Chicken, Ham & Mustard Pie

• 600 gboneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 300 mlhot chicken stock
• 30 gplain flour
• 200 gmushrooms, halved
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1large onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 100 mlwhole milk
• 100 mldouble cream
• 25 gbutter
• 150 gsmoked ham, sliced into strips
• 2 tbspDijon mustard
• 1large egg, beaten (for glaze)
• 375 gready-rolled puff pastry
• 450 gbuttered peas and greens (optional)
• 10 gchives, snipped (optional)

Method

1. 1Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
2. 2Tip in the chicken and fry until sealed and just starting to colour, 5–6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and ham for the last 3 minutes so they take on a little colour but stay meaty.
3. 3Stir the flour through the pan and cook for 1 minute to take off the raw edge. Slowly pour in the hot stock and milk, scraping the base of the pan, then simmer gently until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes.
4. 4Whisk in the Dijon mustard and double cream, season generously with salt and pepper, and simmer 2 minutes more; the sauce should be glossy and spoonable. Loosen with a splash of milk if it tightens up too much. Transfer to a pie dish and leave to cool for 10 minutes so it won't sog the pastry.
5. 5Lay the puff pastry over the dish, trim the overhang and crimp the edges with a fork or your thumb. Brush all over with the beaten egg and cut two small vents in the top to let the steam out.
6. 6Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, puffed and crisp and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
7. 7Rest the pie for 5 minutes so the filling settles. Serve with the optional buttered peas and greens, and scatter with the optional chives if using.

Per serving

kcal

564

protein

33.5g

fibre

2.2g

carbs

32.9g

fat

33.1g