Jamie Olivers Simplest Chicken Leek Stew Recipes

JOOLS' SIMPLE CHICKEN & VEG STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºC/gas 5.
• Trim, wash and slice the leeks 1cm thick, scrub and cut the carrots into rough chunks and finely slice the celery. Peel and finely slice the garlic, pick the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks, and finely slice the bacon.
• Heat a lug of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat, then add the bacon. Scatter in the thyme leaves and fry for a few minutes, or until the bacon is golden.
• Next, add the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the leeks start to soften, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the celeriac and parsnips, then roughly chop the potatoes.
• Add the chicken, celeriac, parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Stir in the Marmite, add a good grinding of black pepper and stir to coat.
• Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew. Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour, or until the chicken is super-tender.
• When the time's up, gently break the chicken up into the stew, then serve up in bowls. I like to serve this with broccoli on the side. Sometimes I top it with puff pastry or I stir it through pasta for a really tasty sauce.

HUMBLE CHICKEN STEW & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For this recipe, you will need 1 leftover chicken carcass, plus up to 300g leftover cooked chicken. Strip all the meat you can find off the chicken carcass, and put aside.
• Place the carcass and any bones in a large pan and use a rolling pin to smash them all up. Cover with 1 litre of water, bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes, skimming away any scum from the surface.
• Meanwhile, finely slice the bacon and place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil, while you peel and chop the onions, carrots, and potatoes or celeriac into 2cm dice.
• Add to the pan along with the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Halve and stir in the mushrooms, along with the leftover chicken and plain flour.
• Pour the stock through a sieve straight into the pan (topping up with a little water, if needed) and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until thick and delicious, while you start your dumplings.
• Place the self-raising flour and a pinch of sea salt in a mixing bowl. Coarsely grate in the butter and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add 100ml of cold water and bring into a ball of dough. Divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls.
• When the time's up, loosen the stew with a good splash of water if needed, season to perfection, then transfer it to an ovenproof pan and place the balls on top.
• Pop the lid on and bake at 190°C/375°F/gas 5 for 30 minutes, or until hot through and the dumplings are fluffy and cooked. Serve with some seasonal greens.

OLIVER'S CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a 6-quart pot, breast side down. Add the stock, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, skimming often. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and parsley and simmer. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 25 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let cool.
• Discard the bay leaf and parsley. Strain the vegetables, reserving the vegetables and the liquid. Return the stock to the pot; bring to a simmer. Pull the chicken meat off the bones. Add the pasta to the stock and cook for 3 minutes, then whisk in the butter, lemon juice, tarragon and parsley. Add the chicken and vegetables; heat through.
• To serve, place a piece of toast in the bottom of each of 6 bowls, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. Top with stew.

THE BEST CHICKEN AND SWEET LEEK PIE WITH FLAKY PASTRY

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Take a large casserole pot and add your olive oil and butter.
• Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery, and thyme and cook slowly on the stove for 15 minutes. Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water, and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it's a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. (At this point you can let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to - it can also be eaten as a stew.)
• Assemble the pie: Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.
• Roll out your pastry to about 1/4 inch thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges (there's no need to do this, but I like to as my mum always does it and it makes it look pretty). I use the back of a knife to lightly crisscross the top - this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky. Cook the pie in the center of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden on top. I like to serve this with corn off the cob and mashed potato.

OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN AND CORN STEW

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat butter and oil in a 4- to 5-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then lightly brown chicken in 2 batches, turning over occasionally with tongs, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken as browned to a bowl using tongs.
• While chicken is browning, peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Add onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon thyme to pot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, then add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and water and bring to a boil, whisking.
• Add potatoes and corn to onion mixture, then cover and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken (along with any juices accumulated in bowl) and cream, then simmer, covered, until chicken is just cooked through and potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon thyme.