Poached chicken, leek and tarragon pie

By Julius Roberts
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the poached chicken:

• Chicken: 1 good-quality
• Olive oil: for frying
• Onion: 1, roughly chopped
• Celery sticks: 2, roughly chopped
• Carrot: 1, peeled and roughly chopped
• Bay leaves: 3
• Salt: pinch

For the pie:

• Smoked streaky bacon: 6 rashers, rind removed and cut into chunks
• Unsalted butter: 30g/1oz
• Celery sticks: 3, halved lengthways then sliced
• Large leeks: 3, cleaned and chopped into 2cm/¾in rounds
• Poaching broth: 600ml/20fl oz (from the chicken)
• Plain flour: 50g/1¾oz
• White wine: 150ml/5fl oz
• Double cream: 200ml/7fl oz
• Dijon mustard: 1 heaped tbsp
• Fresh tarragon: 20g/¾oz, finely chopped
• Free-range egg: 1
• Ready-made all-butter puff pastry: 2x 320g sheets
• Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste

To serve:

• Purple sprouting broccoli: 250g/9oz
• Lemon: 1, juice only
• Olive oil: 2–4 tbsp

Method

1. Poach the Chicken:
   • Cut the chicken in half lengthways. You can ask your butcher to do this or use kitchen scissors to cut along one side of the spine and down the breast.
   • Generously season the chicken halves with salt and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow the salt to penetrate.
2. Cook the Chicken:
   • In a large, heavy-based pot that can fit both chicken halves, drizzle in a splash of olive oil and heat over high heat.
   • Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken halves and fry until golden-brown on all sides. If your pot is too small, do this in batches.
   • After browning, add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Season generously with salt.
   • Bring to a gentle simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Prepare the Chicken Meat:
   • Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool. Once cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the carcass and place it in a bowl. Keep the skin if desired; otherwise, return it to the pot with bones and gristle.
   • Return the pot to heat and simmer for 20–30 minutes to extract flavor from the bones, creating a rich stock.
4. Make the Pie Filling:
   • In a large pan, cook the bacon with 30g of butter over medium heat until it renders its fat.
   • Add sliced celery and leeks along with a ladle of chicken stock. Cover and cook slowly for about 10 minutes until tender, being careful not to break up the leeks too much.
   • Strain the chicken stock and measure out 600ml/20fl oz. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
5. Thicken the Filling:
   • Sprinkle flour over the leeks and mix well, cooking for a few minutes until it smells slightly nutty.
   • Gradually add white wine, stirring until combined into a thick mixture.
   • Slowly add chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously until fully incorporated to avoid lumps.
6. Combine Ingredients:
   • Once all stock is added, turn off the heat and stir in double cream, shredded chicken meat, Dijon mustard, and chopped tarragon. Mix thoroughly and taste; adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
7. Prepare for Baking:
   • Preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
   • If making two pies, divide filling between two medium-sized pie dishes (you can freeze any extra filling).
   • Brush the rim of your pie dish with beaten egg. Cover with one sheet of puff pastry, crimping edges with a fork or your fingers. Leave some overhang for decoration if desired.
   • Brush the top with more egg wash, sprinkle with fennel seeds, and season with salt and pepper. Pierce a hole in the center for steam to escape.
8. Bake:
   • Place in preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden-brown and puffed.
9. Serve:
   • While pies are baking, prepare purple sprouting broccoli by heating half of your olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add broccoli and cook for 6–8 minutes.
   • Finish by adding lemon juice and remaining olive oil before serving alongside your pies.