Chicken & mushroom Hotpot

Ingredients

• Plain flour 40 g
• Stock cubes 1
• Mushrooms 100 g
• Onion 1
• Potatoes 2 large
• Whole chicken 250 g
• Butter 1 knob
• Mustard powder
• Nutmeg
• Frozen sweetcorn 2 handfuls

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
2. Put the butter in a medium-size saucepan and place over a medium heat.
3. Add the onion and leave to cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the mushrooms to the saucepan with the onions.
5. Once the onion and mushrooms are almost cooked, stir in the flour – this will make a thick paste called a roux.
6. If you are using a stock cube, crumble the cube into the roux now and stir well.
7. Put the roux over a low heat and stir continuously for 2 mins – this will cook the flour and stop the sauce from having a floury taste.
8. Take the roux off the heat.
9. Slowly add the fresh stock, if using, or pour in 500ml water if you’ve used a stock cube, stirring all the time.
10. Once all the liquid has been added, season with pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and mustard powder.
11. Put the saucepan back onto a medium heat and slowly bring it to the boil, stirring all the time.
12. Once the sauce has thickened, place on a very low heat.
13. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the sauce and stir well.
14. Grease a medium-size ovenproof pie dish with a little butter and pour in the chicken and mushroom filling.
15. Carefully lay the potatoes on top of the hot-pot filling, overlapping them slightly, almost like a pie top.
16. Brush the potatoes with a little melted butter and cook in the oven for about 35 mins.
17. The hot-pot is ready once the potatoes are cooked and golden brown.