We all cook the same recipes most of the time, so how can we boost our favourite meals without the family kicking up a fuss? Save time and pump-up the filling flavours with you chicken pie using a carton of buttermilk, Dijon mustard and leeks instead of a traditional white sauce.
SERVES 6 – PREP 20 MINS – COOK 25 MINS
1tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
200g smoked bacon lardoons
500g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3
1 leek, sliced
150ml chicken stock
284ml carton buttermilk
2tsp Dijon mustard
50g chesnut mushrooms, sliced
few sprigs thyme
2tbsp thickening granules
375g puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Fry onions in a large deep frying pan for 5 mins. Add bacon, cook for 5 mins. Stir in chicken, season and cook for 10mins.
2 Heat oven to 220C, Gas 7. Microwave leeks with 2tbsp cold water on High for 3 mins.
3 Pour stock and buttermilk into pan with chicken. Spoon in mustard, sliced mushrooms, and thyme. Simmer for 10 mins.
4 Stir in thickening granules and pour into a pie dish.
5 Roll out pastry on a floured surface until it’s 5cm larger than top of pie dish. Cut off a 2.5cm strip from the edge. Grease edge of pastry dish, press on pastry strip, brush with water. Top with pastry, pressing edges well, to seal. Tap pastry edges with a knife, and pinch to finish.
6 Cut out stars from pastry trimmings. Brush pastry with egg, arrange stars on top, brush over egg to glaze. Bake for 30 mins until pastry is golden.
Per serving: 515cals, 30g fat, (9g saturated) 51g carbs
MAKE IT VEGGIE: Fry onions in oil. Leave out the bacon. Add 600g Quorn Frozen Chicken Style Pieces and fry for 5 mins. Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. (We like Knorr stock pots). Continue making pie and bake in the same way as the meaty version.
TIMESAVER: Buy a sheet of ready rolled pastry, cut it into 4 and bake separately for puff pastry hats to serve with the saucy chicken.