Chicken Pie

 

Next to fish and chips, the one thing everyone in my family really loves is pie.  We are pie aficionados!  We will pretty much eat anything in a crust, be it savory or be it sweet, and we all have our favorites!

My mother always made beautiful pies.  That is one thing which we could be sure of having after any kind of a roast dinner, some sort of pot pie.  Beef, pork, chicken, turkey.  She made them all and we loved them. 

Everything I know about making tasty pies I learned from my mother.

 

I remember one time, when I was about 14,  (so so so long ago now!) my mother had to go away for a few days.  She left meals for us to eat, and of course I was in charge of heating them up.  One of the things she left was a pot pie she had made.

I can remember heating it up to perfection and then doling it out to everyone.  They all thought I had saved the largest piece for myself.  Perhaps I did, I can't remember, but I do remember at the time protesting that I hadn't. 

I probably doth protest too much. Knowing my love for pie, I probably did save the largest piece for myself!!  To this day everyone accuses me of such.  But who can blame me. Pie after all is pie!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN PIE

This pie has a lovely butter and shortening pastry. Its rich and flaky and goes very well with the filling. Of course, next to the crust, the most important part of any pie is the filling, and this chicken pie is filled with a lovely rich and delicious filling that is very simple to make! 

 For the filling:

• 2 TBS butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 large handful of mushrooms, finely sliced
• 2 TBS flour
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp summer savory
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of chicken stock 
• 1/4 cup (60ml) of double cream
• 3 chicken breast fillets, poached and broken into chunks (you could use the equivalent amount of cooked turkey if you wanted to.)

 

 

 This chicken pie does not have a bottom crust, but don't worry, you won't miss it. The filling is ample and delicious enough to make up for its lack.

For the pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain flour 
• pinch of salt
• 2 TBS butter 
• 2 TBS vegetable shortening 
• 2 TBS cold water 
• 1 egg beaten together with 2 TBS water (to glaze)

 

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PIE

You will want to begin by making the pastry first so that it can rest while you make the filling.  Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  

Rub together the butter and vegetable shortening and then add this mixture to the flour/salt in the bowl.  Rub the fat into the flour with the tips of your fingers, lifting it up as you go. This helps to aerate the flour somewhat.  

Rub in lightly until the mixture looks crumbly.  Don't over mix.  

You then need to add the cold water all at once, stirring it in with a fork. Blend it in quickly until the mixture clings together in a ball, leaving the sides of the bowl clean.  

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple times, lightly, to make a smooth fairly stiff dough.  Leave it to rest, covered,  for at least 10 minutes before using.

 

The filling look like it uses a lot of ingredients, but trust me when I tell you, despite its length,  it is very simple to make and oh-so-tasty! 

You begin by melting the butter for the filling in a large skillet.  Add all of the vegetables to the skillet.  Cook and stir them until the onion softens and turns translucent and the vegetables begin to just soften.  

 

Sprinkle the flour over top of the vegetables.  Whisk in the chicken stock.  Cook and stir until the mixture thickens.  Add the seasoning and herbs.  

Fold  in the  chicken.  Pour this mixture into a pie dish large enough to hold it. My dish was an oval 9-inch pie dish. A round one would work just as well. Or any casserole dish large enough to hold the filling.

 

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a size large enough to cover the pie dish amply with a bit of an edge. 

Brush the edge of the pie dish with some of the beaten egg/water mixture. This will help the pastry to adhere. Place the pastry on top. 

Trim, flute and press the edges.  I always cut several slits in the top of the pie  to vent, or (if you have one) you can add a pie bird.  

Brush the top with beaten egg. Place onto a baking sheet. 

 

Pop the  baking sheet into a preheated oven, 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Spoon this pie out hot to enjoy with your favorite sides!  Many people like to serve mashed potatoes with a pie like this and why not!  The gravy lends itself beautifully to being enjoyed with a nice pile of hot mash.

Its also good with boiled potatoes or rice, or even chips.  At the end of the day, its just plain good eating. Enjoy!!

 

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