This is another meal that pleases my husband greatly. Everyone loves a pie and for me, chicken is the king of pies. Poached chicken is so beautifully succulent and tender, and the leeks and carrots add a lovely sweetness. It’s a dish that shows that healthy can be delicious.
Ingredients
- 200 g carrots (about 3), cut into large dice
- 500 ml chicken stock or water
- large sprig of tarragon
- ½ head garlic, cloves left unpeeled
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets or a mixture of chicken thighs and breasts, boned and skinned
- 3 leeks, cut into 2 cm rounds
- 1 quantity of béchamel sauce, made with 500ml of chicken poaching liquid
- 2 tbsp double cream or crème fraiche
- 250 g button mushrooms, halved
- salt and black pepper
Pastry
- 200 g wholemeal spelt flour
- pinch of salt
- 75 g cold butter, diced
- 75 g cream cheese
- 1–2 tbsp milk
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
How to Make It
- Put the carrots in a large saucepan and add the stock or water, then the tarragon and garlic cloves. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the pan. Put the leeks in a steamer basket and suspend it above the chicken, then cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
- Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and rub in the butter and cream cheese with your hands. Add the milk gradually until you have a smooth dough that comes together easily. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
- Strain the chicken and vegetables, reserving the cooking liquor. Remove the garlic cloves from the liquor and set them aside. Measure out 500 ml of liquid and use this to make the béchamel sauce. Stir in the cream or crème fraiche, then squeeze the flesh out of the garlic cloves and add this to the béchamel. Discard the garlic skins. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put them in a 2-litre pie dish with the carrots, leeks and mushrooms. Put a pie bird in the centre if you have one. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
- Roll out the pastry on floured work surface and use it to cover the pie. Trim the edges and crimp them with your fingers, then brush the pastry with beaten egg.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
