Easy Chicken Pie

One of my definite highlights of last week was the chicken pie I had on Saturday night. I have been really busy lately with college and work and I've been having some medical issues too. Just keeping the house straight seems to be falling under the radar. I really need to put time aside to keep everything in shape.

So I have been looking for really simple dishes that I can make with little effort. This chicken pie is one of them. Its starting to get chilly here, we seem to have had some unseasonably warm weather recently but I think there is starting to be a nip in the air, which calls for warming pies and hearty stews.

The original recipe called for sweetcorn, which I'm not a big fan of, so I used leeks and peas instead and they worked really well. The pie was creamy without being cloying, and the parsnip mash was good, if a little sweet, I think potato mash, as was in the original recipe, would have been better.

Easy Chicken Pie (adapted from Good Food Magazine July 2009)

(Serves 1)

1/2 small onion, sliced
2 skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1 small leek, sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
75-100ml chicken stock
handful of frozen peas
3 tbsp crème fraîche
handful parsley or basil leaves, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped

Heat the grill. Fry the onion and chicken in the oil for 5-10 mins until the onion is soft and the chicken golden, add the leeks. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the frozen peas and cook for a couple more minutes. Then add 3 tbsp crème fraîche and the herbs.

Meanwhile, boil the parsnips until soft. Drain and mash with remaining crème fraîche, or milk and butter. Spoon the chicken mix into a pie dish and top with mash. Place on a baking tray, then grill until potato is golden.