Chicken pot pies
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 6–8
- Dietary
- Nut-freePregnancy-friendly
These individual pot pies are the ultimate comfort food, filled with a rich, creamy chicken and vegetable mixture that pairs perfectly with a crisp, golden pastry topping.
Ingredients
For the chicken filling
- 300g/10½oz mixed root vegetables, such as carrot, parsnip, celeriac, turnip or potato, peeled and chopped
- 85g/3oz unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 50g/1¾oz plain flour
- 750ml/1¼ pint chicken stock
- 100ml/3½fl oz crème fraîche (or double cream)
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 500g/1lb 2oz cooked chicken, chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry topping
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 free-range egg
- 1 free-range egg yolk
Method
To make the chicken filling, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Add the root vegetables and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Melt the 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and slowly cook the onion over a low heat until soft.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes to form a paste.
Gradually whisk in the stock until smooth. Simmer until slightly thickened.
Stir in the crème fraîche and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the pan.
Stir in the parsley. The mixture should be creamy but not too thick.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
Divide the filling evenly between four individual 8cm/4in ovenproof dishes.
To make the pastry topping, cut the pastry into four circles slightly larger than the top of the dishes.
Mix the egg and egg yolk in a bowl to make an egg wash.
Place the pastry circles on top of the dishes. Brush the egg wash over the pastry circles.
Cook the pies in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes and serve.
