This Chicken Pot Pie Is the Perfect Meal for a Cosy Evening In

ingredients

• 500g chicken thighs, diced into 3-4cm chunks
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt
• 60g unsalted butter, divided into two portions
• 2 leeks, white and light green portion washed and diced into 0.5cm wide half moons
• 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (see tips)
• 350g peeled carrots, diced into 1.5cm chunks
• 350g peeled turnips, diced into 1.5cm chunks
• 2 ½ tablespoons plain flour
• ⅔ cup chicken broth or stock (see tips)
• 200ml pure cream
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 egg, whisked
• 375g all butter puff pastry (see tips), defrosted in fridge until pliable

method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius if fan-forced, or 200 degrees if not.

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan for which you have a lid. Add the chicken and a pinch of salt, and brown for around 1 minute (depending on the size of your saucepan you may need to do this in two batches). Turn the pieces of chicken over and cook for a further minute (the chicken won’t be cooked through at this stage, just browned). Turn the heat off and remove the chicken pieces from the pan (leaving behind any oil and juices) and place in a large bowl, setting aside.

3. Turn the heat back to medium and add 30g butter, followed by the leek and a small pinch of salt. Stir well for about 2 minutes to allow the leek to soften, then add 1 tablespoon vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits of chicken (adding more vinegar if necessary).

4. Add the carrot and turnip, along with another small pinch of salt, and stir well. Place the lid on the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft enough to easily pierce with a knife. If at any point the mix looks dry, you can add a splash of broth or water to the pan (your need to do this will depend on the water content of the vegetables). Once the vegetables are cooked, turn the heat off and add them to the bowl with the chicken.

5. Turn the heat back to medium and add the remaining 30g butter. Once melted add the flour and cook for around1 minute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add a good splash of broth and use a whisk to incorporate the liquid into the flour/butter mix. Gradually add the remaining broth, as well as the cream, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and thickened (if you don’t stir for long enough, the mixture won’t thicken adequately and the resulting pie mix will be runny).

6. Once the mixture has thickened, add the chicken and vegetables back to the pan, along with the peas and some freshly cracked black pepper. Stir, then pour everything into a 20cm pie dish with around 8cm high sides. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

7. Once the mixture has cooled, use a pastry brush to brush the top edge of the pie dish with a little of the whisked egg. Place the pastry sheet over the top of the pie mixture, carefully stretching it over to the edge of the pie dish so that there is some overhang. Trim the edges, making sure to keep a few centimetres hanging over. Secure the pastry around the pie dish by carefully pressing down around the edges (crimping if you wish). Brush the pastry with a little more of the whisked egg, then cut a couple of small slits in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape when cooking.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Allow the pie to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into portions and serving.