The other weekend, my parents visited my boyfriends flat for the first time. So as a nice cosy but easy meal (I say cosy because the flat is not very big, more than five people and feels like rush hour at Starbucks) I decided to make chicken pie.

I was originally inspired by Jamie Oliver’s 30 minutes meals for this recipe. I have to make a confession, I love Jamie Oliver! but I am yet to cook any of his meals under 30 minutes. I’m starting to wonder if the problem is me.. or Jamie?!?!

Here is the recipe to make easy peasy chicken pie a la Joana Reis!

Ingredient’s to make a pie for 4-6 people:

• 600g of chicken breast
• a tablespoon of butter
• 200g button mushrooms (or any other type of mushrooms)
• 1 medium sized baby aubergine
• 1 leek
• a bunch of thyme leaves
•  a hand-full of spring onions
• 2 teaspoons of English mustard
•  flour for dusting
• 2 tablespoons of low fat creme freche
• 1 pack of pre made puff pastry (you can find it in the butter aisle, just a hint as it took me 10 minutes to find it)
• 1 egg
• 300ml vegetable stock

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Start by cutting the chicken breasts,  I recommend to cut these  into small squares but feel free to do it differently.

Once the chicken is done slice your vegetables; the mushrooms, aubergine, leek and spring onions.

In a frying pan or wok, add some olive oil and a spoonful of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken. Turn every now and again to cook both sides. When the chicken is cooked on both sides, add the vegetables.

Add the mustard, stir, then add the creme freche. Stir a little more and add the 300ml of vegetable stock, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir a few times, pick the leaves off the thyme and add to the pan.

Stir a few more times and let it simmer for a good 10 minutes.

In the meantime, get the pastry ready. Lightly dust with a clean surface with flour and roll the pastry. Make sure the pastry is bigger than about 25 x 25cm, but this depends on the dish you are using. The important thing is to have the pastry big enough to cover the top of your dish and a little more to be tucked in.

Quickly beat the egg.

Once the pastry is rolled flat and you are happy with the size, use a knife to lightly make crisscrosses in it.

Pour the contents that have been simmering in the frying pan to your chosen ceramic roasting dish. Try not to fill the dish all the way to the top as the pastry will expand.

On that note, cover the dish with your rolled out pastry and tuck it in at the edges. Brush the egg over the pastry and place in the oven.

Cook on the top shelf for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is nice and brown.

I served mine with potatoes wedges and salad (lettuce and shredded beetroot with balsamic vinegar) but you can serve with anything you like.