Chicken and Mushroom Pie Filling with Tarragon

• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1.2kgboneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 30gbutter
• 3leeks, sliced
• 500gchestnut mushrooms, quartered
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 50gplain flour
• 500mlchicken stock
• 400mlmilk
• 2 tspDijon mustard
• 20gtarragon, leaves chopped
• 200gfrozen peas
• 1/2lemon, juiced
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 1 x 320gsheet ready-rolled puff pastry (optional)
• 1egg, beaten (optional)
• 400ggreen beans, trimmed (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the olive oil in your widest pan over a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in two batches for 4 minutes each until golden at the edges. Set aside; it finishes cooking in the sauce.
2. 2Turn the heat to medium and melt the butter in the pan. Add the leeks and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked away, and the leeks are soft. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute so it coats everything and loses its raw smell. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring, then the milk, and bring to a simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. 4Return the chicken with its juices and simmer gently for 12 minutes until the chicken is steaming hot throughout with no pink remaining. Add the peas and simmer for their packet cooking time until piping hot. Take off the heat and stir in the mustard, tarragon and lemon juice, then taste and season.
5. 5To make four portions into a pie, use the optional pastry, egg and green beans. Heat the oven to 200C fan. Spoon half the filling into a pie dish about 25cm across and leave for 10 minutes until it stops steaming, so the pastry does not melt into it. The rest is for the freezer.
6. 6If making the pie, lay the pastry over the dish, trim, press the edges to seal and cut two slits in the top. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is risen and deep golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
7. 7If serving the optional green beans, cook them in boiling salted water for 4 minutes until bright green and just tender, drain and toss with pepper. Serve alongside the pie.
8. 8Cool the other half of the filling within 2 hours and freeze in a foil tray or bag for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, tip into a pie dish, top with fresh pastry and bake at 200C fan for 35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is piping hot in the middle.

Per serving

kcal

352

protein

36.9g

fibre

4.1g

carbs

16.5g

fat

15.4g