INGREDIENTS
1x 3mm sheet puff pastry, big enough to cover your dish
1 free range egg beaten
75g butter
Olive oil
1kg chicken thigh fillets chopped into 3cm chunks
2 onions sliced
400g carrots chopped
20 - 25 button mushrooms halved
130g fresh baby spinach leaves
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp crème fraiche
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Salt and pepper
Sesame seeds - optional
METHOD
First cook the vegetables – melt half the butter with a tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions, and sauté until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until the water evaporates, and they begin to brown on the edges. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chicken to the pan and brown slightly, pour in the brandy and stir. Next add one cup of the chicken stock and return the vegetables to the pan. Simmer for around 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken and veggies from the pan and place this in the base of your pie dish, reserving the cooking stock in a bowl. Melt the rest of the butter with a dash of olive oil in the pan and sprinkle in the flour stirring gently to brown it slightly. Add the mustard and then the reserved and extra stock, stirring all the time to thicken. Finally, stir through the crème fresh and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the spinach leaves through hot sauce to wilt them, then pour the spinach mustard sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven 200°C fan bake.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a disc just bigger than your pie dish. Lay over the filling and using a fork go around the dish edges to seal. With a sharp knife cut two to three steam holes in the top.
Brush the pastry surface with beaten egg and bake for around 30 minutes or when the pastry is golden and crisp.
Serve warm with a green salad on the side.
