(Makes enough for four persons.)
The filling for this pie is delicious! It’s presentation can be so varied too - it can be made
as one pie in a casserole dish, or a pie dish, with a puff pastry top or it can be made as
individual pies in a pie tray within a shortcrust pastry. Another method would be to serve it up on a bed of rice!
Serves four.
You will need.........
750g (1lb 10oz) boneless, skinned, chicken thighs. (or chicken breasts if you prefer.)
Olive oil,
2 leeks,
1 medium onion,
200g (7oz) smoked bacon rashers. (Naked bacon has no nitrites in it.)
A handful of fresh tarragon, chopped,
2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour,
560ml (1 pint) whole milk,
Salt and pepper,
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, plus extra to serve,
1 beaten egg yolk to glaze the pufff pastry if used,
1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry, or short crust pastry if making individual pies.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200degreesC, fan 180, or gas 6.
Dice the chicken into chunks and brown them in a large pan using a little olive oil. Set
aside but don’t clean the pan.
Finely slice the leeks, onion, and cut up the bacon into small pieces.
In the large pan that cooked the chicken add the bacon and fry until slightly crispy. Add a splash of water and then add the leeks and onions and fry until soft. Add more splashes of water if the pan becomes too dry. Once all is soft add back the retained chicken.
Whilst stirring add the chopped tarragon, stir again and then add the plain flour and make sure the flour is all absorbed by the mixture.
Pour in the milk a few splashes at a time and keep stirring until all the milk is used up and you have a thick sauce. (Add more milk if the sauce is too thick.)
Season with the salt and pepper to taste and also stir in the mustard.
Use the beaten egg yolk to glaze the top of the puff pastry lid, or the shortcrust pastry if
making individual pies.
Serve with new potatoes and greens; with a little mustard on the side of the plate!
