Chicken pie is one of the best comfort food dishes to eat during the chilly cold weather, but it can be frustrating if it comes out of the oven all runny.

A big mistake people can make when cooking pies is not paying attention to the filling; if it is too thin it can cause the pie to be bland and watery.

However, it is very easy to fix according to Sarah Rossi, a cook and founder of Taming Twins, who has shared that the secret to a thick gravy sauce is adding one simple ingredient.

Sarah advised home cooks to add more “flour”; she elaborated: “You can either follow the recipe and add it at the same time as your stock, making sure it eventually gets to the right consistency or, if you find there are lumps, you can make a ‘slurry’ instead.”

A slurry is simply mixing flour with some water and whisking it into the sauce, which will reduce the liquid so you have a smoother and thicker gravy.

You can also simmer the filling for longer to intensify the flavours as well as thicken the sauce, so you will have a tasty chicken pie without much effort.

If you make sure to add enough flour then chicken pie is incredibly simple to make and is the perfect comfort food for a winter evening.

Sarah said: “This easy chicken pie recipe has everything you need in a comfort food meal. With tasty meat, extra veggies, creamy sauce, tasty bacon bits and a light fluffy pastry topping, this is an ideal go-to homemade pie recipe that’s simple yet satisfying.”

How to make chicken pie

Ingredients:

• Four skinless boneless chicken bread (around 650g)
• 320g of puff pastry sheet
• 200g of smoked bacon
• 75g of plain flour
• 300ml of chicken stock
• 300ml of milk
• One onion
• Three celery sticks
• Three carrots
• Two teaspoons of thyme
• One egg (beaten)
• Salt and pepper
• One tablespoon of olive oil or sunflower oil

Instructions:

To begin, heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken and bacon. Fry for roughly five to 10 minutes until they start to turn golden brown.

Add your vegetables and cook for five more minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the flour and thyme and continue to cook for five more minutes.

Slowly add the chicken stock and milk to the mixture, and keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce.

Let the chicken filling cook so it thickens for around 10 minutes. Then, once it is ready, spoon it into a pie dish.

Let the filling rest for 30 minutes if you have the time. This helps the starches in the flour to fully absorb the liquid to prevent the sauce from becoming runny once it is baked.

Once you are ready to cook, smooth the pastry over the filling and brush the top with a beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 220C and bake for 30 minutes until the filling is hot and the pastry is crispy and golden.

When ready, take out the oven and you will have a mouthwatering chicken pie that is ready to serve immediately.