Chicken and chorizo pie

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunky pieces
• 125g chorizo, sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• a few sprigs thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml white wine
• 350ml chicken stock
• 75ml crème fraîche
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 320g ready-made puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Description

• STEP 1

  Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and season the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until golden and caramelised. Scoop out onto a plate with a slotted spoon.

• STEP 2

  Add the chorizo to the pan and cook until slightly crisp and the oil has turned red. Scoop out onto the plate of chicken, then gently cook the onion and thyme in the pan with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

• STEP 3

  Pour in the wine and bubble for 1 minute, then gradually add the stock, whisking the whole time. Add the chicken and chorizo back to the pan, as well as any resting juices from the plate, and bring to a simmer. Bubble for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender, skimming off any excess fat from the surface – but don’t throw it away (see ‘Good fats’, above). Stir in the crème fraîche and lemon juice, and season – go easy on the salt as the chorizo itself can be salty. Remove the thyme sprigs.

• STEP 4

  If you have time, cool the filling mixture completely – the steam from the hot filling will mean a less crisp pastry. If you’re making the filling more than 1 hour ahead, cool to room temperature and then chill.

• STEP 5

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the filling into a 26cm x 20cm lipped baking dish. Brush the rim of the dish with the egg, then layer over the pastry and use your thumbs or a fork to crimp the edge, and press and stick down. Use a sharp knife to make a small cross in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape. You could also lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a diamond pattern, if you like. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden.