Chicken Pie with Home-made Chips

Last summer I worked in a Soho Fish and Chip restaurant. Before I tell you where I am going with this bit of information, I would like to say that this place has the best Fish and Chips in London. Here’s a link to the website for menus and maps: 

http://www.goldenunion.co.uk/

If you are visiting London and find yourself on Oxford Street (which you should, as it has all the shops), then head to The Golden Union. Being from the Midlands, I am used to seeing Fish and Chip shops everywhere. However, when I moved to London for university I was amazed to discover that there were no proper fish and chip shops to be found. When I did come across places that claimed to be chippy's, they were either overpriced or not a traditional Fish and Chip shop, lacking that laid back and friendly atmosphere.

So after 3 years of hunting, stumbling across the Golden Union was an absolute god-send.

At the Golden Union you can grab a take away or take some time to hide from the Oxford Street crowds, relax and eat in. I always found it a good option if I was dragging my boyfriend around the shops. A nice hearty lunch at the Golden Union meant that he was able to put up with me trying on piles of clothes... and shoes... and more clothes. So stopping off for a delicious Chippy means a successful afternoon for all.

Right, the point I was originally going to make, before the slight digression, is that the Chippy I am championing above sold amazing pies. None of this Pukka Pie nonsense. Real, hearty, home-made pies.

My favourite was the Chicken Pie and so I was inspired to create a Chicken Pie recipe that I could make when popping over to The Golden Union was not an option. I have stuck to the classic Pie and Chips combo in this post and so I have also included a Home-made Chips recipe as well. However mash potato also goes really well with this meal.

A couple of notes on the recipe. I usually buy chicken breast for this recipe, cook them in some butter and then add them to the pie before it goes in the oven. This means you get nice bite-size chunks of chicken. Alternatively, you can use a whole chicken. Just roast it as you would usually and then take the meat off the bone. Shred the meat into bite size pieces and then add them to the pie before cooking. 

Secondly, I have recently discovered how bad stock cubes are for you. Whilst hunting around on a french stock packet for proportions, I ran across the fact that each little pot had 50% of my daily salt. Now I was needing two of these in the dish I was making. So I am now on a mission to make an effort and find better stock options.

So, if possible find low-salt stock . The easiest way to control the salt levels is to make your own. I know this is time consuming and a pain compared to just grabbing the ready made stuff, but it is a million time better for you and your heart.

 Click HERE to find out about making chicken stock

Finally, I use shop-brought puff pastry in this recipe as making that on top of everything else would turn this into a mighty mission. Jus-Rol seem to be going a pretty good job, so I shall leave it to them to do the hard work!

CHICKEN PIE

Difficulty

Medium

Timing

(does not include chicken preparation: roasting/frying)

Preparation: 30 minutes 

Cooking: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken: you have two options here:
• Roasted Chicken: 1 medium chicken will serve 6 people
• Chicken Breast: 6 breasts
• 1 large onion ~ chopped
• 12 rashers of bacon ~ chopped into 'lardon' pieces
• 50g butter
• 75g flour
• 720ml chicken stock
• 125ml cream
• Puff pastry (enough to cover the top of the pie dish you are using)
• 1 egg ~ beaten
• pepper

RECIPE

First we need to deal with the chicken:

• If you have gone down the whole chicken route, roast it as usual and then leave to cool. Once it is cool, tear off bite-size pieces using a fork. Put these pieces to one side to add to the pie later. * You can use the remains of the roast chicken to make home-made chicken stock. YAY! See recipe above for details!

• If you are using chicken breast, cut each one into bite-size chunks. Put a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until almost cooked. *They'll be spending another 30 minutes in the oven later so don't worry about cooking them all the way through! 

Now your chicken is prepared, you can move onto the rest of the pie:

1. In a large saucepan, add the butter and onions and cook until the onions start to soften. *Keep your oven on a low-medium heat so that nothing burns.
2. Add in the bacon and cook until it starts to colour.
3. Add in the flour and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. *I always think at this stage i've gone wrong as there is a weird onion/bacon paste cooking in my saucepan. However, adding this flour means that the sauce will be nice and creamy and not too runny so do not fear, all is well! 
4. Gradually add the stock, stirring continuously so that everything combines.
5. Add the cream.
6. Taste and season with pepper (and salt if needed!)
7. Add in your pre-cooked chicken pieces and then pour the whole mix into a pie dish.
8. Leave to cool.*Cooling the pie filling means that the puff pastry won't become all saggy and soggy when you put it on top. 
9. Once the pie has cooled down a little, roll out your pastry and place it over the pie dish. Use a fork to seal the edges and then brush an egg over the pastry.*The brushed egg will make your pastry beautifully golden brown.
10. Put your pie in the oven (200C) for at least 30mins or until the pastry is all golden and delicious looking.

Pies are a great way of using up left-overs. For example, you could create a boxing day feast; Just swap the chicken for left-over turkey and the bacon for left-over ham. Make the creamy pie filling as directed above and then chuck in your leftovers before it goes in the oven. 

HOME-MADE CHIPS

Difficulty

Easy

Timing

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 20-30 minutes*

* I am not 100% sure on the timing of these as I have only cooked them in my ancient French Oven. I'm sure that in a normal oven 20-30 minutes will be more than enough time to make the chips all crispy. Compare this with my silly oven which takes at least 1 hour to do the same job... I can't wait to move back home!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium potato per person. *Try and get the type that are good for chip making such as desirée.
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

RECIPE

1. Preheat your oven to 250C
2. Peel potatoes and cut into chips.
3. Place in boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain.
4. Put chips onto baking tray and drizzle all over with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Place in the oven and cook for at least 20 minutes, turning often so they become crispy all over.
6. Take them out of the oven when they are golden brown.

Serve these chips with Home-Made Chicken Pie and make sure you save some for the end so you can mop up the remains of the pie!

Good luck and have fun
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