Winter comfort food often makes us think of pies, and when I think of savoury pies it’s always chicken… or curry (actually chicken curry is even better). A piping hot pie on a wintery night sounds divine but not all pies are created equal and what you really want is to create one filled with immunity boosting vegetables… like this one created by Cenovis spokesperson and nutritionist, Kate Freeman.
Nothing says winter comfort food more than chicken pie. There’s just something so warming and delicious about crisp pastry and creamy hot filling. It just makes you feel all cosy on the inside.
“How nutritious chicken pie is, obviously has a lot to with how it’s made and I believe that the best pies are packed full of vegetables, tasty winter flavours from fresh herbs and have just a small amount of crispy pastry,” Kate said.
“Serve it with a large green salad or steamed vegetables and you’ve got yourself a winner of a meal.”
Tasty Chicken Pie
Ingredients:
(serves 4)
• 500g chicken thigh, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, green section removed and thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, diced into 1 cm pieces
• 1 capsicum, diced into 1 cm pieces
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 250g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2tbsp flour
• 1 tsp chicken stock powder, salt reduced
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Philadelphia cream for cooking
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 sheet of ready made puff pastry, reduced fat
• 1/2 tbsp milk
Method:
• Heat half the oil in a large saucepan or deep frying pan. Cook the chicken in batches until just golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the leek, carrot, capsicum, shallots and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the leek and mushrooms become soft. Add the chicken back into the pan.
• Add the flour and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Dissolve the chicken stock powder into the water and add to the pan, along with the rosemary and thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the liquid begins to thicken.
• Add the cream and wholegrain mustard and stir to combine.
• Spoon the mixture into four individual ramekins. Divide the puff pastry sheet into quarters and top each ramekin with pastry. Brush lightly with milk and bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes or until pastry is just browned. Serve with a fresh green leafy salad.
Nutrition Information for Tasty Chicken Pie
• Energy: 1670kJ (400 cal)
• Protein: 30g
• Carbohydrate: 33g (sugars 4g)
• Fat: 17g (saturated 5g)
• Fibre: 4g
• Sodium: 465mg
For more recipes by Kate, visit healthyeatinghub.com.au
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