Chicken, Pumpkin & Sage Pie

Ingredients

• 1 Moy Park whole Irish chicken
• 400ml chicken stock
• 400g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 50g butter
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 50g plain flour
• 1/2 cup chopped sage leaves
• 4-5 sheets puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Remove all packaging from the chicken. Place in a roasting tray and cover loosely with foil. Cook in the centre of a preheated oven at 190°C/fan (170°C/gas mark 5) for 45 minutes per kilogram, plus 20 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. The chicken is cooked if the juices run clear when the deepest part of the flesh is pierced with a thin skewer.
2. Reduce the oven’s heat to 180°C. Place the pumpkin on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season and bake until cooked through and starting to colour—about 15 minutes.
3. Melt butter into a saucepan and add onion. Cook until soft. Add flour and cook gently for 10 minutes. Gradually add stock, stirring to make a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil for one minute.
4. Remove flesh from the chicken. Throw away the skin. Cut into inch-sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the pumpkin and sage. Season and stir through the sauce.
5. Cut four 14-centimetre circles out of puff pastry and line four 11-centimetre diameter, greased pie dishes. Fill with chicken mixture. Cut four 12-centimetre circles from remaining pastry and pierce all over with a fork. Cover pies with pastry, crimp edges together and tuck into sides. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 45 minutes or until puffed, golden and cooked through.