As far as I’m concerned chicken pie is a crowd pleaser and a very convenient fall-back when you have to feed many people. This pie is made with store bought pastry but has a fabulous flavour! You will feed 6 hungry people with this recipe but you may double quantities for a larger pie.
9 chicken breasts, skin removed
1litre chicken stock
200g mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml turmeric
15ml salt
10ml thyme leaves
250ml greek yoghurt
1 packet shortcrust pastry
Egg wash: one egg beaten with 15ml of milk
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add them to a large saucepan.
Pour the stock in and add some hot water to cover the chicken.
Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the chicken for one hour.
Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid. (This will prevent the chicken from drying out and losing its taste).
When the chicken is cool enough to handle comfortably: drain and discard the liquid and pull the chicken apart with your hands or two forks, as you would with pork belly.
Keep the pulled chicken to the side.
Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Put a heavy based saucepan onto the heat and cover the bottom with oil.
Add the mushrooms and fry them at high heat until they start to caramelise.
Add the chopped onion and cook until soft.
Now add the garlic, salt and thyme leaves and cook for one minute while stirring.
Add the cooked chicken and the yoghurt to the saucepan and reduce the heat to a light simmer for 30 minutes.
Spoon the chicken mixture into a heat-proof dish and allow to cool.
Roll the pastry to the size of your oven dish and cover the chicken mixture with it.
Brush the pastry with egg wash and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Serve warm with a salad.
My Whisk and I 