Ham, Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Hi friends. First off I want to apologize for my distance and skipping of posting days. I don’t really have a valid excuse; I just haven’t wanted to blog. I don’t know why as I used to really love it, but I’m sure I’ll be back here yabbering away in no time. ;)

I made this gorgeous pie a couple of weeks a go, and I can’t believe I’m only just sharing it with you guys – it was love at first bite. I’m sure many of you know that I’m currently following Slimming World (with the exception of the last three days… oops), so I shunned the pastry and instead opted for a nice thick topping of mash so it had more of a cottage pie vibe, but by all means add pastry if you’re little heart desires!

500ml chicken stock
4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5cm pieces
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
200g green beans, chopped
200g button mushrooms (halved or quartered if large)
1 level tsp chicken gravy granules
2 tbsp tomato purée
450g can cooked lean ham, cut into small cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Above is the original list of ingredients. I switched the fresh garlic for dried and added a substantial amount of extra veg – it was one hell of a mixture.Preheat your oven to 180°C and put the stock, chicken, onions, garlic, carrots, beans and mushrooms (and any other additions) in a pan and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions have softened and the chicken is cooked.

I used Tulip’s lean canned ham which is about £1.50 a tin – cheaper than I thought lean ham would be!

Add the gravy granules and tomato purée and stir well. Add the ham and tarragon, season and stir again. The original method says to divide the mixture into four individual pie dishes, but if you’re like me and don’t have individual ones just use whatever oven proof dishes you have to hand!

If you’ve opted for pastry: Brush the edges of your dishes with some of the beaten egg. Cut the pastry into long, thin strips and arrange over the pies in a lattice pattern. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Serve warm.

If you’ve opted for mash: Peel your potatoes, chop up small and boil until they’re nice and soft. Mash and add milk, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parsley (if you’re on SW make sure to syn the milk if not using as a HEA), spoon over the top of your pie mixture and bake for 18-20 minutes.

The recipe says that it serves four but it clearly makes way more than that… although that could have been due to all the extra veg… It doesn’t really matter either way, as the pies are freezer friendly! My mixture made FIVE meals! Yes, five! Mmmmm, pie.