Chicken Pie

This is for days you feel like having something really rich, creamy, crunchy and warm. Its very quick to prepare and it 'looks' like you did a lot of work to make it so its great for showing off!

For the crust I use PC Butter Puff Pastry. One sheet is enough to make 2 pies. 

Defrost the crust as instructed in the packaging and lay it out on a parchment. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares. 

In a separate bowl, prepare some egg wash by mixing an egg with a few drops of milk (the milk is optional). Using a pastry brush line the edges of two squares with some egg wash. With a knife or pastry cutter slice the clean (non-egg-washed) squares into 4 equal strips. Using your craft skills (or not) arrange the strips onto the egg-washed squares to create a border. 

Bake in preheated oven at 375 F for 10 minutes. Don't worry if the center rises too much, it will flatten out when cooled. Remove from oven when the pastry has puffed and browned and leave it to cool.

While the crust cools, prepare your filling.

Sweat a couple of chopped garlic cloves in some oil and add some chopped chicken. Season it and fry till chicken is almost cooked. Add to that your favorite vegetables (I usually add carrots, brocolli, mushrooms and peppers). You can get creative and add some potatoes, baby corn and spinach too. Once the vegetables are tender add a couple of tablespoons of Cream of Mushroom and a couple of tablespoons of cream (or milk) to make some sauce. Don't make it too saucy else the pie will get runny. Pie is ready to be filled once the chicken and vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Spoon out the filling into the prepared crust. If the filling is too runny, then be careful not to add too much sauce when filling up your pies. Top it with some grated cheese and put the pies under the broiler for 1.5 minutes. Keep checking to make sure you don't burn the pie under the broiler.