Creamy Chicken Curry Pie

• whole chicken↗1 ½kg
• onion↗2

  1 quartered, 1 sliced

• carrot↗2

  1 cut into 3‑4 pieces, 1 finely sliced

• 2 thick ginger slices
• garlic cloves↗2

  minced

• parsley↗small bunch

  or cilantro, leaves gathered and chopped, stems left whole

• butter↗50g g
• vegetable oil↗

  or rapeseed oil, for frying

• flour↗50g g
• soft curry paste↗2-3 tbsp

  e.g., korma or tikka

• ground turmeric½ tsp
• chicken stock cube↗1
• double cream↗150ml ml
• phyllo pastry↗6 sheets
• melted butter↗A little

  or oil

• броколі↗

  за бажанням

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Place the whole chicken, quartered onion, carrot pieces, ginger, garlic and herb stems in a large stockpot. Cover the chicken completely with water, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Turn the chicken over halfway through and add more water if needed. After 1 hour the chicken should be tender – try to pull a leg away from the breast with tongs. If there is strong resistance, continue cooking, checking every 10 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the stock and let it cool on a plate for about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Shred the chicken meat into fibres and discard the fat and bones. Strain the stock (this is your stock) and discard the onion, carrot and other leftovers (or keep them for soup). Measure out 500 ml of stock.

3. 3

   Melt the butter in a pan (use the stockpot if it is empty – no need to wash it). Add a little oil and the chopped onion and carrot. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8‑10 minutes. Add the flour, curry paste and turmeric, then crumble the stock cube. As you stir, the ingredients will clump together. Cook for another minute, then add a ladleful of chicken stock. Stir well until smooth, then add another ladleful. Continue until all the stock is used and the sauce is smooth.

4. 4

   Add the chicken, cream and chopped herbs to the sauce, stir, season well and remove from heat. If you freeze portions at this stage, transfer them to an airtight container or bag, chill and then freeze for up to two months. Thaw thoroughly in the refrigerator before reheating in a pan or microwave. See serving suggestions below.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C with convection/gas 4. Transfer the creamy chicken curry into a pie tin about 25 × 5 cm. Brush the 6 sheets of filo pastry with a little melted butter or oil and cover the pie, sealing the filling. Bake the pie for about 45‑50 minutes, until the top is crisp and the chicken curry is bubbling and heated through. Serve with Tenderstem broccoli, if desired.