FREEZER FAVOURITES

Feed the family for less with these thrifty, freezer-friendly recipes. Batch-cook them and you'll have easy midweek meals in minutes

- Lucy Whyld

Chicken and chorizo pie

YOU WILL NEED

✓ 1 tbsp olive oil ✔ 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces ✔ 1 onion, finely chopped ✔ 1 carrot, finely chopped ✔ 1 celery stick, finely chopped ✓200g cooking chorizo, chopped ✔ 2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped ✔ 2 tsp smoked paprika ✔ 3 thyme sprigs or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs ✔ salt and pepper ✓ 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes ✔ 200ml chicken stock ✓ 1 x 320g packet ready-rolled puff pastry ✔ 1 egg, beaten, to glaze

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes COOKING TIME 1 hour 5 minutes SERVES 6-8

DIRECTIONS

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden all over - about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving the oil behind, and set aside.

Drizzle the remaining oil into the pan and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook over a gentle heat for 10-12 minutes, until soft but not golden. Stir in the cooking chorizo, turn up the heat a little and fry for a few minutes before adding the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme or mixed herbs and a season with salt and pepper. Fry for 1 minute, then tip in the cooked chicken, tinned tomatoes and chicken stock. Cook for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce a little and then remove the pan from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Tip the chicken and chorizo filling into an ovenproof pie dish.

Unroll the puff pastry sheet and lay it over the top of the pie filling. Remove any excess pastry from around the lip of the dish and crimp the edge, pressing down on the rim of the dish to seal. You can decorate the pie top using any of the excess pastry scraps, if you like. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then pierce the pie top with a couple of holes to let the steam escape. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden.