Roast Chicken Pie 

Most delicious comfort food. Start early in the day to prepare this dish. It is truly a labor of love, as it has many steps. The result is delightful.

Servings

8

Good For:

Main Dish

 

Roast Chicken Pie

By: Juliette Giffen

Start early in the day to prepare this dish. It is truly a labor of love, as it has many steps. The result is delightful.

Ingredients

 

  • Filling

    • Chicken
    • Onion
    • Leeks
    • Mushrooms
    • Garlic (chopped, crushed, grated)
    • Salt & Pepper

    Bechemel Sauce for the Filling

    • 40g Plain flour
    • 40g Butter
    • 290ml Warm milk
    • Crème Fraiche
    • 1-2 tsp Fresh tarragon
    • 1 tsp Fresh thyme (or dried)
    • Mustard
    • Salt & Pepper

    Pastry

    • 225g Plain flour
    • 125g Butter COLD
    • Pinch of salt
    • ½ teaspoon Lemon juice (optional) in 2-3 tablespoons of ice cold water
    • 1 beaten Egg to glaze

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Chicken:
Heat the oven to 180c
In a roasting pan, slice an onion into rings & place on the tray. Season the chicken inside & out with salt & pepper and place on the onion. Roast for the allotted time for the size of the chicken.
When cooked, take out the chicken, cover with foil & leave to cool.

Step 2

Make the Pastry:  
Sift the flour & salt into a bowl.
Cube the cold butter & either rub in with your fingers, use a pastry cutter, or pulse in a food processor. Don’t over
process, just to size of breadcrumbs.

Add 3/4 tablespoons of water & a little lemon juice (mixed together is easiest) to bring together to a firm dough.
Don’t over kneed as it will make the pastry tough.

Cover in cling film & let rest for 20 – 30 minutes. (I don’t rest in the fridge as it makes it hard to work with). 

 

Step 3

Prepare the vegetables:

Leeks: Chop the greenest ends off the leeks, and slice once down the middle. Wash under a cold tap to remove any sand/grit.
Then chop in 1 inch pieces. Fry gently in a little butter, till soft not brown.

Mushrooms: Brush off any dirt/grit – don’t wash or they will soak up water. Chop or slice, then fry gently in some
butter with the garlic till most of the moisture has evaporated.

Chop the herbs smallish, set aside.

 

Step 4

Bechemel Sauce:
Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the flour & mix thoroughly, then add the milk 1/3 at a time & whisk to make
sure no lumps form. Don’t add all of the last bit of the milk as you don’t want the sauce too thin.
Keep stirring till it starts to thicken. Add ½ the Crème Fraiche, mix. Check the consistency, so it is not too thick or thin.

Add the flavourings, herbs, mustard, salt & pepper, taste, adjust seasoning (add more mustard, herbs, S&P). 

Step 5

Chicken & Vegetable filling:
Pick the chicken, shred or chop it & put it in a large bowl with the vegetables. Mix thoroughly, add the sauce, mix
again thoroughly.  Taste to check the seasoning, adjust if required, add more crème fraiche if needed. 

Step 6

Making the pie:
Divide the pastry into 2/3 & 1/3 – as you need more for the base. Cover the 1/3 with cling film again.
Rollout the base making sure it’s bigger than your pie dish by an inch or so. Don’t stretch the pastry or it will shrink
back.
Gently roll the pastry over your rolling pin to place in the pie dish.

Prick the base all over and the sides with a fork, to stop it rising.
Scrunch up a large piece of brown greaseproof paper then open it out & place it over your pastry base, cover with rice or lentils or baking beans to hold it down.

Put in the oven on 180 for 15 mins – take out remove the beans & paper – cook for another 5 -10 mins watching the colour.

Add your filling making sure it’s not too wet.

Roll out your pastry for the lid, making sure it’s bigger than the dish.

Egg wash round the edge of the pie (to make sure you lid sticks) then add your pastry lid. Crimp the edges with a fork
or your fingers. Cut off excess pastry.

Egg wash the whole pie – making shapes out of any extra bits of pastry & add to the top, then egg wash.

Bake at 180 for 30 – 40 minutes – watching the colour – should be a beautiful rich shiny golden brown. 

Step 7

Gravy:

Pour everything out of the roasting pan into a saucepan, strain the fat if there is some? Add some white wine to the roaster & scrape up the crispy brown bits and add to the saucepan.

Add a stock cube/jelly, bring to the boil & simmer for 10 mins. Strain, then thicken the gravy if needed with a little
corn flour. 

Serve with mash potatoes and peas.