About chicken pot pie
A pot pie is a baked savoury pie completely encased in buttery flaky pastry, perfect for dinner or cold the next day for an easy lunch. Recipe from The Higgidy Cookbook by Camilla Stephens, published by Quercus, £16.99.
Recipe rating:5.0 stars
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
Butter: 45g
Olive oil: 35ml
Large leeks, sliced into fat rounds: 4
Shallots, finely diced: 2
Free-range chicken, a mix of thigh and breast chopped into chunks: 500g
Cooked ham roughly chopped: 300g
Rosemary sprigs: 3
Fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped: 4 sprigs
Plain flour: 2 tbsp
Hot chicken stock: 300ml
Single cream: 200ml
Mature Cheddar: 150g
Dijon mustard: 1 rounded tbsp
Plain flour, for dusting
All-butter puff pastry: 800g
1 medium egg
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree/180 fan/gas mark 6.
- Heat 35g of butter with the olive oil in a large, deep, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, add the leaks and shallots and stir well and cover. Lowe the heat and cook for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the chicken and increase the heat. Stir frequently for about six minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat and add the ham and herbs. Give it a good stir and add the flour and stir again to coat.
- Add the stock, stir well and return to the pan to the heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the cream, cheese and mustard and stir well. Taste your filling and season with a little and black pepper if needed. Leave to cool.
- Using the remaining butter, lightly grease a 1x2 litre ovenproof pie dish. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry (about 500g) to about 3mm thick and use it to line the dish, letting the pastry drape over the sides. Pile in the cooled filling.
- Dust the work surface with more flour, then roll out the remaining pastry to about 1cm thick and cover the whole pie with it, allowing the pastry to come just over the edges. Trim away any excess and perss the edges together with a fork. If you've got time and are feeling confident, you can crimp the edges. Generously glaze the top with beaten egg.
- Scrunch up the pastry trimmings and roll them out to about 3mm thick. Cut out some heart shapes and decorate the top of the pie with them, glazing with more beaten egg.
- Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 180/160 fan/gas mark 4 and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is puffy and golden. Serve immediately with a big bowl of garden peas topped with fresh mint and knob of butter.
- Recipe from The Higgidy Cookbook by Camilla Stephens, published by Quercus, £16.99.