Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie 

The king of comfort foods and the most harmonious of combinations. Everyone knows that chicken and mushrooms belong together– and the leeks add a deliciously creamy texture to this national treasure of a dish.
Everyone has their own take on this classic, but we reckon ours stands up pretty well. And the best bit is it goes a long way, which means pie for lunch the next day!

You’ll need: (serves 8-10)

• Vegetable oil
• 1kg diced chicken (where possible, don’t use breast meat as it dries out – bones, skinless thigh is best)
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 300g button chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 70g butter
• 70g flour
• 500ml chicken stock
• 175ml white wine
• 2 leeks, sliced at an angle, about 2.5cm thick then washed
• 150ml double cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• A bunch of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and pepper
• Boiled veg and mashed potato to serve

 

Let’s get cooking:

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the chopped onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs in the pan with a good pinch of salt and pepper, adding a little more oil if needed.

Cook the veg until soft (this will only take a couple of minutes) then scoop out and add to the bowl with the chicken. Add the butter and flour to the same pan and stir until a paste has formed. Pour in the chicken stock and wine and bring to a simmer to cook the flour. Put the chicken and veg back in the pan. Bring back to a summer and reduce the liquid by half.

Add the sliced leeks and cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat, then pour in the cream, add the mustard and stir to combine. Add the finely chopped tarragon and season to taste. Pour the mix into a large pie dish, leaving a 1cm gap at the top.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Top your pie dish with a sheet of pastry. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and crimp slightly around the edge, remembering to poke a hole in the middle to let the steam out. Any spare pastry can be used for decoration.

Bake for 25 minutes – until the pastry is golden and crisp. Enjoy straight from the oven with mash and boiled veg.

All recipes can be found in THE PIG book: Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen Garden and Beyond, available to buy here.