Chicken Pie with Velouté Sauce & Puff Pastry Lid

Ingredients (serves 2)

125g puff pastry

40g butter

6 spring onions, cut into small rounds

120g frozen spinach

1 egg, beaten

30g flour

300ml chicken stock (poaching liquid)

250g cooked chicken, cut or torn into bite-sized
pieces

Large handful of roughly chopped soft herbs (such
as tarragon, parsley, chervil, basil or a mixture)

75ml cream

Salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Roll the pastry out until it is 2-3mm thick.
3. Use a small individual pie dish or ovenproof bowl as a guide and cut 2 lid shapes, 2cm larger than the dish all the way round. Place on a plate and chill until firm. Use the off cuts for decorations and chill if you wish.
4. In a small pan, melt 10g of the butter and cook the spring onions for 2 mins over a medium heat, stirring regularly.
5. Add the frozen spinach and cook covered with a lid until the spinach has defrosted and then remove the lid.
6. Increase the heat and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated, set aside.
7. Decorate the pastry lid if you wish. You could crimp the edges or gently score the surface with a simple pattern, or decorate with the pastry off-cuts.
8. Make a hole in the top and brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake until well risen and golden brown, about 15 mins.
9. Turn the oven off and keep the pastry warm until it is required.
10. In a separate pan, melt the remaining 30g butter in a saucepan then add the flour
11. Cook over a low heat for 3 – 4 mins until the flour is straw coloured and smells biscuity.
12. Add the stock, bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
13. Once the sauce/velouté comes to the boil, lower the heat and add the chicken and simmer for 3 mins.
14. Stir in the herbs, spring onions and spinach then add the cream and season to taste.
15. Pile the piping hot chicken mixture into the pie dishes and top with the pastry lid. Alternatively pile the mixture onto a plate and top with the pastry.

Serve with mashed potato and seasonal greens.