Serves 4
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
30 ml (2 Tbsp) flour
10 ml (2 tsp) Cajun or barbecue spice
400 g chicken fillets, cut into small cubes
10 ml (2 tsp) butter
30 ml (2 Tbsp) canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
250 g mushrooms, thickly sliced
10 ml (2 tsp) chicken stock powder low sodium
125 ml hot water
100 ml medium-fat milk
15 ml tomato paste or 30 ml (2 Tbsp) tomato puree
finely snipped chives
125 g (a 410 g tin) butter beans, drained
30 ml (2 Tbsp) milk
grated nutmeg
2.5 ml salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes (or microwave on high for 6 minutes) while making the pie filling.
Mix the flour and Cajun or barbecue spice in a soup plate and toss the chicken cubes in this mix, to coat lightly.
Heat a dry frying pan over high heat. Add the butter and oil and briefly brown the chicken in two batches.
Work quickly and do not cook the chicken right through.
Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add a little water to the pan and stir-fry the onion until golden.
Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a minute or two.
Sprinkle over the chicken stock powder, and add the hot water and the 100 ml milk.
Bring to the boil to thicken the sauce while scraping the pan to loosen all the brown bits.
Add the tomato paste or tomato puree.
Add the cooked chicken with any juices that might have leaked out.
Heat through. If the sauce is too thick, add 30–60 ml (2–4 Tbsp) of water.
Stir in the chives and spoon into a pie dish.
Liquidise the butter beans with 30 ml (2 Tbsp) medium-fat milk, until smooth.
Add the cooked potato and whizz until just mixed.
Stir in a little grated nutmeg and 2.5 m of salt.
18. Spoon the mash over the chicken-pie filling.
Bake under a hot grill for 5–7 minutes until the potato topping starts turning brown.
Serve with a large green salad, or two cooked vegetables to make a balanced meal.
Dietitians’ notes
Adding the liquidised butter beans to the mashed potato, and whizzing them in a food processor with a dash of nutmeg, makes yummy mash and adds the necessary fibre for those troubled tummies.
Super sensitive tummy notes
This recipe may not be suitable for those in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP concept as it contains onions, mushrooms and butter beans.
However, adaptations can be made as follows:
• Use baby marrows instead of mushrooms.
• Use the green tops of spring onions instead of onion.
• Use tinned lentils instead of butter beans.
Food For Sensitive Tummies (Tafelberg) is available from loot.co.za for R229.