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| Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie |
Ingredients:
Serves 4:
1 large chicken breast (skin on or off)
Water to barely cover chicken breast
3-4 Bay leaves
Any saved vege scraps for the poaching water
1 leek thinly sliced into rounds (white part)
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 stick of celery, thinly sliced
25 grams butter
2 heaped dessertspoons of plain flour
1.5 instant chicken stock cube or granules equivalent
6-8 fenugreek seeds
Milk (preferably full cream, but use what you have)
Salt and ground pepper
250 grams brown mushrooms, thinly sliced (or use whatever quantity you have available)
1 sheet frozen readymade flaky pastry sheet
Method:
To poach and shred the chicken:
Place chicken breast, bay leaves and any vege scraps chopped (eg: carrot peelings, tops of celery, top of leeks) in a small saucepan and cover with water. The vege scraps improve the flavor and the remaining stock saved for other dishes. Bring to boil and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken breast to chopping board. Strain and reserve the liquid stock into a jug.
Using 2 forks, hold the chicken steady using one fork then pull the meat away using the other fork in small movements until all shredded. Re shred any bits that are too chunky.
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| Shredding poached chicken using two forks |
To make the chicken roux filling:
In a large saucepan on low melt the butter. Increase the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, leeks and celery and sauté for a few minutes until the onion goes clear and starts to slightly (go clear and brown) and cook down but not burnt. Note the mixture will be quite 'dry' at this point.
Turn the heat down to low and remove the saucepan from the heat for a moment. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir through. Add 4-5 serving spoonfuls of chicken poaching water tand mix through. Add small quantities (splashes) of milk and/or cream and continue to stir to form the roux. The filling should be thick, not runny, so avoid adding a lot of liquid.
Return the pan to low heat and add the shredded chicken. The roux will continue to thicken with heat, so continue to stir adding milk and reserved stock liquid as the roux thickens until a nice thick, sloppy sauce forms.
If you're preparing ahead this is the point where the filling can be put into a container to warm through when you want to use it.
Add thinly sliced raw mushrooms at the last minute (to avoid the mixture discoloring)
Bringing it all together:
Pre-heat the oven to the temperature suggested on the flakey pastry packet.
Pour roux filling into a suitably sized dish, place the flaky pastry sheet/s over and cut any corners. Use the off-cuts to plug any gaps elsewhere. Make several pricks with a fork. Brush with a little milk to glaze if you wish. Place in the oven to cook until the pastry is lightly browned and crisp.
Serve with vegetables on the side as you wish.
Variations:
For individual pies, simply cut pastry topper to fit each individual dish.
For a one-pot dinner or to add color add a small quantity of fresh or frozen mixed vegetables to the sauce.
Other family-friendly topping variations could include mashed potato, frozen mashed potato pompoms, hash browns cut into small pieces, or short crust pastry.
Note the filling is also good in:
Cannelloni or layered into lasagna sheets - pour over a roux cheese sauce and tinned chopped tomatoes on top.
