Preparation Time:1 hour and 25 minutes
Cooking Time:45 minutes
Level of Difficulty:Easy
Servings:10

Ingredients

• For the pastry
• 600g rich shortcrust pastry
• Beaten egg to glaze
• For the filling
• 1.5kg/31b free range chicken
• 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 6-8 sprigs tarragon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Knob of butter
• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• 150ml/1/4 pint white wine
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml/1/4 pint single cream
• Grated zest of 1/2  lemon
• Salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. 1. Preheat oven to 180’C/350’F/Gas 4. 
2. 2. Place the chicken in a large saucepan with the carrot, celery, 1 of the onions and 3-4 tarragon sprigs.  Season with a little salt and pepper and cover with water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool.  Return the stock to the hob and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes until it is reduced by half.
3. 3. Meanwhile heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the leeks and the remaining onion and gently cook for about 5 minutes until softened. 
4. 4. Turn up the heat to high, add the wine and simmer rapidly for 3-4 minutes until reduced by half.  Stir in the flour and mix well in the pan for 1 minute.  Pour in the cream, about 150ml 1/4 pint of the reduced chicken stock and lemon zest.  Season with a little salt and plenty of ground black pepper.
5. 5. Remove the meat from the cooled chicken carcass and chop or shred into small pieces. Discard the chicken bones. Add the chicken meat and the remaining tarragon, chopped, to the leek and cream mixture and stir together.  Set aside to cool.
6. 6. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat.
7. 7. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line the base of a 9” in round pie tin with two thirds of the pastry. Fill with the chicken mixture and brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.  Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid and lay over the filling, crimping the edges of the pastry with your fingertips to seal.  Trim away and excess and brush with beaten egg to glaze.
8. 8. Place on the baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.