Chicken Crumble with hazelnuts and Cheddar

Chicken Crumble with Hazelnuts and Cheddar is a delicious and comforting dish that combines tender chicken, a creamy sauce, and a crunchy topping of hazelnuts and cheddar cheese. This hearty meal is perfect for a cozy dinner, offering a wonderful mix of textures and flavors that will satisfy the whole family. This recipe is adapted from Diana Henry’s ‘A bird in the hand’ cookbook.

For the Chicken filling

400gm (2 cups) leeks washed and sliced  (substitute Onions or green onions or even fennel)

3 tbsp butter

½  cup chicken stock (1 cube chicken stock dissolved in ½ cup water)

3.5 tbsp flour

1 ½ cup 300ml milk (full fat)

 3 cloves of garlic

1 chilly chopped finely

1 ½ tsp dijon mustard

400gm chicken – boneless diced into small squares

¼ cup cream 

1 tsp thyme 

½ tsp chilly flakes 

½ tsp oregano 

Salt and lots of pepper

For the Crumble topping

1 cup flour

¾ cup bread crumbs

125 gm cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

35 gm hazelnuts roughly chopped (handful)

60 gm good quality cheddar grated (½ cup)

30 gm Parmesan, grated (¼ cup)

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley 

Lets prepare:

Preheat oven to 190C.

In a heavy-based saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the leeks (or onions). Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. You don’t want it to burn/ brown. We are looking for softened leeks that turn sweet or translucent. 

Add the aromatics now like garlic, chillies, dried herbs and chilli flakes. Add the chicken cubes and saute well. Lower the heat and cover.  Let the chicken cook and the leeks soften well. The chicken and leeks will release its own juices and simmer. 

In a separate saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter and add the flour. Stir it with a whisk and cook it for a minute on medium heat. Add the milk slowly and keep stirring while doing so. Add the chicken stock. On a medium flame, keep stirring until the mixture is thick and saucy.

Season it (add salt and pepper) and then add the chicken-leek mixture into the sauce. Add the cream in. Check for seasoning and adjust. Pour the mixture into an ovenproof pie dish.

To make the crumble, put the flour, breadcrumbs and butter into a bowl and rub the mixture between your fingers until little lumps have formed. Add the rest of the crumble ingredients and season well. Spread this over the top of the filling and cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately with a side salad and roasted potatoes or just as is.