Ingredients
- 1 whole (about 1.3 kg) chicken
- 1 quartered onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 peppercorns
- 2 stems fresh thyme
- 200 ml cream
- 3 tbsp (45ml) butter
- 3 tbsp (45ml) Gideon Milling Cake Wheat Flour
- 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
- 2 large leeks, rinsed well and sliced
- 1 punnet (250g) button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and milled black pepper
- 1 homemade Extra Flaky Pastry Dough
- For glazing, 1 large egg, beaten
Method
- Place the first five ingredients together in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 – 50 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. Strain the stock to remove the thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns and set aside. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle easily, remove skin and bones, and shred the chicken meat.
- Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir to form a smooth paste. Mix about 200 ml of the retained stock with the cream. Gradually add this mixture to the flour and butter, stir well and cook until thickened and smooth. Add the shredded chicken pieces.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry leeks and mushrooms until soft and lightly browned. Add to chicken mixture and season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour chicken mixture into an ovenproof dish and allow to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface. Cover chicken pie filling with pastry and make a hole in the centre for steam to escape. Decorate pastry with pastry leaves or lattice, whatever you fancy, and brush lightly with a little beaten egg. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes until puffed, golden and crisp.
Recipe (adapted) by Eat Out.