Gluten-free chicken pie
Warm up your spring evenings with this tasty pie. This wheat-free dinner is perfect for feeding those with special dietary requirements
175g gluten-free flour
85g chilled butter, coarsely grated 50g mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp coarse grain mustard
FOR THE FILLING
25g butter
2 tbsp sunflower oil
500g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
2 leeks, thickly sliced 350ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp gluten-free flour
85g watercress, chopped
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp milk for glazing
1 Mix the flour, a pinch of salt and the butter in a bowl, then stir in the cheese. Blend 2 tbsp cold water with the mustard and stir in. Form into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
2 Heat the butter and oil in a pan and fry the chicken for 5 mins until golden. Add the leeks and fry for 2-3 mins until softened. Add the stock, bring to the boil then cover and simmer gently for 15 mins.
3 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Transfer the chicken and leeks to a 1.2-litre pie dish with a slotted spoon – leave the stock in the pan on a low heat.
4 Mix the flour and 1 tbsp cold water together to form a paste. Thin with 2 tbsp stock, then add to the pan with the rest of the stock and stir non-stop until thickened. Take off the heat, stir in the watercress and crème fraîche, season and pour over the chicken and leeks.
5 Roll out the pastry between two pieces of cling film until just larger than the dish. Remove the top piece of film and lift the pastry onto a rolling pin with the cling film underneath. Lay pastry-side down over the filling. Peel away the film, then trim around the rim. Make a small hole in the centre. Brush the pastry with milk. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.