Ingredients

• 2 TBS light olive oil
• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
• 1 pound of button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 50g of butter (scant 1/4 cup)
• 3 TBS of plain flour
• 225ml of pale ale (1 cup)
• 100ml of double cream (3 1/2 fluid ounces, scant half cup)
• 200ml of good chicken stock (7 fluid ounces or one scant cup)
• freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper, white pepper and salt to taste
• 1 TBS parsley flakes
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 small free range egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken begins to turn white. Add the mushrooms and onions and continue to cook, until the chicken is golden brown. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until smooth. Whisk in the ale. Cook, stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in the cream mixture slowly. Cook over low heat, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the parsley and pour the sauce over the chicken mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into a large pie dish and set aside to cool completely before baking.
• When you are ready to bake the dish, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Brush the edges of the pie dish with some beaten egg and lay the pastry on top, pressing down on the edges. Trim. Brush the top of the pastry with some beaten egg and cut two or three slits in the top to vent. If you have any pastry left, you can cut out shapes and decorate the top of the pie with them.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve hot with mash and a green vegetable.
• Some people might see a chicken pie as a waste of a good bottle of lager, but we saw it as a delicious addition to an already delicious pie. If you don't have any lager, you could just use additional chicken stock.

Notes

• 5-17-25 1/2 Recipe
• The only change I have made is I substituted white wine for the Pale Ale.
• One of Britain's favourite pies! Tender pieces of chicken with mushrooms in a delicious gravy beneath a puff pastry hat.
• Do you like my little cut out chicken shapes in the four corners of the pie? I know, cute! I also sprinkled the top with a big of freshly ground black pepper and flaked sea salt after I brushed it with the egg wash.

Photos