"Having begun his career in a professional kitchen in 1983, Jeff Baker has since cooked for the Queen, and worked alongside some of the world’s top chefs, such..."
Poach the chicken gently in the stock alongside any trim from the celeriac and onions plus the bay leaf for approximately 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature, then carefully pick the meat away from the skin and bone.
Pass and reserve the poaching stock.
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, sauté the onions, celeriac, bacon and mushrooms until glazed and tender and keep to one side
Add the flour and butter into the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. With the pan on a medium heat, gradually stir or whisk in the stock, followed by the cream, then add the picked chicken, garnish and tarragon back to the pan.
Bring to the simmer, seasoning with salt and ground white pepper
Spoon the filling into a large pie or baking dish (approx. 20 x 30cm) with a lip and leave to cool.
Heat oven to 200C/gas 7.
On a floured surface, roll the pastry to the thickness of 8 mm.
Cut a long strip as wide as the rim of the pie dish and, using a little of the egg, fix to the edge of the pie dish.
Brush with egg, then lift the rest of the pastry over the pie, using the rolling pin to help. Gently press the edges with your fingers and trim with a sharp knife.
Brush lightly with egg to glaze, then bake for 30 mins or until the pastry is risen and dark golden brown.
Serve with mashed potatoes or home made chips
The Ingredients
Ingredients
4 Chicken Legs, Skin On & Bone In
10ml Light Olive Oil
100G Bacon Lardons
1 x Large Diced Onion
200g Diced Celeriac
200g Quartered Chestnut Mushrooms
1 Bay Leaf
Small Bunch of Picked & Chopped Tarragon
20g Plain Flour
20g Butter
100ml Single Cream
300ml Chicken Stock (Reserved From the Poached Legs)