Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts
• skin and bone removed
• 150g/5½oz button mushrooms
• quartered
• 1 small onion
• chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 50g/2oz butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 300ml/½ pint milk
• 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
• freshly grated nutmeg
• to taste
• freshly ground white pepper
• pinch salt
• small handful fresh parsley
• chopped
• 500g/1lb 2oz ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan
• add the chicken and fry until the chicken begins to turn white.
• Add the mushrooms and continue to fry until the chicken is golden-brown.
• Remove the chicken and mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and fry for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside with the chicken and mushrooms.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan
• stir in the flour and cook for about three minutes
• stirring constantly until it has formed a thick smooth paste (this is called a roux).
• Mix the milk and stock together in a jug
• then add the nutmeg
• white pepper and salt
• to taste. Pour the liquid slowly into the flour mixture
• whisking all the time until smooth. Simmer over a gentle heat
• stirring constantly
• for about five minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
• Stir in the chopped parsley and pour the sauce over the chicken and mushroom mixture. Mix well
• then spoon into a pie dish and leave until completely cool.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is the thickness of a pound coin. Brush the edges of the pie dish with beaten egg
• lay the pastry on top
• press down the edges and trim. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and cut some leaf shapes out of the left-over pastry to decorate the top of the pie.
• Make two or three slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape and then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden-brown on top.