Traditional Creamy Chicken Pie

Method

• Stud onion with cloves and add to a deep pot with chicken, carrot, bay leaves, stock cube and peppercorns. Cover with cold water and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked. (45 minutes–1¼ hours), then remove pot from heat.
• To make pastry: Sift flour and salt together in a bowl. Dice cold butter and vegetable shortening and rub into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in just enough cold water to form a stiff dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently to form a smooth dough ball. Wrap in cling film or plastic bag and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove cooked chicken top cool. Put pot back on the heat and reduce liquid to about 250ml. Strain reduced liquid into a jug and leave to cool. When cool, skim off Fat and discard.
• Cut cool chicken meat into chunks and discard skin and bones.
• To make sauce: Remove cloves from onion. Blend onion in a food processor with the reduced cooking liquid. Blend until smooth, add milk and set aside.
• Melt butter in a pan and stir in flour. Gradually add blended onion / stock / milk and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes to cook out floury taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken meat gently and set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 220C. Roll out two-thirds of pastry and line a 20–25cm pie dish. Add the cooled chicken mix.
• Roll out remaining pastry for pie lid, brush edge with beaten egg and pinch edges together to seal.
• Decorate pie as desired with pastry trimmings and brush with beaten egg. Make a hole in the top to allow steam to escape, bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden-brown.