Chicken Pie

Recipes that I get from family and friends will always mean a little more to me. This recipe is one I have with me from my childhood, where my mum would cook it once in a while. She herself had gotten it from a friend. Now it's a family favourite. My dad and my other half both love it, and when served to my in-laws this weekend, it was a great success. It does take some time to do, but it's as easy as anything to do. And it is definitely worth it! And this is quite big and could probably feed 6-8 people. But it is just as good the day after heated up, so I never cut down on it!

Ingredients:
Pastry lid:
200 ml white all purpose flour
100 ml wholemeal flour
100 g melted butter
50 ml cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg for brushing

Filling:
250 ml unboiled rice
2 red bell peppers, chopped into chunks (easy to pick out for the ones who don't like them)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 whole grilled chickens
1 onion, roughly chopped
200 g closed cap mushroom, roughly sliced
1 tbsp butter for cooking
2 tbsp flour
300 ml chicken stock
200 ml single cream

1. Mix the ingredients for the pastry lid together to form a firm dough. Leave the dough to rest coolly while preparing the rest.
2. Boil the rice as instructed. When the rice is finished, add the soy sauce and the bell peppers. Add this mix to the bottom of a big oven proof dish. Make sure it is big enough to fit everything.
3. Rinse the chicken off the bones. This is a messy job and takes a while, so it can easily be prepared before. Make sure there are no bones left in the meat! Lay the chicken in a thick layer over the rice.
4. Sautée mushroom and onion in the butter. When they have gotten a light golden colour, add the cream, chicken stock and flour to make a sauce. Let it simmer for a bit to make it thicker. Taste with salt and pepper, and pour over the chicken.
5. Roll out the pastry till it's just big enough to cover the dish. Lay it across your pie, and tuck any excess pastry down the inside of the dish to let it soak up some extra saucy goodness.
6. Cook at 220 °C for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a lovely golden brown.

Serve just as it is or with a green salad.

It might not look too pretty, but it tastes delicious!