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Esther's tips for the perfect chicken arrabbiata stew:

  • Whenever I make this dish, I let the sauce bubble away for a little longer on the hob if I have the time. It allows the tomatoes to become sweeter and gives the chicken plenty of time to absorb all those rich, spicy flavours.
  • Don't feel you have to stick to one level of heat. I often start with a smaller amount of chilli, then taste the sauce before adding more so I can get just the right balance of spice.
  • For an easy way to boost the veg content, I'll stir in a handful of spinach towards the end of cooking, or add sliced peppers and mushrooms along with the onion.
  • To make the stew completely veggie, you can use succulent chunks of aubergine instead of the chicken. Cut 2 medium aubergines into 3cm chunks. Fry for 7 mins instead of 5 in step 1. Simmer the sauce for 5 mins to reduce the liquid slightly before putting the lid on and continue as per the original recipe. Swap out the parmesan for a vegetarian Italian-style cheese or strong cheddar.
  • One of my favourite ways to serve this stew is with plenty of grated Parmesan, a scattering of parsley and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce. It's equally delicious with pasta, creamy mash or a simple green salad if you're after a lighter meal.
This recipe has been produced and tested in partnership with Kerrygold

Units:

For the dumplings

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Nutrition: Per serving (6)

  • kcal512
  • fat33g
  • saturates14g
  • carbs29g
  • sugars9g
  • fibre4g
  • protein24g
  • salt1.4g
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Method

  • step 1

    Heat the oil in a large shallow casserole dish. Fry the onion over a low-medium heat for 7 mins or until soft and turning translucent. Turn up the heat slightly, add the chicken and fry for 5 mins until beginning to brown around the edges. Tip the garlic and chilli into the casserole and fry for 1 min. Stir through the pesto, pour in the stock and tomatoes, then add the thyme, sugar and some seasoning. Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 40 mins. Remove the thyme and check the seasoning.

  • step 2

    Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To make the dumplings, put the Kerrygold Salted Butter and flour in a bowl with ½ tsp fine salt, then rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in 50g of the cheese and pour in 50ml of the milk, then swiftly combine with a cutlery knife until everything is well distributed and you have a soft dough (add more milk if it’s too dry). Briefly bring the dough together on a worksurface, then divide into eight balls.

  • step 3

    Arrange the dumplings over the stew, then scatter each with the remaining cheese. Put in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 mins or until the dumplings are doubled in size and golden brown. Scatter over the parsely and serve.

Esther Clark
Esther is a freelance cookery writer and the previous Deputy Editor of Good Food. She trained at Leith's School of Food and Wine, worked as a chef on a farm in Italy and has also written a cookbook. She's passionate about writing simple recipes with practical tips to inspire and put to good use in your own kitchen. At home she loves to cook comforting dishes in her little East London kitchen for hungry friends. Discover more of Esther's recipes

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2021

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A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.537 ratings
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