Chicken pie with bacon

• neutral oil↗1 tbsp

  (for example, vegetable or sunflower oil)

• chicken breasts↗500g g

  (or boneless, skinless thighs, coarsely chopped)

• streaky bacon↗200g g

  (coarsely sliced)

• onion↗1

  (coarsely sliced)

• carrot↗2

  (coarsely sliced)

• celery stalk↗1

  (finely sliced)

• bay leaf↗1
• thyme sprigs↗a few
• white wine↗150ml ml
• wholegrain mustard↗1 tbsp
• flour↗2 tbsp
• chicken stock↗250ml ml
• heavy cream150ml ml
• puff pastry↗320g pack ready-rolled g

  ready‑rolled pack

• egg↗1

  (beaten)

• горох↗

  (або броколі з довгими стеблами, для подачі (за бажанням))

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large covered pot over medium heat and sauté the chicken and bacon until golden (the chicken should not be fully cooked at this stage). Remove them from the pot, leaving the oil, and set aside.

2. 2

   Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and thyme sprigs to the pot, reduce heat to medium‑low and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 10‑12 minutes until the carrot softens slightly and the onion becomes soft but not golden. Add the wine and cook 2‑3 minutes to reduce. Return the sautéed chicken and bacon to the pot and stir. Add mustard, then flour, and cook 1 minute, after which pour in the broth. Season, mix well and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and add the cream. Bring to a boil again, then turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a large oven‑proof dish (ours was 23 cm). At this stage the filling can be frozen for up to three months, fully thawed and continue cooking the pie.

3. 3

   Roll out the puff pastry and, if needed, roll it a bit to cover the dish. Cover the dish with the pastry and trim excess dough, then press the edges with fingers. Use excess pastry to decorate the top of the pie. Brush the pastry with beaten egg, pierce two holes on top for steam to escape, and bake for 30‑40 minutes until golden. The pie can be frozen unbaked for up to three months. Cook the frozen pie for 1 hour‑1 hour 15 minutes. Ensure it is fully cooked and cover with foil if it browns too much. Serve with peas or broccoli, as desired.