Chicken mushroom pie with thyme crust

• 140g plain flour
• 125g butter (cubed)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• 2 tablespoons water (cold)
• 200ml chicken stock
• 300g roast chicken breast (diced)
• 2 large portobello mushroom
• 100ml chardonnay
• 4 tablespoons double cream
• 15g flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
• half a lemon
• 1 medium egg

Step 1

Sieve 115g flour and salt into a bowl.

Work in 75g butter and the olive oil with your fingertips until the mix looks like fine crumbs.

Rub the fresh thyme leaves and Parmesan into the mix.

Step 2

Sprinkle with cold water, 1 table spoon at a time, tossing with fork until all the four is moistened and the pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl.

Step 3

Cover with cling film and and chill in a fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Place the stock in a pan and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat, add the chicken and warm in the stock for 5-10 minutes.

Step 5

Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and reserve.

Step 6

Melt half the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the mushrooms, season and cook gently for 3-4 minutes without browning. Then transfer the mushrooms to a plate and reserve.

Step 7

Melt the remaining butter in the pan and stir in the flour.

Add the reserved stock gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Add the wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Step 8

Add the double cream, return to the boil, then simmer for a further 5 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Step 9

Stir in the mushrooms, chicken, parsley and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Season and set aside.

Step 10

Take your pastry from the fridge, set at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll out on a floured surface.

Invert 2 x 13cm round pie dishes onto the pastry, or one medium-sized pie plate over the pastry.

Cut out tops or top about 2cm larger than the dish(es).

Step 11

Fill the pie dish or dishes with the chicken mushroom mix to about 1cm from the top.

Step 12

Place the pastry tops over the dish. Allow excess to overhang as it’s best to trim it after it’s cooked. The pastry will shrink during cooking so if you trim beforehand your pie filling may be exposed on the sides.

Cut a small slit in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Brush the pastry with beaten egg

Step 13

Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF / gas mark 4.

Bake the pies for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden. If the pastry is browning too much, cover with foil and continue cooking.

Serve immediately.