This is my chicken and egg pie. It goes down well with my friends whenever I do it, and so I thought I would share my recipe with you. It is perfect for cold winter evenings, and is as heartwarmingly delicious as it is simple to make. 

ingredients (serves 6 - 8)

  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil 
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 1kg diced chicken thigh meat, boneless and skinless
  • 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 chicken ‘stock pot’ or stock cube
  • 300ml boiled water 
  • 75ml white wine
  • 125g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 200ml double cream
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • The leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Small handful of parsley, finely chopped
  • 8 hard boiled eggs 
  • 500g puff pastry 

method

  1. Put the oil into a large casserole over a high heat. Add the onions and as soon as they sizzle turn the heat down to medium-low. Add 2 good pinches of salt. Allow the onions to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and sweet. Don’t allow them to brown; if they do begin to brown turn down the heat and stir. 
  2. When the onions are done, turn the heat to medium-high and add the chicken and stir. Sift the flour and mustard powder over the chicken and onions and stir in well, this will form the base of your gravy. Now add the stock pot or cube along with the 300ml boiled water and wine. Stir until the sauce thickens, then add the mushrooms, cream, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley. Allow this to come to the boil then immediately turn the heat to low and simmer for ten minutes. If after that time you feel your gravy isn’t as thick as you’d like, sift in a teaspoon or so of flour, but remember that it will thicken when it cools. 
  3. Space the eggs evenly apart in a pie dish of around 35 x 20cm, and then ladle the chicken filling into the dish. Allow this to cool completely. 
  4. Roll the pastry out to the size of the pie dish and place on top of the pie, adding three slits to let out steam. Cook in an oven preheated to 220C/200C fan for about 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the steam holes.