Get the recipe for Nick Skelton’s ‘lovely jubbly’ chicken pie

Impress friends and family by making the dinner of an Olympic gold medalist… This pie featured in our fabulous new show Daisy Dines With Nick Skelton which saw Nick cooking for Daisy Bunn, while sharing intimate stories about his life.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts

4 skinned and boned chicken thighs

3 leeks, chopped

300g button mushrooms, halved or chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 large handful of fresh thyme

1 large handful of fresh parsley (leaves and stalks separated)

1 garlic clove

1/2 – 1 chicken stock cube (adjust to taste)

750ml milk, plus extra for glazing

100g butter

200ml crème fraiche

100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

500g puff pastry (shop bought is fine – or home made if you have lots of time!)

1 beaten egg for glaze

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C. Make sure a team of kitchen assistants are on hand for advice and or emergencies! Ideally don’t have a film crew peering over your shoulder either!
2. Put the chicken, bay leaves, half the thyme, the parsley stalks, onions, garlic and stock cube into a large pan, and liberally season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the milk over the chicken, and if needed, top up with water to make sure the ingredients are completely submerged. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 15mins.
4. Drain and leave to cool, retaining the poaching liquid to make the sauce. Separate the chicken from the mixture by lifting out carefully.
5. Heat the butter over a low heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until soft (about 5-10mins). Season again ­– I love a bit of salt and pepper!
6. Add the flour and give it a good stir to make sure everything is coated.
7. Slowly add 650ml of poaching liquid, stirring until the sauce thickens up into a lovely jubbly thick sauce.
8. Using two forks, or some of those kitchen wolverine claws, pull the chicken apart into bite sized chunks – much easier than chopping it.
9. Add the shredded chicken, crème fraiche, chopped parsley & remainder of the thyme into the leeks and mushrooms and stir to make sure it’s all evenly combined.
10. Check the seasoning, add more to taste, and then spoon the delicious mixture into a pie dish. Leave it to cool slightly while you prepare the pasty.
11. Roll out the pastry, on a surface dusted with flour, to the thickness of a £1 coin.
12. Cut some thin strips from the edges of the pasty, brush them with water and stick them around the lip of the pie dish. This gives something for pie lid to sit on.
13. Wet the top of the pastry strips with more water and lift the rolled-out pastry on to the top of the pie. Trim the edges and go crazy with your fork (or even fingers) making patterns & crimping.
14. Brush the top with the beaten egg, mixed with a little milk, to glaze and get a lovely brown pie. Don’t forget to cut a small hole in the middle of the pastry, to let the steam out.
15. Cook for 20-25mins until the pastry is risen and golden – the inside will definitely be cooked, do don’t worry!
    Enjoy!

Don’t miss Daisy Dines With Nick Skelton when it premieres on Saturday 13 January at 8pm on Sky 253 and online via H&C Play or Amazon Video. H&C subscribers can also enjoy the programme on Catch Up.