I picked up a whole chicken from the reduced counter, paid £4 for it.
I cooked it off whole in my beloved Ninja Foodi. I took chef's perks and enjoyed the crispy skin, then charged my daughter with stripping the carcass - she is excellent at leaving no flesh on the bone.
A couple of leeks and a shallot were chopped and gently cooked down in some oil and butter. Some peas and a tin of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup & some stock made from the chicken carcass went in (the rest of that stock will be used in a risotto next week).
Once the mix had cooked through for a few minutes I let it cool before adding the shredded chicken. The whole lot got to rest overnight in the fridge.
Making the pie was nice and easy. I used two packs of ready-made shortcrust pastry, one for the base, one for the top. I love ready-made pastry, because I am terrible at making it. My hot hands and overworking tend to make pastry with the texture of fibreboard.
Anyway, with the lid on, some holes poked for steam to escape, and an egg wash the pie was ready for cooking.
I served the pie with some asparagus finished in a simple Beurre Monté and the family devoured it with gusto.
