It's hard to resist a pie – and with this crumble topped version, you don't need to as it only has a single tablespoon of butter and little bit of oil. Likewise, the filling. The result is the best of both worlds - an unexpectedly sumptuous take on chicken pie with a fabulous flaky crust. You'll need individual ramekins or baking dishes that can hold 1 1/2 to 2 cups each. This recipe forms part of the April 8 meal planner created in partnership with New World.
The filling
| 3 Tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil |
| 450 g | skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks (Main) |
| ¾ tsp | Salt |
| ½ tsp | Black pepper |
| 1 | Small onion, diced |
| 150 g | Button mushrooms, quartered (Main) |
| 2 stalks | Celery, diced |
| 200 g | Green beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm lengths |
| 2 cloves | Chopped garlic |
| 2 cups | Chicken stock |
| 1 ½ cups | Trim milk |
| ⅓ cup | Wholemeal flour, Pams brand |
| ¾ cup | Frozen garden peas, Pams brand (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Chopped thyme |
| 2 Tbsp | Chopped flat-leaf parsley |
The crust
| ⅔ cup | Wholemeal flour, Pams brand |
| ¼ tsp | Salt |
| 1 Tbsp | Trim milk |
| 2 Tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 Tbsp | Cold butter |
| ½ tsp | Chopped thyme |
Directions
- For the filling: Preheat the oven to200degrees. Use a little oil to grease the inside of the ramekins or baking dishes and place them on a baking sheet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large panover medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutesuntil it is nicely browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to thepan, then addonion, celery and mushrooms; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and it has evaporated. Add green beans,garlic, saltandpepper; cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in thestock andincrease the heat to high. Pour the milk into a measuring cup, then stir in the flour until it has dissolved. Pour the mixtureinto the pan; cook, stirring, until the mixture comes just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, thenreturn the chicken to the pan along with the peas, parsley and thyme. Stir until evenlycoated and then divide filling among ramekins.
- For thecrust: Whisk together the flour andsalt in amixingbowl. Whisk the milk into the oil in a small bowl until itcreates thickens to a cloudy emulsion. Addbutter to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingers until the butter is the size of small pebbles. Drizzle with the oil mixture, then add the thyme. Combine with a fork until crumbly, then use your fingers to bring it together so all the flour is evenly moistened.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Shape the dough mixture into 4 small rounds. Place them on the work surface, then use the heel of your hand to flatten each round as thin as possible. Tear flake-like pieces of the flattened dough, using one round per dish, and arrange on top of each potpie to make a rustic, crumbly topping that covers the filling.
- Transfer thebaking sheet to the oven; bakefor about 20 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.