Chicken & Bacon Pie-tasty

[wilderness]

Chicken & Bacon Pie-tasty

1 kg skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces

8 rashers of dry-cured, smoked streaky bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tbsp mild olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced

2 stalks of celery, finely sliced
3 medium leeks, finely sliced

4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 tbsp butter

200 g button mushrooms
2 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for rolling

400 ml chicken stock

200 ml crème fraîche or double (heavy) cream

1 tsp Dijon mustard

500 g frozen puff pastry or ready-to-roll pie crust, defrosted

1 medium egg

1 pinch salt and pepper



Heat a large skillet, frying pan or shallow, heatproof casserole over medium heat and add the oil. After 30 seconds, add half of the chicken and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until golden all over. Scoop onto a plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the second batch.

Once both batches of chicken are cooked and set aside, add the onions, celery and leeks to the pan, then cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until soft. Turn the heat back up a little, then add the butter, mushrooms and thyme leaves. Fry, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until the mushrooms and vegetables take on a golden tinge.

Return the chicken to the pan. Take the pan off the heat then stir in the flour. Add the stock gradually to make a smooth sauce around the chicken and vegetables. Simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir the crème fraîche (or cream) and mustard into the pie filling. Taste the sauce for seasoning before you add any salt (the bacon will have added plenty). Season with pepper. Spoon the chicken pie filling into 6 individual pie dishes, leavng at least 2.5cm (1 inch) at the top so that the filling can bubble without escaping. Let the mixture cool in the dishes. Flour the work surface a little, then roll the pastry to a square about 45×45 cm (18x18 inches). Cut 6 rectangles of pastry, each a little wider than the tops of the pie dishes. Use a fork to beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water to make a glaze. Dampen the rim of each dish with a little of the glaze. Press the pastry over the top .Lightly brush the glaze over the pastry. Make a few small slashes in the top of each pie with a small sharp knife. The pies can be chilled for up to 2 days. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6. When the oven is up to temperature, put the pies on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling up in the middle. Pies cooked straight from the refrigerator will take a few minutes longer to cook.