need to do this in batches. Remove all the pieces to a plate, and tip the onions, carrot, lardons, bay and thyme into the pan. Cook gently for 10 mins until the onion is softened.
• Return the chicken pieces, with any juices that have collected on the plate. Then pour in the red wine, 250ml water and tomato paste and crumble in the stock cube. Add a splash more of water if you need, until the chicken is almost covered. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 20 mins. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 mins while you make the dumplings.
• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it feels like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the herbs with ½ tsp salt and some pepper. Drizzle over 150ml water, and stir in quickly with a cutlery knife to form a light dough. Use floured hands to shape into ping pong sized balls.
• Place the dumplings on top of the stew and bake for 20 mins more until the dumplings are cooked through.