Chicken, Kale and Mushroom Pie

 

 

 



 

 

Is there anything more comforting than a homemade chicken pie? What more could a family want than a hot golden-topped, creamy-filled pie and Netflix on a wintery weeknight? I guess some cake for after would be... the icing on the cake.




Chicken, Kale and Mushroom Pie
adapted from here
Serves 6

5 stalks of kale, leaves stripped from the stem and roughly torn
1 litre of chicken stock
olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1kg skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets
1 small onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, white and pale green parted, halved lengthways and sliced
50g unsalted butter
400g mixed mushrooms (I used oyster and shitake), chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
40g plain flour
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
400g puff pastry (I made my own using this recipe) or 1 sheet of ready rolled all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, whisked

Put the stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil the torn kale for 1 minute. Lift them out of the stock with a slotted spoon, shake them off and put them to one side. Turn the heat off.

Pour the oil over the chicken and season them generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook until golden, then turn them over. Pour the stock over the chicken and cook for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken and boil the stock until reduced to 400ml.

Preheat the oven to 190C fan forced.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan. Add the onions, garlic and leeks and season with a little salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until softened but not browned.  Add the butter, mushrooms and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Spoon in the sour cream, mustard, parsley and kale, stir and remove from the heat.

Shred the chicken and add it to the pan. Stir gently to combine and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Choose a baking dish that the filling fills to the brim. If you use one that is too big, the pastry will sink and it won't brown properly. Roll the pastry out so that it covers the baking dish with a 3cm overhang. Pour the filling into the dish, brush the rim of the dish with egg and lay the pastry over, pressing it onto the rim to seal. Trim off the excess pastry, reserving the offcuts. Cut long, thin strips from the trimmings and decorate the top of the pie with them. Brush with egg, cut a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. Put the dish on a baking sheet and slide them into the oven. Bake for 30 -35 minutes, until the top is golden and puffed and the filling is bubbling.