Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp plain flour
• Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 500g chicken thigh fillets, diced into 2cm pieces
• 50g butter, chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, sliced
• 100g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp thyme sprigs
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup pure cream
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 Tbsp cornflour
• 2 Tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Cooking oil spray, for greasing
• 1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry, partially thawed
• Extra plain flour, for dusting
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
• Steamed green beans, to serve
Method
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Put flour in a large zip-lock bag and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.
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Melt ½ the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add leek, mushroom, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In same pan, add remaining butter and chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned.
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Return vegetables to pan with wine. Bring to the boil and cook until chicken is cooked through and wine has evaporated. Combine cream, stock cube, mustard and cornflour in a jug. Gradually add cream mixture to pan, stirring, until a thick and gluggy mixture forms. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool.
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Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a pie tin with cooking oil spray, then line with baking paper, following instructions on page 34. Roll out shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a 27cm square. Line prepared tin with pastry and trim around edge of tin, leaving a 5mm overhang.
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Line pastry with baking paper and add baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Discard paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes. Brush base and sides with egg wash and bake for a final 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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Spoon chicken filling into pie shell and brush pastry edge with egg wash. Place puff pastry on top of pie and trim around edge of tin, reserving excess pastry. Press fork around edge of pie to seal.
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Using alphabet cookie cutters, cut out letters from reserved pastry. Brush back of each letter with egg wash, then arrange around edge of pie.
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Brush top of pie with egg wash and bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Transfer pie to a serving plate and serve with green beans.
