Proper comfort food - Chicken, Leek and bacon pie

When it comes to home baking it’s all about keeping the family happy and this recipe is a real family favourite that gets demolished by the whole family every time it’s served up, it’s real comfort food for a family with a big appetite. With thick crumbly pastry, big chunks of chicken, smoked streaky bacon lardons in a rich creamy sauce and served with some minted new potatoes, tenderstem broccoli and big jug of rich chicken gravy on the side this really is a satisfying meal for any family.

500g shortcrust pastry

400g skinless, boneless chicken thigh

100g smoked bacon lardons

1 white onion finely diced

1 clove of garlic crushed

2 medium leeks

75g button mushrooms

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 tblsp flour

150ml whole milk

1 egg and 25ml milk beaten to make an egg wash

In a heavy based pan fry off the lardons over a high heat to get some colour on them then add in the chicken thighs and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in the leek, mushroom, onion and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked off then add in the flour and combine it with the other ingredients and allow it to cook out for a further minute. Slowly pour in the milk whist stirring the mixture until it combines into a cream, sauce, season to taste. Set the mixture aside to cool whist preparing the the pastry. roll out 300g of the shortcrust pastry into a circle and place it into the bottom of a 10″ pie dish. Place the filling in the to the pie and roll of the remaining 200g of pastry to form the lid. Take the egg wash and brush around the edge of the pastry and place the lid on, crimp the edges of the pie together and trim the excess pastry off. Egg wash the top of the pie and bake at 190c for 45 minutes.

#maincourse #chicken