Easy home-made chicken pie

A hearty meal for cold rainy days, this home-made pie is packed with veggies and has far less calories than the shop-bought kind. It's really versatile in that you can use whatever veggies you have lying around, and most of the other items are pantry staples. 

Ingredients

1 whole free range chicken

2 onions, finely chopped

A few cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

A variety of veg: carrots, peas, corn, potato, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, mushrooms

Spice of your choice (I like to use a mixture of Robertsons Chicken Spice and Cajun Spice)

Herbs of your choice (again, Robertsons Italian Mix is my favourite)

Olive oil to drizzle

500ml chicken stock

1 litre full cream milk

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 roll puff pastry

Butter to brush

Method

 Using the stove top, heat some oil in a roasting dish and fry off the hard veggies (carrots, potatoes) and the onions, garlic and leek (if using). Move the veggies to the sides of the dish and place the chicken in the middle.

Rub olive oil and spices onto the chicken (be sure to also rub under the skin where possible), and drizzle some olive oil over the veggies. Place a thin layer, just enough to half cover the veggies, of chicken stock into the tray. Roast for approximately 45min.Add any soft veggies (peas, corn, mushrooms, brocolli, etc) about 20 minutes before the chicken should be cooked, and add more chicken stock if necessary.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare a basic whitesauce using the flour, butter, and milk. The sauce should be about as thick as custard and about a litre in volume.

When the chicken is cooked (the juices run clear when a fork is inserted, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Remove the veggies using a slotted spoon and set aside. Place the roasting tray back on the stovetop and reduce the remaining stock (any stock in the pan or not yet used) over a medium heat.

While the stock reduces, remove all the meat from the chicken. Add veggies, chicken, and white sauce back into the roasting tray and mix thoroughly. Taste and season if necessary.

Tip everything into a large casserole dish and top with the puff pastry, poke a few holes in the middle, and brush with butter. Bake at 200°c until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with a mixed leaf salad.