Chicken and Fennel Pie with a Double Herb and Cheese Crust

Name: Chicken and Fennel Pie with a Double Herb and Cheese Crust
Yield: Serves 4-5
Ingredients: 1 large bulb fennel; 2 cloves garlic; 450-550 g/1-1¼ lb skinless chicken breast fillets; 2 level teaspoons paprika; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 rounded tablespoon tomato purée; finely grated rind of 1 lemon; 3 teaspoons dried oregano; 50 g/2 oz mature Cheddar cheese, grated; ½ teaspoon salt; 50 g/2 oz fresh white breadcrumbs; 175 g/6 oz plain flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; salt; black pepper; a little milk for brushing; 100 g/4 oz vegetable suet; juice of 1 lemon

Preparation info

Serves
4-5

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Josceline Dimbleby’s Complete Cookbook

By Josceline Dimbleby

Published 1997

About

This pie has a light crust made with vegetable suet, which is a nice change from normal pastry. It is also very easy to prepare. The pie only needs a green salad as an accompaniment, though frozen petits pois or broad beans also go well.

Ingredients

1 large bulb fennel
450-550 g/1-1¼ lb skinless chicken breast fillets

Method

Cut off the base and stalks of the fennel bulb and, if necessary, remove any marked outer parts. Chop the bulb into small pieces. Cut the chicken breasts into very thin slices crossways. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Put the oil into a large, heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped fennel and the paprika and stir around for 6-8 minutes, until the fennel has just softened. Then a