Name: Abigail's chicken & bacon pie
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 100.00 g butter; 2.00 bay leaves; 30.00 ml butter; 125.00 ml wine dry white; 250.00 g bacon; 2.00 chicken; 15.00 ml milk; 1.00 eggs yolks only; 1.00 onion; 100.00 g cream cheese smooth, herb-flavoured; 250.00 ml flour cake; 30.00 ml fresh rosemary chopped; 0.00 sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2.00 ml salt; 250.00 ml cream

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (15)

100.00 g	butter
2.00	bay leaves

Cream cheese pastry

30.00 ml	butter
125.00 ml	wine — dry white
250.00 g	bacon
2.00	chicken
15.00 ml	milk
1.00	eggs — yolks only
1.00	onion
100.00 g	cream cheese — smooth, herb-flavoured
250.00 ml	flour — cake
30.00 ml	fresh rosemary — chopped
0.00	sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2.00 ml	salt
250.00 ml	cream

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Method:

Preheat oven to 180 &degC.
Place the chickens on a baking tray, and rub with butter, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Roast for an hour or until the juices run clear when pricked in the thigh.
When the chickens are cool, break off the meat into big pieces (try not to shred the meat, as you want to scoop up big pieces of chicken).
Chop the bacon and onion into biggish cubes.
Pour half the chicken juices into a saucepan and heat.
Add the bacon, onions and bay leaves anbd fry until golden.
Add the chicken, cream and wine and heat through.
Spoon the chicken mixture into a pie dish.
Make the pastry by sifting the flour and salt, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix in the cream cheese until smooth.
Wrap in clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry to about 4 mm thick and cover the pie with it.
Cut around the edges, leaving a slight overhang.
Use the leftover pastry to decorate: cut out stars, flowers or a big ‘C’ for chicken.
Beat egg yolk and milk togetehr and brush over the pie.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Tips and variations
You could make little individual pies in small dishes.
Lay a few slices of hard-boiled egg on top of the filling before covering it with pastry.
Boil up the chicken carcass with peppercorns, carrots and celery. Cool, strain and pour into small containers. Freeze and use as stock when making soups and risottos.
For convenience, buy a good quality, readymade puff pastry for the topping.
Buy a chunk of bacon from the butcher and chop it into cubes, instead of using rashers.
Serve the pie hot with minted peas and baby potatoes.