Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thigh fillets
- 3 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground mace
- 30 g butter, melted
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Method
1. Grease a shallow heatproof dish with melted butter or oil; preheat oven to 180°C. Trim chicken fillets of excess fat and sinew and cut each into three pieces. Place chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves and chicken stock into a deep pan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until chicken is just cooked. Discard bay leaves.
2. Remove chicken, celery and onion from pan and place into prepared heatproof dish. Reserve two cups of liquid for pudding batter — allow it to cool before using. Discard remaining liquid.
3. Sift flour, pepper, salt and mace into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk together melted butter, egg and reserved liquid. Pour the liquid mixture over the sifted ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon to a smooth batter.
4. Pour mixture over chicken pieces. Bake in preheated oven for 30–45 minutes until top is set and golden brown. Serve hot with vegetables in season.
