Easy Chicken Pie & Lemon Yogurt Cake

I am guilty of neglecting this blog for months now, since our trip back to the homeland and been back here for more than a month. 


I have been procrastinating for the last 2 months until today when I found a message in my inbox from a dear friend who wanted a link to my food blog. She was presented with a brand spanking new oven for Mother's Day and wanted some quick easy recipes.


So thanks dear Muni for coaxing me out of my couch potato existence and get cooking and writing again.


I wanted to write about my gastronomic journey in Malaysia but I cant seem to locate all the food photos I took :(  but I havent given up yet. God willing I shall find them!!.

Jamie's Easy Chicken Pie

INGREDIENTS: (serves 4)

4 x 180g boneless chicken breasts

Knob of butter

Bunch of spring onions

150g button mushrooms

1 heaped tspn plain flour

2 tspns English mustard

1-heaped tbspn crème freche

300ml chicken stock

Fresh thyme

½ nutmeg

Store bought puff pastry (in the frozen section of your grocer)

1 egg

Put the chicken breasts on a plastic board and slice into 1cm strips. Put a lug of olive oil and a knob of butter into the hot, large, wide pan. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes or so. Meanwhile, quickly trim the spring onions and wash the mushrooms, then slice together in the food processor. Add to the pan with 1 heaped tablespoon of flour and stir. Add 2 teaspoons of mustard, 1 heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche and 300ml of chicken stock and stir well. Pick the thyme leaves and stir into the pan with a few fine gratings of nutmeg and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Leave to simmer.

Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and unroll the sheet of puff pastry. Use a small knife to lightly crisscross and score it. Take the pan of chicken off the heat. Tip the filling into an ovenproof baking dish slightly smaller than the sheet of pastry (approx. 30 x 25cm). Cover the filling with the pastry sheet, tucking it in at the edges (like in the picture). Quickly beat the egg, then brush it over the top of the pie. Put into the oven and cook on the top shelf for around 15 minutes, or until golden and gorgeous. 

I watched Jamie cook this in his 30 minute meal show and didnt do the carrot mash or the french style peas but I made the super easy Lemon yogurt cake for desert :) The recipe is taken from Donna Hay's fast easy recipes. 


Not only that it tastes good and very lemony, it does not take much effort to prepare and the outcome does not disappoint. You will love the moist and fluffy texture.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

• ¾ cup (180ml) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup (280g) thick natural yoghurt
• 1¾ cups (385g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 cups (300g) self-raising (self-rising) flour
• lemon frosting
• ¾ cup (120g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Place the oil, eggs, rind, lemon juice, yoghurt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Sift over the flour and stir until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a greased 24cm fluted ring tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
5. While the cake is still hot remove from the tin and place on a plate.
6. To make the lemon frosting, gently stir together the sugar and lemon juice.
7. Spoon over the cake and allow to set. Serve warm.