Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie

This delicious recipe, a firm family favourite, has been adapted from one I found in Family Circle magazine. Unfortunately, this wonderful resource which helped me to enjoy cooking for the first time is no longer published, a sad loss to homemakers all over Australia.

INGREDIENTS:
50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
2-3 leeks, leaves discarded, thinly sliced
bag mushrooms, finely chopped
30g (1/4 cup) plain flour
250mL (1 cup) chicken stock
125mL (1/2 cup) pure cream
chopped dill or tarragon
2 sheets frozen pastry, defrosted
1 tbsp milk

METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
2. To make the filling, heat half the butter and all the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook the chicken in batches until just browned. Set aside in a bowl lined with paper towel.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter to the pan. Cook the leeks and mushrooms for 2min. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 2-3min, until the leeks have softened and their rings seperate easily.
4. Return the chicken to the pan. Increase the heat to high. Add the flour and cook for 2min, stirring to coat. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add the cream and dill/tarragon, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3min.
5. Pour the chicken filling into a large lasagne dish. Place the pastry over the filling and trim to fit the dish. Prick with a fork and brush with milk. (You could also bake this in ramekins for individual pies.)
6. Bake in oven for 30min or until golden.