Trim and chop the celery into bite sized chunks. Peel and chop the carrots into bite sized chunks. Peel and roughly chop the onion.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole pan over a medium heat. Cooking in batches, add the chicken skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden, then turn and brown the other side. Repeat until all the chicken thighs are browned. Set aside on a plate.

Add the celery, carrots, onion and thyme to the fat left in the pan along with the butter. Stir occasionally for about 6-8 minutes until softened.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with the flour and toss to coat everything. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for 30-35 minutes without a lid until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Just as the sauce is almost ready, make the dumplings. First, finely chop the chives.

Rub the butter into the flour, and season with lots of pepper and a little salt.

Scoop or tear over portions of the dough onto the top of the chicken stew. They should cover the top of the surface, you’ll get 12 in total. Put the lid on and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes. When cooked, the dumplings will cover the surface of the stew.

Serve in bowls topped with a little extra chopped chives.