Chicken & Bacon Pie

Ingredients

3 tbsp Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tsps chopped fresh Lemon Thyme
2 Chicken breasts, diced
2 tsps Olive Oil
4 rashers of streaky Smoked Bacon, cut into small strips
1 small tin Sliced Mushrooms (drained) or 125g Chestnut Mushrooms, thinly sliced
15g Butter
300ml hot Chicken Stock
1 sheet of frozen or fresh Puff Pastry (defrost for 1.5 hours in the fridge if frozen)
1 Egg Yolk
2 tbsp Milk

For the actual pie dish I used a 6" square 1" deep dish, or alternatively you could use two indivdual pie dishes.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C



2. Place the flour, salt, pepper, lemon thyme and chicken in a plastic freezer bag. Seal the bag and toss the chicken to coat the pieces in the flour and seasoning. Keep to one side.



3. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on a medium to high heat. Add the bacon pieces and fry until golden.



4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue to heat until softened.



5. Add the butter to the bacon and mushrooms and heat until melted.



6. Tip the chicken pieces and all the seasond flour into the pan. Stir with the bacon and mushrooms until all the flour and butter has mixed together and the chicken begins to brown.



7. Pour in the hot stock and stir to make the sauce. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low to medium and simmer for five minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as required.



8. Line the rim of your pie dish with a thin (1cm) strip of pastry. Dampen the rim with a little water if the pstry will not stick.



9. Cut the pastry sheet just a little larger than the pie dish you are using. Fill the pie dish with the chicken filling.



10. Dampen the pastry rim a little and place your pie lid on top of the dish. Trim any over hanging pastry. Crimp the pie edges with a fork and make a couple of holes in the pie lid to release any steam.



11. Mix the egg yolk and milk together and brush over the pastry.



12. Cook the pie for 20 - 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Turn the pie round halfway throught the cooking time for an even colouring



13. Serve the pie with Mashed Potato and Chantenay Carrots