Whizzing food in a processor or with a stick blender is a good idea. Children are notoriously picky about anything lumpy, but give them an oh-so-smooth pastel-coloured sauce and they’ll never imagine anything green is hidden within this chicken and sweetcorn pie.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 carrots, halved
- 50g leeks, washed, trimmed and halved
- 50g broccoli, broken into florets
- 2 bay leaves
- 1kg mixture of potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes, quartered
- 400ml milk
- 40g butter
- 25g plain flour
- 198g can sweetcorn, drained
Method
- 1. Put the chicken breasts into a large saucepan with the onion, carrots, leeks, broccoli and bay leaves and cover with 750ml cold water. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken and vegetables are tender.
- 2. Put the potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes into a second saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until tender, then drain well. Mash with 100ml milk and a knob of the butter.
- 3. Remove the chicken from the pan and slice. Drain off 300ml liquid (stock) and reserve or freeze for another recipe. Whizz the vegetables and the rest of the liquid in a food processor until really smooth.
- 4. Heat the remaining butter in a pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the rest of the milk until the sauce is thick and smooth. Gradually stir in the thickened vegetable liquid, then add the sliced chicken and sweetcorn. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
- 5. Divide the chicken filling between either 6 individual ovenproof dishes or 1 large one (about 2 litres). Top with the mashed potatoes and parsnips and smooth the top with a fork. Bake individual pies for 20 minutes or a large one for 30 minutes, until bubbling.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 399kcals, 10.6g fat (5.8g saturated), 31.3g protein, 47.4g carbs, 14.8g sugar, 0.6g salt
Chef's tip
Freeze leftover portions and reheat in the microwave for 4 minutes on high (900W) for an instant supper. You could vary the flavour by adding sliced mushrooms, leeks or a little bacon.