Chicken Pie

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Cook Time:

1.5 Hours

Total Time:

1.5 Hours

Course:

Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine:

Western, American, British

Serves:

4 Servings

Dietary Information:

Meat

About the Recipe

Chicken pie is something that seems super hard to make but it just takes a lot of time and patience! With some good dough, you can make a tasty meal for multiple people.

Super tasty and good for a hearty family meal!

Recipe adapted from Alison Yetman's Old-fashioned chicken pie published on Sainsbury's.

Ingredients

1 white onion
2 leek
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
2 large potatoes
4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
Vegetable stock powder
Salt
Black pepper
50g unsalted butter
50g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp single cream (if you prefer a creamier pie filling, then add 1 tbsp more)
320g cold (not frozen) puff pastry (store bought or hand-made - recipe coming soon!)

Equipment

1 large pot (at least enough to fit 3 litres of stock) with lid
1 large casserole dish
1 medium pot
2 small bowls
Straining spoon

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the onion, 1 leek, 2 celery stalks and 1 carrot in half.

Step 2

Put the chicken legs into a large pot with the cut vegetables from step 1 and cover with water.

Tip: make sure there is 1 inch of water above the vegetables and chicken. Some of the water will evaporate when you boil it.

Step 3

Add a pinch of salt, the bay leaves and thyme.

Step 4

When the water starts to boil, add vegetable stock powder and mix.

Note: the amount of vegetable stock you need to add will vary depending on how much water you have in your pot! Most vegetable stock containers will tell you how much to add. I usually add around 3 tsps of vegetable stock powder. Don't worry about adding too little, the flavour from the chicken will come through too.

Step 5

Turn the temperature to low, cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer for around 30 minutes.

Note: the 30 minutes is for the chicken to cook. Please make sure that the water doesn't reach boiling while covered. You should only see some bubbles.

Step 6

While waiting for the stock, chop the potatoes and the remaining leeks, celery and carrots into small similar-sized cubes. Place the potatoes and carrots into the same bowl and the leeks and celery in another bowl.

Step 7

Remove the chicken and place it in the casserole dish to cool. Discard the vegetables in the pot but leave the stock on low heat.

Note: no worries if you still have some vegetable bits in the stock! I would definitely recommend trying to get most of it out though.

Step 8

Add the potatoes and carrots to the stock and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the temperature to medium-high heat and boil until the fork easily goes through the veg (around 5 minutes).

Step 9

While waiting for the potatoes and carrots to boil, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred into rough pieces. Discard the skin and bones.

Note: the chicken may be hot so you may have to do this with forks but if possible, use your hands for a quicker shred. Alternatively, you can do this step after step 10 and just place the cooked vegetables in a different bowl instead of straight into the casserole dish.

Step 10

Add the leeks and celery to the stock and boil for 1 minute. Add the cooked vegetables (without any stock) to the casserole dish. Turn off the heat and leave the stock to cool.

Step 11

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (fan).

Step 12

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the flour and mix until well-incorporated.

Step 13

Add the stock one ladleful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Repeat until the mixture reaches the texture you prefer.

I prefer a slightly thick texture so usually only add in about 3/4 of the entire stock and leave the rest for chicken soup the next day. The mixture doesn't thicken a lot in the oven so make sure it's about the right consistency for you at this stage.

Step 14

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the single cream.

Tip: make sure to taste it!! If you don't you may be disappointed when it comes out of the oven. Now's the chance to make any changes.

Step 15

Pour the sauce into the casserole dish and mix well.

Step 16

Roll out the pastry (if needed) to about 1/2cm thickness and cover the casserole dish with the pastry.

Note: you can let the pastry go over the sides a little!

If you want, you can brush the pastry with beaten egg, but if you're hungry at this point or want to save your eggs, just put it in the oven!

Step 17

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown.

Note: if you are using store-bought crust, follow the instructions on the packet! Every pie crust is different.

Step 18

Serve and enjoy!

Meal Prep Factor

Can I keep...

1) the unbaked chicken pie overnight?

YES! You can but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're meal prepping for the next day. You're almost there anyway! Make sure you keep it in the fridge just for the night. Alternatively, if you want (and you have the space), you can keep it in the freezer. You will just need to bake it in the oven for longer.

2) the baked chicken pie overnight?

YES! You may keep the baked chicken pie in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge.