chicken & ham pie

I love it when the season changes and the cold dark nights draw in.  It means heavy comfort dinners, lots of pastry, mash & vegetables.

I have been making this pie for a few years now, and surprisingly its one of the dinners that everyone in my family likes.  Saying that there are a few different requirements, but this pie meets them all.

Samuel likes the pastry on the bottom of the pie because its softer (but not soggy !), and Seb likes the pastry on the top because its crispy & light, therefore this pie has a top and a bottom.  Samuel doesn't like too much pastry so I make one giant pie instead of individual pies, he can have the middle with less pastry and Seb has the sides !

Its best to make the chicken & ham filling and let it cool before assembling the pie.

Ingredients
serves 8

4 Large Free Range Chicken Breasts (chopped)

(Murdoch & Sons of Cardington Free Range Chicken is very good)

200g Pulled Ham Hock 

200ml Full Fat Milk

200ml Chicken Stock (if you don't make your own, Waitrose do a good one)

75ml Double Cream

3 large pring Onions finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves crushed

3 TBS Plain Flour

50g Butter

1 egg beaten (egg wash)

550g (2 x 275g) Puff Pastry (rolled out into two large sheets approx  28 x  38cm) 

If you prefer to buy your puff pastry rather than make it from scratch choose an all butter puff pastry.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and cook the chopped chicken, garlic & spring onions until chicken is white.

 Stir in the flour and cook through.

Add the chicken stock and milk, simmer until thickened.

Add the ham hock and cream and continue to cook gently until thick and creamy.

Leave to cool. (chilling is even better if you have time). The sauce will thicken when cold making it easier to assemble your pie.

Place one sheet of puff pastry onto a baking sheet and spread filling over leaving a 1 inch gap all the way round.

Brush edge with the beaten egg.

Lay the other sheet of pastry on top and seal edges.

Fold bottom edge of pastry over top edge and make a fancy edge pattern.

Slash a few holes in top of pastry and brush all over with beaten egg.

Chill in fridge until you are ready to cook.

Bake in oven at 200 C for 45 minutes until crispy golden brown.

I like mash, mushy peas & gravy with mine !