There’s nothing tastier than sitting down to a pie when the weather is cold, as it is the ultimate comfort food.
Making one from scratch doesn’t have to be a hassle either, with Mary’s recipe using shop-bought pastry.
The recipe notes said: “This chicken and bacon pie would make a wonderful centrepiece for a family meal.
“My granddaughters Abby and Grace helped me to make it for the TV programme.”
It serves six people and can be on the table in under two hours, perfect for a Sunday lunch.
Ingredients:
Six chicken legs
Four celery sticks, diced
Four bay leaves, roughly sliced
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
250g smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
One large onion, roughly chopped
50g butter
60g plain flour
Two tablespoons creme fraiche
One tablespoon of grainy mustard
Two 375g packets of ready-rolled puff pastry
One egg, beaten
Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C or 140C Fan and then put the chicken legs, celery and bay leaves into an ovenproof saucepan.
Pour over the wine and stock, seasoning to taste. Bring to a boil on medium heat, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
Once cool, remove the meat from the bones, these can be reserved and used for a stock. Break the meat into bite-sized pieces before transferring it to a bowl, straining the stock, reserving the celery and discarding the bay leaves.
Measure the liquid, you should have 750ml but if not, make it up to this amount with stoke or white wine.
Fry the bacon until cooked, then add the onion and cover with a lid for 10 minutes until softened.
Add the butter, stir until melted and then sprinkle in the flour to make a roux. Pour the reserved liquid into the roux a little at a time, whisking as you go, until thickened.
Add a little salt and pepper to the reserved celery and add the creme fraiche and mustard before adding the chicken.
Spoon into the dish and level the top, leaving to cool and then chilling for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pastry. Roll out each of the sheets to about 3mm thick. Cut each piece into long thick ribbons, you’ll need enough to cover the pie.
Weave the ribbons together on a piece of baking paper, until you have enough pastry to cover the pie.
Chill for 15 minutes, or freeze if you have the time. Take the filling out of the fridge, brush the edges of the dish with egg and carefully slide the pastry on top of the filling.
Trim any excess and then increase the oven temperature to 200C or 180C Fan, brushing the top with any remaining egg, cooking for 30 minutes.
Serve with some mash and vegetables for a tasty filling dinner for all of the family.
