Ingredients:

1 box puff pastry sheet

1 egg, beaten for the egg wash

2 chicken breast (boneless, skinless) cut into cubes

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 mushrooms, washed and quartered

2 large carrots cut into half moons

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

300 ml chicken stock, made with one stock cube

2 tablespoons butter

55 g plain flour

300 ml milk

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

175 g bacon lardons

200 g frozen peas

200 g frozen sweet corn

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºc.

2. Heat some vegetable oil in a large pan and gently pan sear the chicken so that it gets golden on all sides. The chicken should be diced into two-bite sized pieces. Once the chicken is golden on all sides, remove it to a plate. We want to keep all those golden brown bits of chicken that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

3. Add the onions and butter to the pot and make sure the heat is on low. We’re looking to gently sweat the onions rather than fry them. As the moisture comes out of the onions, it will start to pull up and loosen all those golden brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the onions are a pale golden color we can add in the carrots and mushrooms. This is where we want to turn up the heat ever so slightly. *We’re looking for a little more color on the onions, golden color on the mushrooms and a softening of the carrots.

4. Once you’re happy that you’ve got golden mushrooms and softened carrots, go ahead and add the flour. Give it a good stir so that it’s incorporated well into all the veggies. This is what is going to thicken your pie filling, so you want to make sure that it’s not lumpy and stuck to veggies unevenly.

5. Once you’ve got the flour stirred in well, slowly start to pour in the milk and the chicken stock. Once the milk and stock are added, bring it all to a simmer and let the filling thicken.

6. At this stage you will want to add in your peas, and or sweet corn if you’re using those. Once your pie filling has thickened, add the chicken back in and stir through the chopped parsley.

7. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out circles that are slightly larger than your pie dish. If using one large pie dish, just cut one large circle.

8. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the edge of your pie dish(es). Place the puff pastry lid on top and press the edge of the pastry onto the edge of the pie dish, making sure that it’s all evenly placed down.

9. Use your paring knife to gently cut some vents in the top of the pie. Use a pastry brush to top the puff pastry with the egg wash. *If you want to get a little fancy you can sprinkle some thyme leaves over the top of the pies and bake, or just leave them plain.

10. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crispy and the chicken and mushroom pie filling is hot all the way through.

Bon Appetit!