Spring Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients
Suet pastry
- 300g plain flour
- 100g suet
- 100g cold chopped butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Cold water
- 1 beaten egg yolk
Filling
- 1 tbsp butter
- 600g chicken thigh fillets
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium leek
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 300ml crème fraîche
- 250ml chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 150g asparagus
- Handful fresh parsley
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Make the pastry. Weigh out the flour, butter and suet and place in a mixing bowl, then add the salt and rub the butter into the flour until there are no large lumps. Make a well in the centre and add 100ml cold water, use a butter knife to start bringing the pastry together, adding a little water at a time until you can just bring it together in a ball. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
Make the filling. Use a large skillet or pot. On a medium high heat, melt the butter and sweat off the chopped onion for a few mins, then add the leeks and garlic and cook for a further five mins. Add the chicken pieces and seal off the meat for around 5 mins, stirring every minute or so.
Add the flour and cook this off stirring continuously for two mins, then add the crème fraîche and chicken stock, stirring as you go. Simmer on medium for 5 mins, season to taste then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 15-20 mins before adding the peas, asparagus, lemon zest and chopped parsley. Decant into your pie dish.
Flour your kitchen top and rolling pin and roll out the pastry to cover your dish, ideally to 7.5mm thick. Grease the top of the pie dish so the pastry doesn’t stick, then lay the pastry over the top and lightly press on the edges. Brush with egg yolk and then bake on 200 degrees for 30 mins or until golden brown. Rest for 5 mins before serving.
Serve with Cornish new potatoes and seasonal veg.
