Chicken and Pumpkin Ghost Cobbler
Why this recipe works
- Vegetables flavour the gravy: Leek softens in the oil before the chicken and pumpkin simmer with thyme. The pumpkin adds gentle sweetness to the thick savoury gravy.
- A topping for every portion: Separate scones have soft centres and lightly golden tops above the chicken. Equal portions give each diner a ghost without cutting a large crust.
- Cold butter gives a tender topping: Small pieces of rubbed-in cold butter melt as the scones rise, helping the crumb stay tender above the moist filling.
Get the most out of this recipe
Ingredient notes
- Use boneless chicken thighs: Thigh meat stays tender through simmering and baking. Cut even pieces and use the thermometer endpoint in the method to confirm doneness.
- Weigh the prepared pumpkin: Weigh the pumpkin after removing skin and seeds. The stated cube size lets it soften during simmering and finish cooking in the oven.
- Choose the low-salt stock specified: The gravy reduces and Cheddar adds salt to the topping. Use low-salt stock and retain the measured salt allocation between filling and dough.
Common mistakes
- Handle the scone dough lightly: Stop mixing when the flour is incorporated. Repeated kneading or firm compression makes denser scones and blunts the shallow notches at their bases.
- Leave channels between the ghosts: Keep the scones separate on the filling. Clear gaps let the gravy bubble around them and expose their edges to the oven heat, rather than creating a continuous heavy lid.
- Check beneath a centre scone: A golden top alone does not show whether the underside has baked. Lift an edge carefully to check for wet dough, and confirm that the filling reaches the stated temperature.
Timing notes
- Top the filling while it is hot: Have the shaped scones ready as the filling finishes simmering. The hot gravy starts cooking their undersides promptly, helping the topping bake through within the stated oven time.
- Set the faces before the short rest: The olive pieces sit in shallow indentations made while the scones are warm. Add them before the resting period, then let children’s portions cool further in their bowls.
Equipment you'll need
Ingredients
Filling
Ghost scones
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Reserve 220 g flour for the topping, including 20 g for shaping, and reserve 0.25 teaspoon salt; cut the pumpkin into 1.5 cm cubes and wash and thinly slice the leek.
- Cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces on a separate board, then wash your hands, board and knife. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan, soften the leek for 5 minutes and add the chicken, stirring for 5 minutes until the outside turns opaque.
- Stir in the remaining 30 g flour, thyme, pepper and remaining salt, then gradually add the stock and milk. Add the pumpkin and simmer for 15–18 minutes until the pumpkin is nearly tender, the sauce is thick and the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) in the centre of a thick piece.
- Meanwhile, rub the cold butter into 200 g of the reserved flour with the baking powder and reserved salt. Grate in the Cheddar, add the buttermilk and bring together gently into a soft dough; do not taste it raw.
- Pat the dough on the reserved 20 g flour to 1.5 cm thick and divide into 6 portions. Shape each into a broad oval ghost about 8 cm tall, tapering the head and cutting 2 shallow notches in the lower edge; keep the pieces the same thickness.
- Transfer the hot filling to a 3 litre baking dish and place the ghosts on top with gaps for the sauce to bubble. Bake for 22–25 minutes until the scones are risen and lightly golden with no wet dough underneath, and the centre of the filling reaches 74°C (165°F).
- Cut the olives into small pieces and make tiny shallow indentations in each warm baked ghost with a clean knife tip. Gently tuck in olive pieces to form 2 eyes and a small mouth. Rest for 5 minutes before serving, allowing children’s portions to cool to a comfortable eating temperature.
Recipe notes
Tips
- Keep the scones separate on the hot filling so their undersides bake through. Choose low-salt stock whose only declared allergen is celery, and check all labels when cooking for someone with an allergy.
- Use a deep frying pan about 28 cm across for the filling and a 3 litre baking dish roughly 30 × 22 cm. Serve in shallow bowls, giving each person a ghost scone and some chicken, pumpkin and sauce.
Substitutions
- Replace the pumpkin with peeled butternut squash in the same prepared weight.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 2 days
- Refrigerate in shallow covered containers within 2 hours at 4°C (40°F) or below and use within 2 days. Reheat until the centre reaches 74°C (165°F); the scones soften in storage. Reheat only the portion you need; spare filling can be spooned over a baked potato once reheated to 74°C (165°F), within the original storage limit.
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Recipe overview
- Servings: 6 servings
- Yield: chicken cobbler
- Total time: 1h 30min (45min active)
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cuisine: British
-
Allergens:
Celery Gluten Milk Wheat
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