Recipe: Homestyle Chicken Pie

I've been overwhelmed with work lately. I start off each week with a list of things to do, only to find at the end of the week the list has doubled, if not tripled. In a bid to stay sane, I decided to take a night off and spend five hours labouring over the stove. I've been working on this recipe for a few years, and the secret really is making in the chunky pieces of chicken and fresh vegetables and herbs. I know there are many short cut recipes out there, which use cream of mushroom or chicken soup as a base, and frozen vegetables, but if you can spare the time, this recipe really takes the cake.

Ingredients:

For the chicken base:
About 3 cups homemade chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 carrot, sliced thickly
1 stick celery, sliced thickly
A couple of black peppercorns
500 g chicken fillet

Bring chicken stock to boil, add bay leaf, carrot, celery and peppercorns and simmer for about 20 minutes. Poach chicken fillet for about 7-10 minutes until just cooked. Drain, discard excess vegetables, and reserve stock. When cool enough to handle, slice fillet into thirds or halves, depending on the size.

For the pie filling:
3 tbsp butter
3-4 slices smoked streaky bacon
1 large brown onion, chopped (substitute leek if desired)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 -2 carrots, chopped into chunks
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
200 g white button mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
2-3 sticks of fresh thyme, stocks removed, and chopped
1 tsp chicken stock granules or chicken seasoning (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 -3/4 cup chicken stock (from above)
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup frozen petit pois peas, rinsed under cold water and drained

Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter to the pan and wait till the bubbles subside. Brown bacon on both sides, about 3-5 minutes, until fat is rendered and just done. Crumble.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. In the same pan, add onion, garlic, celery, carrot and capsicum. Fry until soft over medium-low heat, about 7-10 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with chicken seasoning/salt and pepper, and let the mixture sweat for about 3-4 minutes. Add in bay leaf and thyme. When mushrooms have just released their liquid, add in flour, stir around for about 1-2 minutes until slightly brown. Add stock and whipping cream, and increase heat slightly. When simmering, add in crumbled bacon, chicken fillet and frozen peas. Stir frequently, adding extra stock if necessary until you reach the desired consistency. (The filling should have the consistency of a thick stew). Pour mixture into pie plate, cover with cling film and cool till at least room temperature. (Note: In tropical Asian countries, you cannot afford a hot pie filling as it will totally melt your pastry. I used to be a purist, making the pastry from scratch, but these days I've gotten lazy.)

To finish:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed for about 5 minutes
1 egg yolk, beaten lightly

About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake your pie, heat oven to about 200 degrees Celcius. Working quickly, glaze the rim of your pie plate with the egg. Drape pastry over, ensuring that it covers the dish completely. Using a fork, make patterns along the side of the pie plate. If there is excess pastry, you can use a cookie cutter to make shapes to decorate the top of the pie. Cut a deep X in the middle of the pie and glaze with egg yolk.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. The filling will be bubbling gently now, and the pastry nice and crisp.

Cool for 15 minutes before serving with a lovely green salad on the side.