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- 05 March 2015 < Back to gossip

Chicken Pot Pie

It's British Pie Week... and who doesn't love a bit o' pie?!

This is another meal that pleases my husband greatly. Everyone loves a pie and for me, chicken is the king of pies. Poached chicken is so beautifully succulent and tender, and the leeks and carrots add a lovely sweetness. It’s a dish that shows that healthy can be delicious.

Serves 6

Ingredients

200g carrots (about 3), cut into large dice

500ml chicken stock (see page 210) or water

large sprig of tarragon

½ head garlic, cloves left unpeeled

600g chicken thigh fillets or a mixture of chicken thighs and breasts, boned and skinned

3 leeks, cut into 2cm rounds

1 quantity of béchamel sauce (see page 211), made with 500ml of chicken poaching liquid

2 tbsp double cream or crème fraiche

250g button mushrooms, halved

salt and black pepper

Pastry

200g wholemeal spelt flour

pinch of salt

75g cold butter, diced

75g cream cheese

1–2 tbsp milk

1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Method

  1. Put the carrots in a large saucepan and add the stock or water, then the tarragon and garlic cloves. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken to the pan. Put the leeks in a steamer basket and suspend it above the chicken, then cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
  3. Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and rub in the butter and cream cheese with your hands. Add the milk gradually until you have a smooth dough that comes together easily. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
  4. Strain the chicken and vegetables, reserving the cooking liquor. Remove the garlic cloves from the liquor and set them aside. Measure out 500ml of liquid and use this to make the béchamel sauce as on page 211. Stir in the cream or crème fraiche, then squeeze the flesh out of the garlic cloves and add this to the béchamel. Discard the garlic skins. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
  5. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put them in a 2-litre pie dish with the carrots, leeks and mushrooms. Put a pie bird in the centre if you have one. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and leave to cool.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
  7. Roll out the pastry on floured work surface and use it to cover the pie. Trim the edges and crimp them with your fingers, then brush the pastry with beaten egg.
  8. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

Davina’s Five Weeks to Sugar Free: Yummy, easy recipes to help you kick sugar and feel amazing, can be ordered here:

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