This easy chicken pot pie is a winner, winner chicken dinner! It can please a crowd and feed a crowd and it can be made ahead of time too.
I’ve been making this pot pie pretty much since I came back to the motherland – can you believe it’s been almost 2 years already? Because I can’t! Anyhoo, I’ve been making this for friends, for family and just for us two because it’s so easy and so delicious. It is a real family favourite!
The thing I love most about this pie is that there’s only pastry on the top which makes it a bit healthier and although the sauce tastes super creamy, it’s pretty much just a basic bechamel which is smooth but not rich.
Talking of the sauce, I tend to make mine in the Thermomix because it’s so easy and I’m so lazy but don’t worry if you don’t have a thermie, it’s so straight forward that even I can make the sauce on the stove!
The filling can be made ahead of time and freezes really well so if it’s just the two of us, I will make the full quantity and freeze it in 3 portions. Then I just need to defrost, put some pastry on the top and pop it in the oven!
Back to the top, we love it with puff pastry but it also goes great with filo pastry too and if you want a gluten free or a poultry (definitely not pawltry!) alternative to shepherd’s pie, a mashed potato top also works well.
This has been a real hit with all our dinner guests – it’s one of those dishes that’s easy enough to serve for a midweek meal but delicious enough to serve when entertaining.
Even David who does not care to eat the same meal two days in a row doesn’t mind eating this for consecutive dinners which is just about the most affirmative seal of approval you can get in this house.
I have been planning to share this recipe for more than a year and was just waiting for the right light to get some decent photos so when David asked for this pie for Father’s Day dinner, the planets and the sunshine aligned.
Now I’m not usually one to be bossy (although my friends and family would probably not agree, LOL!) but I really want you to try this recipe. It’s a keeper, I promise!
Is there a favourite recipe at your house? What dish would you request for a special dinner in your honour?
Serves 6 generously
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
50g butter
50g plain flour
500ml full fat milk
1 chicken stock cube
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 egg, beaten
375g sheet puff pastry
How to – Traditional
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish or a deep frying pan over a high heat.
- When the oil is hot, brown half the chicken pieces on both sides, season and set aside.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and leeks. Cook, stirring for 8-10 minutes until all the vegetables have softened. Tip the veggies into the bowl with the chicken and return the pan to the stove on a medium heat to make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in the pan and stir in the flour to make a paste. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring until the paste turns golden in colour. Add a splash of the milk, then whisk to combine. Continue slowly adding the milk, whisking continuously until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Crumble the stock cube into the sauce, add 125ml water and stir through. (If you prefer a wetter sauce filling, add another 125ml water.)
- When the sauce has finished cooking return the chicken and veggies to the pan, stir in the mustard and thyme and season well. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- If serving the pie straight away, preheat the oven to 200C and using two forks, shred the chicken in the pan into bite sized pieces.
- Transfer the filling to a large pie dish (or individual pie dishes if you prefer,) and brush a bit of the beaten egg around the edge of the dish.
- Unroll the pastry and lay it on top of the dish, trimming the edges with a small, sharp knife or a pair of kitchen scissors leaving a little bit of pastry overhanging the edge. Crimp the edges of the pastry and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Use a skewer or a small, sharp knife to make some holes in the pastry top (this will allow the steam to be released during cooking) and if you have any excess pastry, you can cut out some decorations for the top – just remember to brush them with egg wash too!
- Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edge.
How to – Thermomix
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish or a deep frying pan over a high heat.
- When the oil is hot, brown half the chicken pieces on both sides, season and set aside.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and leeks. Cook, stirring for 8-10 minutes until all the vegetables have softened.
- While the veggies are cooking, place the butter, flour, milk and stock cube into the TM bowl and cook for 10 minutes at 100C on the thicken function.
- When the sauce has finished cooking and the veggies are ready, return the chicken to the pan, add the sauce (but DO NOT wash the bowl) stir in the mustard and the thyme and season well. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- If serving the pie straight away, preheat the oven to 200C. When the filling has finished cooking, carefully remove the chicken thighs and place in the TM bowl. Shred the chicken for 2-3 seconds on reverse speed 4. If necessary, shred for a second or two more. Return the shredded chicken to the pan and stir through.
- Transfer the filling to a large pie dish (or individual pie dishes if you prefer,) and brush a bit of the beaten egg around the edge of the dish.
- Unroll the pastry and lay it on top of the dish, trimming the edges with a small, sharp knife or a pair of kitchen scissors leaving a little bit of pastry overhanging the edge. Crimp the edges of the pastry and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Use a skewer or a small, sharp knife to make some holes in the pastry top (this will allow the steam to be released during cooking) and if you have any excess pastry, you can cut out some decorations for the top – just remember to brush them with egg wash too!
- Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edge.
Have you got a favourite pie? What dish would you choose for a dinner where you were the guest of honour?
