Full of flavour, this creamy chicken and bacon pie filling is topped with a puff pastry lid. Serve with your favourite vegetables and a dollop of mashed potato for a satisfying family dinner. This pie is freezer-friendly too and can be cooked from frozen for an easy mid-week meal!

Ready in: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 6 – 8

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g chicken breasts, chopped
200g streaky bacon, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
A few sprigs of thyme
150ml white wine
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp flour
250ml chicken stock
150ml double cream
Pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C. Pour the oil into a large, lidded pan and place over a medium heat. Add the chicken and bacon and fry until browned – the chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point. Remove the meat from the pan, leaving the oil behind, and set aside.

2. Pour the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme into the pan. Turn down the heat and cook the vegetables with the lid on for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. The carrot should have softened slightly.

3. Stir the wine into the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes to reduce a little. Add the chicken and bacon back to the pan and mix together.

4. Next, stir in the mustard and flour and cook for a minute before pouring in the stock. Season, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat again and add the cream. Mix well, bring back to a simmer then turn off the heat and pour into a large ovenproof dish. You can freeze the filling at this point and defrost fully before you continue to finish the pie.

5. Unwrap the puff pastry and, if needed, roll out a little more to ensure it covers the dish. Place over the pie dish and remove any excess pastry before crimping the edges with your fingers. Use any of the excess pastry to decorate the top of the pie.

6. Glaze the pastry lid with the beaten egg and prick two holes in the middle to allow steam to escape while cooking. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden.

7. The pie can be frozen (unbaked) for up to three months. Cook from frozen for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. Ensure the pie is fully cooked through before serving.