044 / 75 · Chicken, Turkey and Fish Suppers

Chicken, Carrot and Oat Dumpling Bake

One 8×12 in (20×30 cm) dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L;4 portions with 2 small oat dumplings each · Active 35 min · Total 1 hr 45 min

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A small amount of quick rolled oats gives these dumplings a tender, slightly nubbly texture without replacing all the wheat flour. Chicken and small carrot dice simmer in the sauce before the dough arrives. Eight similar mounds cook above the hot filling under a cover, then get a few uncovered minutes to color.

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Hand-drawn chicken and carrot hotdish with two tender oat dumplings.

Oats are one part of the dough

Use plain quick rolled oats, not steel-cut oats, sweet instant packets or a coarse homemade oat flour. The measured forty grams sit beside a larger wheat-flour quantity. That balance lets the dough hold together while the oats soften. Rub cold butter into the dry ingredients, add milk and stir only until combined. A sticky spoonable dough is expected. Do not keep adding flour until it becomes firm enough to knead like bread; those dense balls would cook differently over the sauce.

Carrots should be tender before the topping

Cut the carrots into small even dice and cook them with onion and celery before making the sauce. Once the raw chicken enters, use a clean thermometer and require 165°F in several thick pieces before tasting the filling. A hot simmering base gives the underside of each dumpling a useful start. Divide dough with two spoons into eight similar mounds and leave gaps. The covered stage supplies steam; the uncovered finish gives only a little color. Check a central dumpling’s damp interior with a clean spoon as well as checking temperature. Wet flour or a gummy uncooked underside needs more oven time even if the top looks appealing. Rest briefly, then give every serving two dumplings and a quarter of the chicken-and-carrot filling.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter (30 g), for filling
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (150 g)
  • 3 medium carrots, cut in 1/4-in/6-mm dice (300 g prepared)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced (100 g)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25 g), for sauce
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (480 ml)
  • 1/2 cup milk (120 ml), for filling
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 3/4-in/2-cm pieces (450 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), for filling
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g), for dumplings
  • 1/2 cup plain quick rolled oats (40 g)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), for dumplings
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, diced (30 g), for dumplings
  • 1/2 cup milk (120 ml), for dumplings

Set out

Oven, 8×12 in (20×30 cm) baking dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, 12-in/30-cm deep skillet, Mixing bowl, Whisk, Two spoons, Rimmed baking sheet, Suitable oven lid or foil, Food thermometer

Allergens

Milk, Wheat, Oats: check for gluten cross-contact, Celery; check stock labels. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Put the dish on a rimmed sheet. Melt filling butter in the skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and celery 10–12 minutes, stirring, until nearly tender.
  2. Stir in 25 g sauce flour 1 minute, then gradually whisk in stock and 120 ml filling milk. Add chicken, thyme, filling salt and pepper. Simmer gently 10–12 minutes, turning pieces, until carrots are tender and several thick chicken centers reach 165°F (74°C). Keep filling hot over low heat.
  3. Mix 120 g dumpling flour, oats, baking powder and dumpling salt in the bowl. Rub in 30 g cold butter until small flakes remain. Stir in 120 ml dumpling milk just until a sticky dough forms.
  4. Spread hot filling in the dish. Use two spoons to divide dough into 8 similar mounds about 2 in/5 cm wide with gaps between them. Cover and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 5–10 minutes more until the dumplings are set inside and their damp centers and the filling reach 165°F (74°C). Check a middle dumpling with a clean spoon for wet dough.
  5. Rest 5 minutes. Serve 2 dumplings with one-quarter of the filling per person.

Keep the bowl spoonable

The dough should leave the spoon as a soft mound. The oats will absorb moisture as they cook, so a firm dry dough at assembly is already too far from the intended texture.

A useful detail

The 105-minute total includes chopping a generous carrot quantity, the full chicken simmer, quick dough mixing, the covered/uncovered bake and rest. Oats are quick rolled and form only one-quarter of the combined flour-and-oat weight.

Another way

  • Replace 100 g of the prepared carrot with 100 g peeled finely diced parsnip, retaining the same total vegetable weight and simmering until nearly tender before the chicken stage.

Keep it well

Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 2 days or an earlier ingredient deadline. Reheat filling and dumpling centers to 165°F (74°C), covering to reduce drying. This tender oat topping is best refrigerated; freezing makes it heavier.