Chicken pie is another of those classic homely dishes that everyone should know how to make. My mum can make amazing looking pies but I don’t tend to bother too much with the way mine look. Save a lot of time and hassle and just use the pre rolled pastry you can get from the shops and if you are feeling creative decorate the top of the pie with some of your off cuts, that donut looking thing was my attempt at a little flower…

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• knob of butter
• bunch of spring onions
• 150g button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 2 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
• 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche
• 500ml chicken stock
• fresh thyme
• 1 pack of puff pastry
• 1 egg

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 200°C and then cut your chicken breasts into small strips or chunks.
2. Heat some olive oil and the butter in a frying pan and then cook your chicken until it is sealed. This will take about five minutes.
3. While the chicken is cooking roughly cut the spring onions and wash and half the button mushrooms and then add to the pan with the chicken along with the tablespoon and flour and stir well.
4. Now add the mustard, the crème fraiche and the chicken stock and stir well. You should now have a nice creamy looking sauce. If it is looking a bit too thick then add in a little bit more stock.
5. Add some leaves from the thyme and then transfer to a pie dish.
6. On a clean surface dust some flour and unroll your pack of puff pastry. Using a sharp knife lightly score the pastry in both directions to create a criss cross pattern then cut the pastry so it is slightly larger than your pie dish.
7. Now lift the pastry and place on your pie dish and gently push at the edges so you get a good seal.
8. Beat the egg in a cup and then brush it over the top of the pie, then put in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry has risen and turned a nice golden brown.
9. Serve and enjoy with some mashed potatoes and vegetables.