Ingredients
- 300g cooked chicken (you can use leftover chicken meat from a whole chicken, or just cook 2 medium chicken breasts)
- Chicken stock (make your own by boiling the chicken carcass in 1 litre of water for 30 minutes, then strain. Alternatively use 2 chicken stock cubes in 1 litre of boiling water)
- 2 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 cm cubes
- 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
- 3 rashers of smoked bacon (optional), sliced
- A sprig of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 fresh bay leaves, or 4 dried bay leaves
- 125g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 250g plain flour
- A pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp water
- Oil for cooking
Method
- Add a tbsp of oil to a large an and cook the bacon pieces for 10 minutes (or until cooked)
- Add the onions, carrots, and potatoes to the pan with the thyme and bay leaves.
- Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally
- Add the cooked chicken, a tbsp of plain flour and the stock.
- Leave to simmer for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the pastry by adding the butter, flour, and a pinch of salt to a food processor and mixing until it’s combined.
- Add 4 tbsp of water to bind it all together then turn it out onto a floured surface and make it into a ball before wrapping in clingfilm and placing in the fridge for 30 minutes.
If you’re short on time you could always use readymade pastry shortcrust pastry. This would cut out steps 6 and 7, You’d just roll it out when the chicken stew is ready.
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 6
- When the chicken stew and the pastry are ready transfer the stew into a baking dish (approximately 25cm-30cm).
- Roll out the pastry, make sure it’s not too thick but also not to thin or it might tear.
- Place the pastry on top of the baking dish, press the edges tightly to seal the stew in.
- Egg wash the top of the pie (egg yolk whisked and brushed on top), make a score in the middle of the pie and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the stew is warm through.
