Chicken and Bacon Pie

Top our creamy chicken pie with puff pastry for a satisfying family-friendly meal. Easy to freeze (unbaked), enjoy with your favourite vegetable.

1 Tbsp. flavourless oil, such as vegetable or sunflower oil
chicken breasts or thighs, skinless, boneless, roughly chopped (500 g)
streaky bacon, roughly chopped (200 g)
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs thyme
½ cup white wine (150 mL)
1 Tbsp. wholegrain mustard
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 cup chicken stock (250 mL)
½ cup double cream (150 mL)
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (320 g)
1 egg, beaten

To Serve:
peas or long-stemmed broccoli

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Heat the oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken and bacon until browned (the chicken does not need to be cooked through at this stage). Remove from the pan, leaving the oil behind, and set aside.

Tip the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme into the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes until the carrot has softened a little and the onion is softened but not golden. Stir in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes to reduce a little.

Tip the cooked chicken and bacon back into the pan and mix together. Stir in the mustard, then the flour and cook for 1 minute before pouring in the stock.

Season, mix well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream. Bring back to a simmer then turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a large ovenproof dish (ours was 23 cm). You can freeze the filling at this stage for up to three months, defrost fully and continue making the pie.

Unwrap the puff pastry and, if needed, roll out a little more to ensure it will cover the dish. Cover the pie dish and remove any excess pastry before crimping the edges using your fingers. Use any excess pastry to decorate the top of the pie. Glaze the pastry all over with beaten egg, poke two holes in the top to allow steam to escape, then bake for 30-40 minutes until golden.

The pie can be frozen, unbaked, for up to three months. Cook from frozen for 1-1 hour 15 minutes. Ensure it’s fully cooked through and cover with foil if it’s browning too much. Serve with peas or broccoli, if you like.