Chicken, Stuffing and Butternut Squash Pie for the Whole Family

Well I did say in my previous post that chestnut stuffing rocks in leftovers right?  Absolutely.  This is my favourite way to use it.  The butternut squash is a recent addition but I have to say I liked it, as it absorbed loads of chicken-y flavour in the pie.

That said, you could make this the ultimate leftovers dish if you liked and you could use cooked veg leftover from your sunday roast?

Chicken and Stuffing Pie - easily serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass (bones) or use turkey bones
1 chicken stock cube, use low salt if preferred
500ml water
1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
200g Butternut squash (peeled weight)
Leftover cooked roast chicken or turkey
Leftover chestnut stuffing

Pastry

150g, 5oz Plain (all purpose) flour
40g, 1.5oz Cornflour (cornstarch)
110g, 4oz Butter

1 tbsp milk

Method

Either in a saucepan or slow cooker, put the chicken carcass in with water and the stock cube and simmer for an hour on the stove or 3 hours in a slow cooker (if you are doing this on a hob, add more water and keep an eye on it as it could boil dry.)  The reason I use the stock cube is you can't quite get enough flavour out of one chicken carcass.

In the meantime, cook the squash by boiling for 10 mins in water.  Strain.

Strain the stock and throw away the bones.  I had 200ml once I'd finished.  Mix 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) with cold water.  Heat the stock in a microwave until boiling then add the cornflour paste in stirring all the time until thickened slightly.  You want it to be a slightly thin gravy.

As the gravy and squash are cooling, switch on the oven to 180oC / 350F.  Then make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour and cornflour (cornstarch).  The reason I use the cornflour is to get a shorter texture, i.e. to make the pastry more crumbly but you don't have to and can substitute it for more flour.  Once the butter is rubbed in, add 2-3 tbsp of cold water, a bit at a time until you can bring it together as a dough.  Chill in the fridge until everything is assembled.

Put the stuffing, leftover chicken, squash and the gravy you made into a baking dish.

Roll out the pastry and put on top.  Trim around the edge (I use a fork to press it to the edge too and make a patterned edge) and use the trimmings to make decorations if liked.  Make a hole in the middle as a vent.

Brush all over with milk and then bake for approx 40 mins or until well browned and the filling is bubbling.

Serve with vegetables and feel smug at making something so delicious with leftovers!

My toddler loved this.  Ate the pastry first, then the stuffing, then the squash then the chicken.  What is it with toddlers about having to eat each individual part on its own eh?