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Muriel's Chicken Pot Pie

Ready in 1 hr 25 mins

Recipe by Graham 

Muriel's Chicken Pot Pie is named after my charming daughter-in-law who is so darned inventive with food that they have to pay me to stay away! Seriously, Muriel doesn't run scared of trying new stuff and THAT is the secret of good cooking. It won't always work out right but, when it doesn't, it's usually only you that will know!

Muriel's Chicken Pot Pie holds no surprises so far as the ingredients are concerned, but its cooking and presentation deserve a rosette and a bunch of flowers! Take a bow, daughter-in-law!

Preparation Time

30 Minutes

Cooking Time

55 Minutes

Ingredients for Muriel's Chicken Pot Pie

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

1¼ lb boneless chicken breasts
  salt & pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks
2 stalks celery
2 medium potatoes
4 oz French beans
2 cloves garlic
12 fl oz milk
1 oz plain flour (all purpose flour)
1 pint chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 knob butter
9 oz ready-made filo pastry
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

How to Cook Muriel's Chicken Pot Pie

  1. Remove any skin from the chicken breasts and cut them into cubes about ¾" (2cm) across. Season the chicken with salt and a few twists of freshly-ground black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large large non-stick skillet or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, turning once or twice, then set the chicken aside.
  2. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes about ¾" (2cm) across. Trim the French beans and cut into pieces about ¾" (2cm) long. Peel and crush (mince) the garlic. Wash the leeks, remove the roots and cut the bottom 4" (10cm) from each (put the green leaves aside for a soup later). Finely chop the remaining white leeks and the celery.
  3. Place a further tablespoon of the oil in the pan and add the leeks and the celery. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften, then add the potatoes, French beans, crushed garlic and season generously with salt and freshly-crushed pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
  4. Add the milk to the pan and stir. In a mixing bowl, stir the chicken stock into the flour, bit by bit, until dissolved, then stir it into the ingredients in the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes then stir in the chicken pieces, the peas, parsley and thyme.
  5. Use a little butter to lightly grease the insides of four individual-sized baking dishes or lion's head soup dishes. Spoon the mixture from the pan into the prepared baking dishes.
  6. Unroll the filo pastry (or roll it out on a floured work surface if it's a block) and cut it into four circles just a bit bigger than the baking dishes. Place a circle of pastry on top of each baking dish and brush with the remaining olive oil. Tuck the edges of the pastry down into the dish rim and sprinkle each pie with Parmesan cheese. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC) for about 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling round the edges.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you're not a fan of filo pastry (or 'flaky' pastry as it's sometimes known) just use regular shortcrust pastry. Only you will know that you strayed from the recipe!
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Muriel's Chicken Pie contains a creamy sauce that will need acidity but also cope with richer wines like warm climate Chardonnays such as those from Australia or North America. Of course, if you are Muriel and French, you will undoubtedly disagree and go with a good French Chardonnay!