Chicken and mushroom field pie recipe

Name: Chicken and mushroom field pie recipe
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for dressing; 100g speck (or bacon), cut into lardons; 600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces; salt and pepper, to season; 1 brown onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 300g button mushrooms, sliced; 2 tbsp plain flour; ¼ cup white wine; ½ cup stock or water; 1 cup each loosely packed baby spinach, watercress and mixed baby leaves; ¼ cup loosely packed tarragon leaves (optional); ½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves; ½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced; lemon wedges, to serve

Adam Liaw

June 21, 2017

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6

A "field pie" is really just a semi-open, free-form pie with fresh ingredients lightening the top. It combines buttery pastry, rich fillings and salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for dressing
100g speck (or bacon), cut into lardons
600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5cm pieces
salt and pepper, to season
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
¼ cup white wine
½ cup stock or water
1 cup each loosely packed baby spinach, watercress and mixed baby leaves
¼ cup loosely packed tarragon leaves (optional)
½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
lemon wedges, to serve

For the half-wholemeal shortcrust

125g wholemeal plain flour
100g plain flour
½ tsp salt
125g chilled butter, cut into cubes (plus extra for greasing the tin)
1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Method

1. Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat and fry the speck (or bacon) until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Season the chicken thighs well with salt and pepper and fry in batches until lightly browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remainder of the oil to the pan as well as the onion and garlic and fry until lightly browned, then add the mushrooms and fry for about five minutes, until browned. Add the flour and stir well. Add the white wine and stock and return the chicken and speck to the pan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. For the shortcrust pastry, combine the flours, salt and butter in a food processor and process until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water a little at a time and pulse until the mixture comes together in a mass. Lightly knead a few times to form a consistent dough, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Heat your oven to 220C. Roll the pastry out on a lined baking sheet to around 5mm thickness. Place the cooled filling in the centre and roughly fold the edges of the pastry up around the edges of the pie, slightly overlapping the top. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for around 25 minutes until the pastry is nicely browned. Allow to cool slightly.
4. Combine the salad leaves, herbs and onion and toss with a little olive oil first, then with a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with a little salt and pepper. Top the pie with the salad and serve immediately.
Serving suggestion: serve with Adam Liaw's wine-poached beetroot with mustard cream on the side.