Chicken Pie
Chicken poached with onion, parsley and bay, the stock reduced hard and thickened into gravy, then the whole thing sealed under pastry. An upturned cup in the middle of the dish holds the crust up and stops it going soggy.
Ingredients
- chicken — 1.5 kg
- onion — 0.5 pc
- parsley — 1 sprig
- bay leaf — 1 pc
- salt — 0.5 tbsp
- black pepper — 0.25 tsp
- all-purpose flour — 45 g
- shortcrust pastry — 350 g
Instructions
- Joint the chicken, put it in a pan with the onion, parsley and bay, and cover with boiling water.
- Simmer gently until tender, adding the salt and pepper once it is half cooked.
- Lift the chicken out, strain the stock, skim off the fat and boil it down to about 1 litre.
- Whisk the flour with a little cold water and stir it into the stock to make a pourable gravy.
- Stand a small cup upside down in the centre of a pie dish, arrange the chicken around it — discarding the larger bones — pour the gravy over and let it cool.
- Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F), lay the pastry over with a few slits cut in it, and bake until well risen and browned, about 35 minutes.