Spring is in the air! A green vegetable and chicken open pie recipe. (read time: 3 mins)

This savoury pie is perfect for celebrating spring’s flavours and includes lots of greens in one easy meal. As a bonus, it’s a flexible recipe so you can swap out the vegetables for what’s available. Just adjust the cooking time depending on what you add.

Invite the whole family to the table for an enjoyable, seasonal main dish for any time of the day. And celebrate the start of spring together!

Ingredients

For the crust:

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed

1tsp of salt

125ml of cold water

(Or premade frozen shortcrust pastry is an easy shortcut)

For the filling:

1tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

300g cooked chicken breast, diced

175g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

160g peas

200g cherry tomatoes, halved

225g baby spinach leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried basil

85g grated Parmesan

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

(If using premade pastry, skip this step): In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingers to blend the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While cooking the filling, preheat your oven to 180°C, and grease a loose-bottomed 23cm round tart tin with butter.

In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, and then stir in the garlic. Add the diced chicken breast and cook till just done, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the asparagus and cook for another few minutes before adding peas, cherry tomatoes, and baby spinach leaves. Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and dried oregano. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough until about ½ cm thick. Transfer the rolled-out dough onto the prepared baking tray.

Start to assemble the pie by spooning the vegetable and chicken mixture onto the centre of the rolled-out dough. Pour over the egg mixture, saving one tablespoon. Sprinkle grated Parmesan and lemon zest over the filling.

Trim the edges and brush the remaining egg mixture over the dough.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a crisp green salad for bonus veg count and enjoy!