A comforting meal need not take hours to cook. Which is why I love this easy Chicken and Mushroom pie inspired by Jamie Oliver. There’s no sago to soak and no long procedures. But it still delivers a tasty and creamy filling in a crispy pastry crust. As long as you have a roll of ready made pastry in the freezer and some chicken fillet or left over chicken you can have this ready in 30 minutes.

For this version I used left over roast chicken about 400g. The kernels of a leftover mealie which I stripped from the cob and a handful of spinach to add some extra nutrition.

Easy Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:
1 Roll ready made puff pastry thawed
3 chicken breasts cubed or approx 400g leftover roast chicken shredded or cubed
150g mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup corn
a big handful of baby spinach
1 heaped Tbsp flour
1 heaped Tbsp sour cream
1 heaped Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove crushed
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chilli flakes or to taste
1 tsp Dijon or English mustard
2 Bay leaves
1 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
handful of fresh parsley chopped

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add garlic and allow to become fragrant. Don’t let it brown. Add the chicken and toss around till it’s just cooked. Add the mushrooms and all the other ingredients except the parsley. Mix it all thoroughly then let it simmer for about 10 minutes till the mixture is thickened and creamy stirring now and then to prevent sticking. Add the parsley and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a 24cm square pyrex dish and cover with the pastry, tucking it loosely up the sides of the dish. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 200 deg Celcius for 15 to 20 minutes or till well risen and golden brown.

Option: You can also line the base of the dish with pastry first and then add the filling and cover with another layer of pastry. You will need 2 rolls of pastry for this. Longer cooking of 30 to 40 minutes is needed to ensure the base is cooked.