Chicken and Ham Pie

Comfort food !!! This is the most AMAZING, perfect comfort food for a rainy day. Chicken and ham pies are normally loaded with cream and butter and consequently have way too much saturated fat, cholestrol and calories.

This low fat version is loaded with an intense creamy flavour with a fraction of the fat and calorie content.

Chicken meat leftover from a roast chicken is ideal - just ensure to remove all the skin. Alternatively one large or two small chicken  breasts are fine. Ricotta is a rich italian creamy cheese. Athough it has a significant saturated fat content a little goes a long way. Otherwise, extra light cream cheese is ideal. In relation to the sauce ,slim line milk is perfect however ,if you have just introduced yourself to the skinny way of life and slim line milk is too hard core at the moment, wean yourself down to the low fat milk option.

Ingredients

Serves 2/3

1 or 2 chicken fillets

1/2 onion

4 cloves garlic

150 mls slimline milk

2 slices ham

75g frozen peas/sweetcorn

50g ricotta

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 chicken stock cube/ 2 tbsp liquid stock concentrate

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

4 sheets filo pastry

1 tsp milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC / Gas 7.
2. Spritz the chicken breast with a little spray oil, wrap in tinfoil and bake for 20mins.
3. Prepare the other ingredients. Peel and dice the onion and garlic. Cut the ham into cubes. Dice the chicken into small cubes.
4. Spritz a non stick pan with a little spray oil. On a medium heat saute (fry) the onion and garlic. If it starts to stick add a little water After 3 or 4 mins add in the ham, sweetcorn and chicken . 
5. Pour in the milk, crumble in the stock cube, seasona and add in the thyme. Allow to bubble gently for a couple of mins. Then stir in the ricotta. Gently stir in the remaining milk. (It may look a liitle too wet but it will dry up as it cooks.
6. Pour the mixture into the pie dish. Gently scrunch the filo pastry just a little and lay over the chicken and ham mixture. Brush with a little milk and bake for 25mins until golden brown.
7. Serve with a tossed salad.