James Martin has shared his delicious and warming recipe for a chicken and tarragon pie that will easily become a family favourite.
Making a pie from scratch might sound tedious, but the star chef masterfully synthesised the method to just six steps.
This classic comfort dish, shared on James’ official website, is made using rough-puff pastry and serves six.
Ingredients
One whole chicken, spatchcocked
Two carrots, halved
One leek, halved
One onion, peeled and halved
One bay leaf
Six black peppercorns
Sauce
50g butter
50g plain flour
750ml stock from above
200ml double cream
100g water chestnuts
One small bunch of tarragon, chopped
Rough puff
400g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
150g butter, cubed
200ml water
One egg yolk
Instructions
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, carrots, leek, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover everything, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for an hour. Once cooled, strain the stock and shred the chicken meat.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) or Gas Mark 6.
For the pastry, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until the dough comes together, adding a bit more water if needed.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle. Fold it into a book shape, turn it, roll it out again into a rectangle, fold it like a book once more, and repeat the process. Be sure to brush off any excess flour. Roll the dough out to a thickness of three mm.
In a large pan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour, followed by the stock, to create the sauce. Stir in the cream. Place the shredded chicken, water chestnuts, and tarragon into a pie dish, pour the sauce over the top, and allow it to cool.
Brush the rim of the pie dish with egg wash, then cover the chicken mixture with the rolled-out pastry. Crimp the edges, brush the top with egg wash, and place the dish on a baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
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