CHICKEN PIE

I don’t know about you, but I am the Leftovers Queen in my house. Most times my leftovers are better than the original. So much so that I find myself planning for them – buying extra so I have something I can turn inside-out and upside-down for a completely different dish the next day.

Like this chicken pie which begins as cooked chicken the day before but upgrades to a lovely crusty pie the next evening and also plays a bit part in lunch the following day, or may be squirreled away in the freezer for that night when no one else is at home and I just want something quick and delicious.

2 tablespoons oil or butter

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup cooked peas

1 cup corn kernels

1 cup diced cooked potato

1 cup diced cooked pumpkin or carrot

4 fresh mushrooms, chopped in small dice

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons chopped herbs (a teaspoon of chopped tarragon is good if liked)

1/2 quantity of oil pastry *

Heat the oil or butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add flour and stir for a minute until cooked. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the chicken stock. Return to heat and let come to the boil and thicken. You don’t want a thick sauce, just more like the consistency of thickened cream. Fold in the chicken and vegetables, season to taste and turn off heat. Stir in the herbs and allow to cool. This may all be done ahead and refrigerated.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 190C (170C fan-forced).  Divide the pastry into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece to line the base of a lightly greased 20-25cm pie dish. Place the filling on the pastry base and roll out the second piece to cover the filling, crimping edges and cutting a vent in the middle.

Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Serves 4-6.

OR if you are in  a hurry, mix the chicken and vegetables with a jar of pasta sauce and use that in the pie!

*this might be the second half of a quantity of pastry which has been frozen and thawed.