Name: Lemon Herb Chicken Pie with Filo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 500 g Jersey Royal potatoes, quartered; 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled; 2 lemons, halved; 2 tbsp olive oil; 50 g butter; 2 tbsp plain flour; 400 ml chicken stock; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 15 g tarragon, chopped; 30 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 75 g watercress; 5 filo pastry sheets; 2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing; Fine salt and black pepper

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Lemon Herb Chicken Pie with Filo — British

Ingredients

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
500 g Jersey Royal potatoes, quartered
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 lemons, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
50 g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
400 ml chicken stock
2 tsp Dijon mustard
15 g tarragon, chopped
30 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
75 g watercress
5 filo pastry sheets
2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
Fine salt and black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C fan.
Tip the chicken thighs, quartered Jersey Royals, halved lemons and unpeeled garlic cloves onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss until everything is glossy.
Roast for 45 minutes, until the chicken skin is deep golden and crisp and the potatoes have caught at the edges. Check the thickest part reaches 75°C for 30 seconds, then set aside until cool enough to handle.
While that cools, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat until it foams. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute to a sandy paste, then gradually whisk in the chicken stock until smooth and thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the Dijon and season to taste.
Lift the chicken from the tray. Peel off the skins and set them aside, then discard the bones and any gristle and shred the meat into rough pieces.
Squeeze the soft roasted garlic from its skins back into the tray with the potatoes, then squeeze in the juice from the roasted lemon halves. Mix everything together, scraping up any sticky bits.
Tip the chicken and potato mixture into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the mustard sauce, scatter in the tarragon, parsley and watercress, and fold through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Chop the reserved chicken skin into shards and sprinkle over the top for crunch.
Cut the filo sheets in half, scrunch each piece loosely like a paper rose, and arrange over the filling until covered. Brush with olive oil.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filo is shatteringly crisp and deep gold and the filling is bubbling at the edges.