Skye, my 12-year-old daughter, stays back after school on certain days of the week and I’ve been packing lunch boxes for her. Chicken pie is a favorite and easy enough to make, especially with ready-made pastry. The weather is so hot and humid these days I try to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.

This pre-packed Kawan brand pastry I found at Tesco comes in packets of 10 squares but you can use any brand from your regular grocery store. It’s very inexpensive and works like a charm, just be sure they’re at room temperature before you use them.

For the pie filling, you’ll need:

• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock + dash of salt, pepper and black pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil till soft and fragrant. Add carrot and chicken stock. Cook on medium heat till carrots are softened. Add chicken and let it simmer down till there’s very little sauce left.

Grease your baking tray with butter or margarine. Lay one pastry square on the tray. Scoop chicken filling into the center of the square. Remember you need to cover the top of that with another pastry square, so put in too much filling. Otherwise the sides of the pastry might split open during baking.

To seal the edges of the pie, press down with a fork to create a serrated effect. Pierce the top a few times with the fork to let the air escape when baking. Lastly, brush the top of the pie with egg yolk to give it that beautiful golden finish.

Bake at 180C (350F) for about 20 minutes. See how beautiful it turns out. The pastry is really soft and flaky. The filling is entirely made with fresh ingredients so it’s pretty healthy.

You can make this the night before and pack a lunch box to the office. Heat it up at the office and everyone will soon smell it and head to your desk! A great way to save on gas and lunch money too, don’t you think ?

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