Healthy Chicken, Pumpkin and Spinach Pesto Pie

Ingredients

60 g baby spinach
1 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup (40 g) almond kernels
1 garlic clove, crushed
6 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 salt-reduced chicken stock cube
2 tsp cornflour
1 leek, pale section only, thinly sliced
500 g butternut pumpkin, chopped
2 Tbs light sour cream
8 sheets filo pastry

Method

Preheat oven to 200 C. Place spinach, basil, almond, garlic and 1/4 cup (60mL) water in a food processor and process until well combined and almost smooth.

Heat a large deep non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Combine the stock cube, cornflour and 1 cup (250mL) water in a small jug. Heat the oil in the pan. Add the leek and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the leek softens. Add the pumpkin and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the combined stock cube, cornflour and water and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Set aside to cool slightly.

Add the sour cream and half the pesto mixture to the chicken mixture in the pan. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to an 8-cup (2 L) pie dish.

Scrunch filo pastry and place over the chicken mixture. Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Serve pie with remaining pesto.

Credits: Coles

Photo Credits: Coles