CHICKEN, LEEK & THYME PIE

This is such a comfort food and a favourite in our house.  You can serve it with potatoes or rice, whatever takes your fancy. I often omit the cream, cornflour and pastry, and use less stock. Sometimes I will put in mushrooms!
 
Serves 4. Oven 200◦C / 400◦F / Fan Oven 190◦C / Gas 6
 
Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 225g leeks
• 1 tbsp butter, ghee or oil
• 375ml chicken stock
• Small handful of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt & ground black pepper
• 1 ½ level teaspoons cornflour
• 125ml single cream
• 225g ready-made puff pastry

 
Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Wash leeks and cut into 1cm slices.
2. Heat butter, ghee or oil. Brown the chicken, add the leeks and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes
3. Add 250ml of the stock, the thyme, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken and the leeks are tender.
4. Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken and leeks to a baking dish, discarding the thyme stalks and bay left.
5. Return the open pan, with the cooking liquid, to the heat, adding the remaining stock and the cornflower blended with the cream. Cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the chicken then leave to cool before adding the pastry.
6. Roll out the pastry so it is slightly larger than the top of your dish. Using water dampen the top area of the dish just above the filling and the top edge. Lay the pastry over the filling and press it lightly against the sides and the top of the edge of the dish, trimming away any excess. Make a small steam hole at the centre.
7. Brush the top of the pie with a little milk
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick
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