Healthy chicken pie
This healthy chicken pie is easy to make and still feels like a proper pie - even though it's lower in calories. Serve with steamed veg, it's so filling you don't need anything else.
For this recipe you will need two individual pie dishes (about 400ml/14fl oz).
Each serving provides 344kcal, 41g protein, 12g carbohydrate (of which 8g sugars), 14g fat (of which 6g saturates), 3g fibre and 1.5g salt.
Ingredients
- 1 x 200g/7oz chicken breast
- 200ml/7fl oz semi-skimmed milk, plus a ½ tbsp extra to glaze
- ¼ onion, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g/3½oz reduced-calorie ready rolled puff pastry (about a 10x25cm piece)
- low-calorie spray oil
- 2 bacon medallions, sliced into small pieces
- 200g/7oz button mushrooms, large ones cut in half
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- steamed broccoli, to serve
Method
Put the chicken breast in a small pan (it needs to be a small pan so the chicken poaches in the milk). Add the milk, onion and bay leaf. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Divide the pastry into two equal rectangles and carefully roll them out until large enough to cover the top of two individual pie dishes. Place the upturned pie dishes on the pastry and cut around them to make the pie lids. Cut any excess pastry into strips and press them around the top edge of the pie dishes (this will help the lids stay in place as the pies bake). Cut a cross in the middle of the pastry lids and set aside.
Fry the bacon with one squirt of spray oil in a non-stick pan. When golden-brown, add the mushrooms and a tablespoon of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the leeks. Cook for about 5 minutes breaking up the leeks as they soften.
Remove the chicken from the poaching milk. Strain and reserve the milk and chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Stir the chicken into the vegetables. Add the flour and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the strained poaching milk stirring well to incorporate. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened just a little. Divide between the pie dishes.
Brush the pastry edges with a little milk and add the pie lids. Brush all over with more milk. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the pastry lid is golden-brown. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli.
Recipe Tips
Freeze any leftover pastry to use in other recipes.
Bacon medallions are the leanest cut of bacon, but you can buy regular bacon and cut off all the fat if you prefer.
Button mushrooms keep their shape well, but you can use other mushrooms if you prefer, just cut them into chunky pieces rather than slices.