Creamy Chicken Puff Pie

• Meat

  • 3 Chicken breasts

• Produce

  • 3 Carrots
  • 1 Lemon, Juice of
  • 1 Onion, large
  • 3 Potatoes, medium-sized
  • 2 sprigs Thyme

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg

• Canned Goods

  • 850 ml Chicken stock

• Baking & Spices

  • 50 g (all purpose flour, plain
  • 1 good pinch Salt and pepper

• Dairy

  • 50 g Butter
  • 300 ml Milk, half or full fat

• Other

  • 2 X 320g (11oz rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry

Found on kitchensanctuary.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 x 320g (11oz) rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 850ml/30fl oz/3.5cups chicken stock (water plus 3 stock cubes is fine)
• 50g/1.75oz/3.5tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 50g/1.75oz/6tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
• 300ml/10fl oz/1.25 cups milk (half or full fat)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 egg, slightly whisked with a fork

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200c/400f.
• Line a 10 x 8 inch pie dish with one roll of the puff pastry. Prick the base several times with a fork and cut off any large overhanging bits of pastry. Line the pastry with baking parchment to that is completely covers the pastry, then fill with baking beans (or dried beans) and place in the oven to blind bake for 10 minutes. This helps to prevent the pie having a soggy bottom. Because its puff pastry the sides will puff up a bit (which I dont mind), if you want to prevent this, just fill up with more baking beans.
• Take out of the oven and put to one side.
• Place the chicken, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, thyme and stock to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.
• When the chicken and stock is nearly cooked, take another large sauce pan and add in the butter and chopped onion. Heat on medium and cook the onion for about 5-6 minutes until soft. Add in the flour and mix it into the onions and butter using a balloon whisk. It should form into a creamy paste (or roux). Allow the roux to cook for a minute whilst stirring with your whisk, then add in a ladle of the stock from the chicken broth (try to get mostly stock - not the chicken/veggies). Stir the broth into the mixture using the whisk. Repeat this until you have ladled out most of the stock from the chicken pan (leaving the chicken and veggies behind). Then pour in the milk. Heat through whilst stirring with the whisk. The sauce should thicken slightly as its heating.
• Once the sauce is almost at boiling (dont let it boil) add in the chicken and veggies. Bring back to almost boiling and add in half the lemon juice. Give it a stir and taste. Add the rest of the lemon juice and a more seasoning if you think it needs it.
• Remove the baking beans and baking parchment from the pie and fill the pie up with the chicken mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, then top the pie with the remaining piece of pastry. Pinch the edges to seal, then brush the top with more egg wash and pierce a couple of small holes in the top of the pie with a sharp knife.
• Place back in the oven (still at 200c/400f) and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve immediately with some green veg.