Serves about 20
Preparation Time 1 hour
Baking Time 15 minutes
Oven Temperature 180˚C

• 4 chicken thighs
• olive oil
• 1⁄2 onion, finely chopped
• 125g button mushrooms, chopped
• sprig of thyme or 2ml dried thyme
• 30ml flour
• 100ml chicken stock
• 50ml milk
• 2 rolls ready-made puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk

1 Place the chicken in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and season well. Roast in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the tin and leave to cool.

2 Heat a little more oil and sauté the onion, mushrooms and thyme until soft. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Remove from the heat and add in the stock and milk a little at a time, stirring well.

3 Flake the chicken, removing all the skin, bones and cartilage. Add to the mushroom mixture.

4 Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the pastry, or cut into rectangles. Wet the edges with a little water. Place a teaspoonful of the chicken mixture onto the pastry and fold it over. Press the edges down with the back of a fork to seal. Place onto a greased baking tray.

5 Mix the egg yolk with a little milk and brush all over the pies. Increase the oven temperature to 200˚C. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Words and image: Ideas magazine