Roasted Chicken & Mushroom pie

YOU could use plain diced chicken and shop bought stock but following the recipe will give you a much more rich and tasty dish.

While it takes a few days to prepare the effort needed at each stage is minimal.

Ingredients for 4 people

1 x Whole Small chicken

200g mushrooms sliced

200ml Double Cream

3 TBSP Plain flour

3 TBSP Real Butter

Vegetable Oil

2 Carrots peeled and finely diced 2 Sticks Celery bruised with a rolling pin

2 Large Onions - 1 rough chopped for stock. 1 Finely chopped

1 TBSP chopped garlic

Enough short crust pastry to line a pie dish and put on a topping

Extra butter to line the pan

1 Egg

Method

Roast the chicken in a hot oven until cooked. Allow to cool and leave the meat on the bone for 1 to 2 days for the flavours to mature in a refrigerator.

Remove the skin and meat from the chicken the day before you make the pie. Chop the meat, both dark and breast into bite size pieces and cover and return to the fridge.

Put the carcass of the chicken in a pot with the onion, carrot and celery. Cover with water and bring up to the boil then simmer gently for two hours.

Drain the stock into a saucepan and cook on the hob until the volume is reduced by half. Pour into a jug and leave to one side. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in the flour to form a roux. Add the stock a little at a time and stir in well to remove all lumps to make a thick chicken sauce.

Continue stirring until this sauce is as thick as double cream. Add the cream and stir in well. Allow to cool.

Finally to cooking the pie! Butter the pie dish and roll out enough pastry to cover the base and sides and lay in the dish. The easiest way to do this is to roll the pastry up on a rolling pin then roll it back out over the dish. Push the pastry into the corners with your fingers.

Stir fry the mushrooms and finely chopped onions in a little oil until softened and layer over the base.

Evenly add the chicken pieces over the base. Pour over the sauce when cooled and spread evenly. Roll out enough pastry for the topping and roll up onto the rolling pin then roll out over the pie.

Trim excess pastry with a knife then crimp the edges down with a fork or fingers.

Brush with an egg wash of 1 egg mixed with equal volume of water. Bake at 180200ºC until well browned and piping hot.