Chicken Pie
Ingredients
- 1 medium green pepper, sliced
- 50 g/20z button mushrooms
- 10 g/ ½oz butter
- 400 g/14oz cooked chicken, shredded
- 225 g/8oz puff or flaky pastry (ready-made is fine)
- 1 egg, beaten
- For the sauce
- 25 g/1oz butter
- 25 g/1oz flour
- 150 -200ml/6-7fl oz chicken stock
- 2 -3 tbsp double cream
- squeeze of lemon juice
- sprig of fresh tarragon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
- Blanch the pepper for 2-3 minutes in a saucepan of boiling salted water, then drain, refresh in cold water and drain again.
- Wipe the mushrooms and cut into quarters. Sauté in the 10g/1/2oz butter for 2-3 minutes, then set aside.
- For the sauce, melt the 25g/1oz butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the flour and cook slowly over a low heat until the mixture is straw-coloured. Pour in the chicken stock, turn up the heat and stir constantly until simmering. Add the cream and reduce until the sauce has a syrupy consistency. Add the lemon juice and tarragon.
- Turn off the heat, add the chicken, peppers and mushrooms to the pan.
- Butter an ovenproof dish large enough to hold the chicken pie mixture with room to spare. Add the chicken mixture to the dish.
- Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, to a thickness of about 0.25in/1cm. Place the pastry over the filling and carefully trim the edges. Use the trimmings to make cut-out shapes to decorate the surface of the pie. Cut a couple of air holes with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes. The top should be nicely browned and the filling piping hot. Remove, allow to cool slightly and serve.
