Is there anything better than a pie to warm you up on a dreary winter’s day? This chicken and potato one is bound to banish the blues.
When you think of comfort food, pies always immediately spring to mind.
I find there’s something really warming about tucking into any kind of pie. A deli where I live does Chicken Madras and Chicken Tikka ones which are absolutely delicious as they are made with their own homemade curries.
However, I am just as happy with a good old Scotch pie and beans or a steak and gravy.
For today’s Comfort Food Friday recipe, we have this hearty and oh-so-creamy, deliciously crispy mash-topped pie from Gousto that’s packed with chicken breast, sweet leeks and carrot. Serve with garlicky greens.
Creamy Chicken Potato-topped Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Leek
- 1 clove of garlic
- 150g spring greens
- 1 carrot
- 50g soft cheese
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Chicken stock cube
- 1 white potato
- 2 125g British chicken breast fillets
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7.
- Boil a kettle and chop the potatoes (skins on) into large bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped potatoes to a pot with plenty of boiled water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook for 12-15 min or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot to steam dry.
- Whilst the potatoes are boiling, add the chicken breasts to a baking tray with drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the tray in the oven for 15 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!), then reboil a kettle.
- Chop the leek in half lengthways, then wash to remove any grit from between the leaves, then top, tail and slice finely. Top, tail and dice the carrot.
- Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 15g butter over a medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped leek and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min or until beginning to soften.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic and dissolve the chicken stock cube and Dijon mustard in 250ml boiled water.
- Once the vegetables have softened, add half the chopped garlic with 1 tbsp flour and cook for 30 secs.
- Add the stock and soft cheese, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 3-4 min or until thickened.
- Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a clean board and shred it apart using two forks – this technique is known as “pulling”.
- Return the drained potatoes to a low heat with a knob of butter and a small splash of milk. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mash until smooth.
- Add the pulled chicken to the sauce with a generous grind of black pepper and give everything a good mix up to finish your creamy chicken pie filling. Transfer the filling to an ovenproof dish and top with the mash.
- Put the dish in the oven for 15-20 mins or until bubbling and golden.
- Once the pie is almost done, rip the leaves off the spring greens, discard the tough stalks, then layer the leaves over each other, roll them up and slice very finely.
- Heat a separate large, wide-based pan with a knob of butter over a medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced spring greens and remaining chopped garlic and cook for 3-4 min or until tender with a bite – these are your garlicky greens.
- Serve the creamy chicken potato-topped pie with the garlicky greens to the side.
More in this series …
Comfort Food Friday: A hearty slow-cooked beef stew is the ideal dish to brighten up any dreich day
