homemade chicken pie

Homemade Chicken Pie

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 Servings

Ingredients
  

Filling:

  • 1 large free range chicken
  • 2 T (30 ml) butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 2 celery stalk, sliced
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 cloves
  • 5 l water
  • 2 chicken stock cubes
  • ¼ c (60 ml) sago soaked in 100 ml cold water for 15 minutes
  • Freshly milled salt and pepper

Pastry:

  • 2 c (500 ml) all-purpose flour (or replace this and baking powder with self-raising flour)
  • 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
  • 50 g chilled butter, cut into cubes
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • 50 g butter, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten for brushing

Instructions
 

  • Use a large knife or cleaver to chop the breast part of the chicken to expose for flesh. Heat the butter and brown the chicken evenly.
  • Add the onion, peppercorns and bay leaves and cloves and sauté for another minute. Add the water and stock cubes. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 1 hour or until chicken falls off the bone.
  • Remove chicken from the cooking liquid. While still hot, discard the bone and skin and shred the chicken using 2 forks.
  • Heat the soaked sago mixture briefly in a small pot for 5 minutes or in a microwave for 1 minute. In a large mixing bowl, mix the shredded chicken, 2 c (500 ml) reserved (strained) cooking liquid and sago mixture until well combined. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Cool chicken mixture to room temperature or chill until ready for use.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the pastry: combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cubes of chilled butter and rub into the flour mixture until well incorporated. Add the boiling water and melted butter, using a spatula, mix to form a ball. Cool until lukewarm.
  • Grease a 30 x 20 cm baking dish. Divide pastry dough in two. One half slightly bigger than the other. Use the bigger piece for the base. Roll pastry cooled pastry out onto a well floured surface and line the base of the dish. Prick with a fork. Fill with cooled chicken mixture. Roll 2nd piece of pastry out the same way and cover the chicken mixture connecting the top pastry with the borders of the base pastry. Use beaten egg as glue. Make a few incisions on the top pastry to allow air to escape. Use excess pastry for decorating.
  • Brush with egg.
    Bake in a 180°C oven for 1 hour.
    A traditional chicken pie like this is usually served alongside many other side dishes (peas, pumpkin fritters, sweet carrots) and at least one meat dish like a potjie, bredie or casserole.

Notes

Tip: If you don’t have sago, make a slurry with 2 Tbsp (30 ml) corn flour and some
of the reserved chicken stock instead.
Oh yes, this pastry works well if you want to try individual pies too.
 
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