Does comfort food get any better than pie! I fancied pie for Sunday dinner and that’s exactly what I had. Pie doesn’t have to be calorie laden, you can skinny it up and still enjoy it on plan. I didn’t even make the pastry I bought light ready rolled pastry. Who has time to make pastry, am I right? This fabulous version has a gorgeous home-made mustard and parsley sauce infused with onion, bay leaves & peppercorns. It can be yours for just 11 pro points (or 6 on filling and healthy) how good is that! I served mine with mashed carrots and steamed greens. This makes 4 very generous portions. I won’t lie there are a few steps to this one & it takes a little time but it is so totally worth it!  

400g Chicken fillet diced

4 Bacon Medallions chopped into small lardons

2 Medium Leeks Sliced (discard the very hard bit at the top of the leaves)

200g Jus Roll Ready Made Light Pastry

1 Egg Yolk

For the Sauce:

1 Pint of Skimmed Milk

½ an Onion

2/3 Bay Leaves

Black Peppercorns

½ Tsp Dijon Mustard

30g Flour

30g Low Fat Butter (I use Connacht Gold)

Fresh Parsley  

Place the milk in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add in the onion half sliced in two, some black peppercorns & the bay leaves and bring to a gentle simmer. Add in the diced chicken & poach the chicken gently in the milk for about 10 minutes until fully cooked through. Remove the chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon & strain the milk into a jug through a sieve to remove the onion, peppercorns & bay leaves. Cover the milk with cling film so it doesn’t form a skin & set aside. Meanwhile fry the leeks in a large frying pan sprayed with oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the pan & fry the bacon pieces for about 5 minutes until cooked through & add the chicken & leeks back in, season with salt & black pepper & take off the heat. To make the sauce melt the butter over a low heat & add the flour, stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste, cook for 2 minutes to remove any floury taste & very gradually stir the milk in a little at a time whisking continually to avoid any lumps. Keep whisking until the sauce eventually thickens (this does take quite a while same as packet sauces so don’t lose heart it will thicken. Mix the mustard & chopped parsley into the sauce. Set the sauce aside to cool & cover with film so it doesn’t form a skin. When cool pour the sauce over the leek, chicken & bacon mixture. Turn out into an ovenproof dish. Whisk the egg yolk in a cup & brush onto the edge of the dish so the pastry sticks. Carefully roll the pastry out a tiny bit with a rolling pin so it’s just big enough to cover the pie dish with a small edge. Don’t roll it too hard or it will stick to your table! Carefully lift it up & cover the pie filling crimping the edges around the edge of the pie dish. Brush the remaining egg yolk evenly over the pastry so it goes beautifully brown when baked. Cut a small incision in the middle of the pie to allow steam to escape whilst it’s cooking & place in a preheated oven at 200c for 40 minutes. If your oven is a slight bit uneven as mine is turn the pie halfway through the cooking time to ensure it browns evenly. Slice into 4 large portions & serve with vegetables of your choice, I served mine with mashed carrots & tender stem broccoli & enjoy!