As a nation of pie lovers, Pie Week earlier this month celebrates a great national tradition! It’s an opportunity to get involved and include the whole family in the cooking process 👨🍳. Make it fun and delicious 😋.
This week, we want to share a healthy Chicken Pie Recipe 🐔 and a Vegetarian option, both of which you can do at home. They are both filled with tasty fresh ingredients and they’ll be sure to satisfy the whole family.
Give one a try!
We are a nation of self-confessed pie lovers! Here are some healthy options for you to try!
Chicken Pie Recipe 🥧
What you’ll need…
For the filling:
- 450ml chicken stock 🍲
- 100ml white wine 🍷
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped 🧄
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 tarragon sprig
- 225g carrots cut into chunks 🥕
- 500g skinless chicken breasts 🐔
- 225g sliced leeks
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp crème fraiche
- 1 heaped tsp mustard
- 1 heaped tbsp parsley 🌿
For the topping:
- 70g filo pastry
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
The Method:
Step 1: Pour the stock and wine into a large, wide frying pan. Add the garlic 🧄, thyme, tarragon and carrots 🥕, bringing it to the boil then lowering the heat to simmer for 3 mins.
Step 2: Place the chicken in the stock, season with salt and pepper 🧂, cover and simmer for 5 mins. Scatter the leek slices over the chicken, cover again and gently simmer for 10 more mins, so the leeks can steam while the chicken cooks. Remove from the heat and let the chicken sit in the stock so that it keeps moist.
Step 3: Strain the stock into a jug – you should have 500ml (if not, make up the difference with water). Tip the chicken and veg into a 1.5 litre pie dish and discard the herb sprigs 🌿. Pour the stock back into the sauté pan, then slowly stir in the cornflour to thicken.
Step 4: Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until nice and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraiche 🥣, mustard and parsley. Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Step 5: Tear or cut the chicken into chunky shreds. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture, then stir everything together.
Step 6: Prepare a baking dish with paper or buttering the sides 🧈. Cut each sheet of filo to fit your baking dish. Layer filling over this base – you may wish to make layers, in which case, lightly brush the filo with oil in between filling layers. Cover with filo and tuck the edges into the sides of the dish. Grind over a little pepper, then bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden.
Serve nice and warm from the oven!
Spinach Pie Recipe 🥬
What you’ll need…
· 200g bag spinach leaves
· 175g jar sundried tomato in oil 🍅
· 100g feta cheese, crumbled 🧀
· 2 eggs 🥚
· 125g filo pastry
The Method:
Step 1: Put the spinach into a large pan. Pour over a few tbsp water 🚰 and cook until just wilted. Tip into a sieve and squeeze out any excess water. Roughly chop your spinach, as well as the tomatoes 🍅 and put into a bowl along with the feta and eggs. Mix well 🥣.
Step 2: Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush liberally with some of the sundried tomato oil 🖌. Drape oil-side down in a loose-bottomed cake tin so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round. Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon over the filling 🥄. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
Step 3: Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad. 🥗
Easy as that!
For lots more healthy pie recipes, take a look at this list here.
We hope you give a healthy pie a go at home – share a picture with us on social media if you do!
