Published on: March 5, 2021

Chicken pot pie. Oven roasted chicken, served with organic garlic sautéed cauliflower, broccoli and potatoes. Classic American restaurant or French bistro entree favorite.

Paul’s favourite – Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Ingredients

750g of plain flour

50g Lard

350g salted Butter

¼ teaspoon of salt

One medium fresh chicken 1000- 1200g

1 Bay leaf

4 black peppercorns

1 large studded onion with three cloves

1 x plain onion

Two tablespoons of plain flour

Two tablespoons of vegetable oil, knob of butter.

Small punnet of chestnut mushrooms, cleaned to remove and soil. Stalks trimmed.

Lemon, chopped Parsley and egg wash for brushing.

Method

  1. Place the chicken in a large pan with bay leaf, peppercorns and studded onion.
  2. Cover with water and bring to the boil on the hob, cover and simmer for 1 -1.5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Leave to cool in the liquor for an hour.
  3. Remove the chicken and drain the liquid from inside back into the pan.
  4. Strain the cooking liquor to remove all the participles, pepper, bay, onion and cloves back into a saucepan and reduce by at least half by boiling on the hob. , you need a pint / 550mls
  5. Retain the onion and remove the cloves, dice and return to the stock.
  6. When cool enough to handle pick the chicken. Ensure you remove all the meat and place to one side. Large pieces can be chopped.
  7. Any liquid that has been captured please add to the stock.
  8. Whilst the stock reduces make the pastry and line a deep pie dish, retain some paste for your lid. Rest and chill for 30 minutes. Roll your lid on parchment and also chill please.
  9. In a clean pan, sauté one diced onion with a little colour in a little oil and knob of butter until soft.
  10. Add quartered mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes, add two tablespoons of plain flour, mix the roux well. Slowly now add the stock to make the sauce and cook for a further five minutes,  season with black pepper, salt if required and little lemon juice to bring out the flavours and a good amount of chopped parsley
  11. Slowly stir in the picked chicken pieces.
  12. Cool for twenty minutes and then fill the pie dish, brush the outer edges with water and top with the lid.
  13. Make a slit in the top to allow the steam to escape and bush with beaten egg.
  14. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 175oC for thirty minutes and the chicken is piping hot.

Serve with freshly wilted spinach, fresh greens or roasted root vegetable and creamy mashed potatoes!