CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE PIE

Enough scone type pie dough batter for the bottom and top of a 10 x 8 inch pie dish.
The measurements used in the following link for the recipe worked well for me.
(https://yourrecipeblog.com/recipes/vleispasteitjies-met-skon-tipe-slapdegie/)

3 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
150 g mushrooms, chopped into slices
good pinch of salt and pepper
2 sprigs of thyme or 1 teaspoons dried thyme
2 ½ cups (600 ml) chicken stock, water plus 3 stock cubes is fine
3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 tablespoons (50 g) plain/all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) milk
juice of 1 lemon
1 egg, slightly whisked with a fork

Place the chicken, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme and stock to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.
When the chicken and stock is nearly cooked, take another large sauce pan and add in the butter and chopped onion. Heat on medium and cook the onion for about 5 – 6 minutes until soft. Add in the flour and mix it into the onions and butter using a balloon whisk. It should form into a creamy paste (or roux). Allow the roux to cook for a minute whilst stirring with your whisk, then add in a ladle of the stock from the chicken broth (try to get mostly stock – not the chicken/veggies). Stir the broth into the mixture using the whisk.
Repeat this until you have ladled out most of the stock from the chicken pan (leaving the chicken and veggies behind). Then pour in the milk. Heat through whilst stirring with the whisk. The sauce should thicken as it is heating.
Once the sauce is almost at boiling (don’t let it boil) add in the chicken and veggies. Bring back to almost boiling and add in half the lemon juice. Give it a stir and taste. Add the rest of the lemon juice and a more seasoning if you think it needs it. Take it off the heat and stir in the egg.
Cover the bottom of the pie dish with a layer of the pie batter. Place the chicken mixture on top and cover it with the rest if the batter. Bake at 200ºC for 25 – 30 minutes or until the top is a golden brown colour.

Recipe posted by Adam Cloete
Photo: Adam Cloete