Chicken And Leek Pot Pie - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 None whole chicken (about 3 1/3 lbs)
2 None carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 None onion, roughly chopped
Several sprigs thyme
Several sprigs parsley, plus 3 tbsp chopped parsley
2 None bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 strips bacon, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 2/3 lbs leeks, trimmed and sliced
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
5.25 oz sour cream
10.5 oz puff pastry

Preparation

To make the chicken stock, place the chicken in a saucepan (there should be little room around the chicken). Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, parsley sprigs, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook very gently for 1 1/4 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Lift the chicken from the liquid and leave to cool. Strain the liquid and reserve.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon for 5 minutes. Add the butter and leeks to the pan and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add 3 1/3 cups of the chicken stock, stirring well to remove any lumps. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in the chopped parsley and sour cream and season to taste. Allow to cool.
Remove all the chicken meat from the carcass and chop into pieces. Mix with the leek mixture and place in a shallow pie dish.
Preheat the oven to 375\u00b0F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Brush the edges of the pie dish with water place the pastry over the chicken and leeks. Trim off the edges. Make a hole in the center of the pastry to allow the steam to escape. Decorate with pastry trimmings if liked.
Brush the pastry with beaten egg to glaze. Bake for about 45 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.