Bring a taste of spring to a comforting chicken pie by inviting plenty of fresh herbs and a smattering of briny, tangy capers to the puff pastry-topped party.
The filling (which makes good use of leftover roast chicken) can be made up to 24 hours in advance of baking your pie; allow it to cool down completely before storing in a sealed container in the fridge until you’re ready to roll.
Ingredients (serves 4)
115g butter
3 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
50g plain flour
600ml chicken stock
500g roast chicken, chopped or shredded
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
½ bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp capers (drained)
1 sheet of ready-made, all-butter puff pastry
1 large egg, beaten
To serve: Steamed, buttered Jersey Royal potatoes; green salad
Method
Melt the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and sauté the leeks, onion and celery with a little salt until the vegetables have softened and are just starting to brown, adding the garlic for the last minute or so.
Sprinkle with the flour and allow to ‘cook down’ for around two minutes before adding the chicken stock and continuing to cook, stirring continuously, for around 6-8 minutes until smooth and thick. Add the chicken, tarragon, parsley and capers to the pan, stir well, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely (we don’t want claggy puff pastry, do we?!).
While the filling is cooling down, preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5. Lightly grease a suitably-sized pie or baking dish and add the filling.
Unroll the puff pastry sheet, carefully lift it on top of the pie dish and trim the edges to fit, using the trimmings to create pretty shapes (leaves, etc) to decorate the top of the pie. Use a fork or a fingertip to lightly seal the pastry to the edges of the pie dish, make a couple of small holes in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape and brush the entire surface with beaten egg.
Bake the pie for around 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling piping hot. Allow the pie to ‘settle’ for around 5 minutes before serving with a tumble of steamed, buttered Jersey Royals and a well-dressed green salad.