John Torode's spring chicken pie
He’s adding a taste of spring to your busy weeknights! John Torode’s back in the kitchen making a delicious one-pan chicken pie with a seasonal twist - spring greens, herbs and topped with crispy filo pastry.
Spring chicken pie
Serves 6
Ingredients
50g butter
20ml olive oil
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, OR 2 boneless, skinless breasts and 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (chopped into large chunks the size of an ice cube)
1 small pack of diced pancetta
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 large leek, chopped
1 small bunch of tarragon, chopped
1 chicken stock cube
50g flour
300ml water
300ml crème fraîche
100g defrosted frozen spinach
Small bunch of parsley, chopped
100g frozen peas
3 spring onions, sliced on the bias
1 large tbsp Dijon mustard
1 pack of filo pastry
20g melted butter
Sesame and poppy seeds
To serve:
Ketchup
Spring veg
Extra mustard
Mashed potato
Method
1. Heat the butter and oil in a pan. Add the diced chicken and pancetta, seasoning it well with pepper but not salt. Cook for 2 minutes and give a shuffle so it all starts to get a little colour. Add the garlic, leeks and tarragon and cook for 2 more minutes so it’s all fragrant and brown - keep the heat high.
2. Crumble in the stock cube. Give a good shuffle and now add the flour and mix well so everything is coated. Add the water and bring to a boil and stir well - the sauce should be thick.
3. Now, stir in the crème fraîche, spinach, parsley, peas, onion and mustard.
4. Either use the pan you are cooking in or transfer to a pie container. Squinch up 5 sheets of filo pastry in single sheets and push into the top layer of the pie mix so it gets a little soggy. Now, brush with butter and sprinkle over some seeds.
5. Next, brush each remaining filo sheet with butter and scrunch or squinch on top so it looks like a big flower - use all the pastry!!
6. Preheat the oven to 190C. Sprinkle with more sesame and poppy seeds and bake for 35 minutes, or until super-hot and brown all over.
7. Serve with ketchup, some more spring veg, extra mustard and maybe even a little mashed potato for good measure.