You Will Need:

Making the sauce

1 t (5 ml) hot English mustard powder
2 T (30 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) butter (be generous)
¼ cup (60 ml) flour (be stingy)
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock cooked from bones (add fresh milk if stock is not enough)
200 g - 250 g sliced button mushrooms
¼ cup (60 ml) parsley, chopped
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Mushroom Sauce

Ina’s Tip

If time permits put the pie into the oven for 20 minutes to warm the filling. Pop pre-rolled roses on and bake for a further 25 minutes.

Method:

Roasting chicken

Adjust the oven rack to one slot below the middle position.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Place the chicken in an oven roasting pan.

Season with Lemon and Black Pepper seasoning and Chicken Stock Powder.

Carefully pour the wine down the side of the pan and scatter the onion quarters around the chicken.

Roast for 1¼ hours until chicken is cooked.

Allow to cool. Remove the skin and bones and flake or cut the meat into smaller pieces.

Arrange the meat in a big pie dish.

Put the skin and bones back into the roasting pan.

Add 2 cups (500 ml) water and bring to the boil to deglaze the pan and extract all the flavour from the skin and bones.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain the liquid and reserve for the sauce.

Blot excess fat off the surface of the sauce with a double layer of absorbent kitchen paper.

Making the sauce

Soak the mustard powder in the 2 T (30 ml) of cold tap water.

Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over medium high heat while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

The mixture must become 'puffy', full of air bubbles and the colour will turn light cream.

Add all the chicken stock (and milk if used) at once.

Using a wire whisk, stir the sauce until it comes to a slow boil.

Add the button mushrooms, mustard, parsley and Mushroom Sauce.

Season to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Variation:

Replace the sliced mushrooms with 100 g cooked Gypsy ham.

Covering with pastry and baking

Open one sheet of phyllo pastry flat on a table.

Brush it generously with butter.

Gather the sheet of pastry together from each opposite corner and then role it to form a rose.

Place in one corner of the pie dish, proceed in this way until the top of the pie is covered with pastry roses.

Can be prepared in advance to this stage.

Bring to room temperature before baking.

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C and bake just before serving.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until filling is heated through and pastry is golden brown.

Cover the pastry for the final 15 minutes with baking paper or foil to prevent over browning.

This pie keeps very well on a hot tray.