Slow Cooked Chicken Casserole with Dumplings (egg free, nut free, dairy free)

*please note: all measurements are using standard Australian measurements, to work out conversions for your country please refer to the following link: conversion tables

This is a great winter warmer!  You can freeze left-overs for a quick meal another night.  Try making it with casserole beef (chuck steak or gravy beef) for a variation.  If you don't have a slow cooker you can still make this recipe; use an oven proof dish in place of the slow cooker, and bake the casserole in the oven for 1 hour at 180 degrees celsius with the lid on, stirring halfway. Or use a stove top pan and cook on the stove on low heat with the lid on for 1 hour, stirring regularly (you will need an oven proof dish for the dumpling part of the recipe).

Feeds 6-8
cooking oil spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped into wedges
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 kilograms skinless chicken thigh fillets chopped (chop each fillet into 6 pieces) 
3 carrots peeled and chopped into large pieces
4 sticks of celery chopped into large pieces
2 cups of chicken stock (Massel is an allergy friendly brand)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon pure corn flour (check ingredients some corn flours contain wheat, and may contain nuts and egg, if you can't find a safe corn flour you can use arrowroot instead)
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking oil (this will make it easier to clean later). 
Heat olive oil in a large fry pan on the stove.
Add the onion and gently cook until soft.
Put the garlic into the pan with the onion and stir for 30 seconds on medium heat.
Transfer the garlic and onion into the slow cooker.
Using the fry pan brown the outside of the chicken pieces in batches and transfer to the slow cooker. Add a bit more oil to the fry pan if the chicken is sticking.
Place the carrots, celery, chicken stock, bay leaves, and thyme into the slow cooker and cook for 4 - 6 hours on high or 8 - 10 hours on low.
After the casserole is cooked, remove the bay leaves.
Leave the slow cooker heat on.
Then mix the corn flour with the water to make a paste and slowly add it to the casserole while stirring (this will thicken the juices).
Taste your casserole (careful, it will be hot!) and add salt until you are happy with the flavour. 
Turn the slow cooker heat off.
If your slow cooker does not have a removable oven proof dish, transfer the casserole to an oven proof dish.
Then drop spoonfuls of dumpling mix onto the top of the casserole and bake in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 20 -25 minutes.


Dumplings
2 cups self raising flour
1 teaspoon salt 
3 tablespoons nuttelex margarine (dairy free margarine)
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander or parsley

Put the flour, salt and margarine into a bowl, rub the margarine with the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the milk and mix until combined.
Add the coriander or parsley and stir until combined.
Drop spoonfuls of dumpling mix onto casserole and bake in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 20 - 25 minutes.

Nuttelex Margarine