Country Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe

Country Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 3Ib roasting chicken
• 2 medium onions
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 bay leaf
• 4 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper
• 50g butter
• 225g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 25g flour
• 150ml pint dry white wine or stock
• 4 tablespoons fresh single cream
• 225g frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten to glaze

Method

1. Put the chicken in a large saucepan. Cut one of the onions into quarters and add to the pan with the carrots, peppercorns, herbs and salt to taste. Barely cover the chicken with water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 1 hour or until the chicken juices run clear when the fat part of the thigh is pierced with a knife. Leave the chicken to cool in the cooking liquid.

2. Remove chicken and strain and reserve the cooking liquid. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and cut into bite-sized discarding the skin.

3. Melt the butter in a frying pan Chop the remaining onion, add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until Soft, Add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook fry minute, stirring, then gradually stir in 150ml 1/4 pint cup of the reserved cooking liquid and the white wine or stock. Bring to the boil, Stirring, aka simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cream and the chicken pieces. Pour the mixture into a 1 litre pie dish. Cool.

4. Roll out the pastry to an oblong slightly larger than the dish. Dampen the edge of the dish and cover with a strip cut from the pastry. Dampen the pastry strip and cover the pie with the remaining pastry. Press the edges together, trim away any excess pastry and pinch edges decoratively. Decorate the pie, if liked, with leaves cut from the trimmings.

5. Brush the pastry with the egg and bake in a moderately hot oven, 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Serve immediately with peas and carrots or cabbage.