Two Day Chicken Pie

I have a few pet peeves when it comes to recipes and cooking in general but the biggest one has to be recipes that are written in a way that’s misleading about how long it takes to get the thing actually on the table. If I’ve learned anything it’s that where time is called for, it’s the one ingredient you can’t substitute and hope you’ll end up with a great result. I know everyone wants the fastest way to dinner but the truth is that isn’t always possible. Believe me, I’ve tried every shortcut and have had some disastrous dinners to prove it.

It all started with this recipe for chicken pie. It’s a great recipe, I’ve used it for years. If you read the prep time quickly it looks like you can get it together in 40 minutes plus 75 minutes cooking. When you actually read it though, there are additional HOURS of cooling and resting, not to mention all the clean up you’ll need to do. Love it but I was always so annoyed at those directions. Let’s be honest about how long it takes.

Which brings us to this two day chicken pie. There are probably three people who are ever going to read this recipe because no one wants to make anything anymore that takes longer than twenty minutes but I promise it is actually easier than a regular chicken pie because you can get other things done while the oven is doing most of the prep work.

I think there’s a difference between how long a recipe actually takes and how long it feels like it takes. If I am standing over the stove making something and then going to the counter to make something else and then everything has to be cooled and then it needs to go back into the oven and then rest before I can get it on the table before we’ve even eaten and have to clean up. That FEELS like it has taken most of the day, even if it hasn’t. The problem is I really like chicken pie so I wanted to figure out how to make it in a way that didn’t FEEL like a Lord of the Rings marathon.

My solution is to split the whole thing into two days, admit it takes two days but only be hands on for about an hour. Bonus points for doing most of the dishes on the first day so when you come to day two, it seems like a quick, easy, painless meal. The rest of the time you can be reading a book or mowing the lawn or generally going about your life. And you’ll still end up with a great pie that doesn’t make you want to collapse in exhaustion as soon as you put it on the table. Take the pressure off, spread out the work and then spend your time where it matters – at the table enjoying good food with people you love.

Making

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8 good sized servings

DAY ONE: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes baking DAY TWO: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes baking

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

Olive oil

3 large leeks, sliced thinly

25g fresh thyme

300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

Zest and juice of one lemon

6 skin on chicken thighs

100g butter, in six slices

4 Tbsp wholegrain mustard

FOR THE PASTRY

150g unsalted butter, cut into cubes plus some for the pan

400g self raising flour

1 medium egg, beaten

Flaked sea salt

Instructions

Day one is about prepping the filling and making the dough but doing both in the easiest way possible. Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan.

Note on the leeks – they tend to carry a lot of soil so make sure you give them a good bath in lots of clean water after you’ve sliced them so you don’t have grit in the final product.

Put the OLIVE OIL in the bottom of a large baking dish. Spread your sliced LEEKS in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Place entire sprigs of THYME over the leeks. Leaving them whole makes it easier to remove them later.

Place your sliced MUSHROOMS over the top. Zest and squeeze your LEMON over it all.

Season your CHICKEN THIGHS with salt and pepper and place evenly on the veggies in the baking tray. Nestle a bit of BUTTER around the side of each one and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, put the UNSALTED BUTTER and FLOUR into a bowl and pinch together until you have a mixture that is resembling sand. Add in your beaten EGG. Mix with your hands until it comes together into a uniform dough. You may need a couple tablespoons of water. Wrap it in clingfilm and put it in the fridge until tomorrow.

When the chicken is done, let it rest on the counter until it is cool enough to put into an airtight container and leave in the fridge overnight.

Everyone should get a good night’s rest. It is so important.

Day Two is just about assembly. Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan with a baking sheet on the shelf. This is to catch the drips and also to help the bottom bake. Take your chicken out of the fridge and let it come up to room temp while you’re working on the pastry. Prep a 20cm cake tin, ideally with a removable bottom. Butter the whole thing and place some baking paper on the bottom.

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry large enough to line the bottom and sides of the cake tin with a little bit of overhang.

Just before you put the filling in your cake tin, stir the WHOLEGRAIN MUSTARD through the chicken mix and taste. Season as needed. Then put the filling into the cake tin.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the filling. Wet your finger or a brush and run it around the overhang so the top will stick, then press with a fork to seal. Cut a small steam vent in the top and brush with some milk or another slightly beaten egg. Sprinkle your flaked sea salt over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes. You can spin it around half way through if the top is browning unevenly. Enjoy!

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