Creamy Chicken Pie Or How The Le Creuset Pie Bird Came To Life

Two years ago I was having a grand time at the Le Creuset store by buying myself the cherry red signature cast-iron round Dutch Oven, when at the counter, this cute little bird was peaking at me. It took me a minute to realise what it was a for. Okay, the lady at the counter told me hahah and for no other reason than that I found it incredibly adorable I had her add it to my bill. I often use the filling I'll be showing you today, but so far I have opted for mini pies, which I can easily make using a regular muffin/cupcake baking tray and I simply had no use for this little kitchen utensil. Until today! I decided to bake a large pie and finally I got to take the Pie Bird off the shelve :D

OK. The Creamy Chicken Pie in question is so tasty and one of my favourite go to recipes when I want some legit comfort food. The filling is something I came across in the GoodFood magazine. At least I think so, we're talking about more than 10 years ago, so I am not entirely sure and I have tweaked it since. But first, the Pastry. In all honesty, this is only the third time I have made shortcrust pastry. Used to buy it, but now that I have tasted the real thing, I can't go back. The ingredients are simple.

Shortcrust Pastry:
400g flour
200g cold butter, diced
100ml cold water

Gordon Ramsey taught me this. Hahah, obviously not personally, but I came across this video on YouTube. It's so simple and here I thought it was hard to do. So please click RIGHT HERE for the instructions. Just a note, be careful with adding water. The first time I made the dough, I needed 90ml and today I needed 110ml.

The filling is creamy and the taste is not too overpowering. It might take a bit of prep, but the chicken you could make a day ahead. Because once that is ready, the assembly is quick.

Filling:
2 poached chicken breasts, diced (you can go small, which I like, or keep it chunky, which I dislike)
400ml milk (whichever you like)
300g mushroom, sliced
150g crispy corn, tinned
200g frozen or fresh peas
2 or 3 spring onions, finely chopped rings
2 tbs oil (I prefer sunflower)
3 tbs flour
1 egg

Heat the oil, then add the sliced mushrooms. Fry these for a while. They will start losing water, so let the water evaporate for a bit. Then add the flour and just keep stirring. It will become a bit lumpy. Do not be alarmed. Keep at it for a minute, maybe a bit more, then add the milk. 400ml is a bit of an estimate, start with half of that then keep adding until you're happy with the result. During the entire process you might have to add a bit of water, you want the sauce to be creamy, but it shouldn't be too wet or you'll end up with a soggy pie. Anyways, once the sauce is nice and creamy, add the diced chicken and you may want to lower the heat at this point. Stir for a minute or so and chuck in the corn, followed shortly by the spring onions and the peas at the very end. This whole process is a matter of minutes and once you're done, set the heat as low as you can.

So how do you assemble the lot? Well, In terms of project management, I am sure you have a pretty good idea of when to do what, but if you need a bit of guidance, this is how my morning went. Took me about three hours in total, this included poaching the chicken, making the dough, chopping veggies, cleaning the kitchen. And since I like to take my time, there was no rushing. You can probably do it in less time :) ... but why rush on an easy Sunday morning :)

1. Start with poaching the chicken. Use hot water from the kettle. Just have it simmer at a low temperature.
2. While that is happening make the dough. Put it in the fridge to rest.
3. Slice the mushrooms and I would usually chop the spring onions as well now, but forgot to buy those hahah. Put everything away in containers.
4. Get the dough, cut in half (refrigerate the rest) and start work on the pie. Oh yeah, before you start, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Maybe an extra tip: you can blindbake with beans, but I just take a fork and prick the bottom. Hassle-free I call this :) ... Anyways, get out your rolling pin and some baking paper and roll the dough to fit your baking tin. I used a round quiche baking tin with a diameter of 18cm. The dough should be 3 to 5mm thick. You want it dainty but firm enough to hold a pie! Carefully line the tin with the dough. And don't forget to oil it first. I usually use a thin layer of margarine.
5. While the bottom of the pie is baking for 15 to 20 minutes (this is not an exact science, so just check regularly) I start work on the filling. Also quickly dice the chicken. The filling is done pretty quickly, so set at lowest heat.
6. Get the pie out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. It should cool down pretty quickly. In the mean time, separate the egg white from the yolk. Set the yolk aside and whisk the egg white.
7. Take the remaining dough out of the fridge and proceed as with the first one. It may become a bit soft while you roll it, so you may want to store it in the fridge for a few minutes. I did. While in there take the egg white wash and cover the now cooled bottom pie with it. Quickly add the filling and cover it with the dough. Make some room for that Pie Bird. And use the dough leftovers to make some stars. Just happened to have the star cookie cutters around, but be as creative as you want to be :D
8. Back to the egg wash: add the yolk to the egg white, whisk and cover the pie, don't miss a spot!
9. Put the pie back in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, regularly checking, still at 200 degrees Celsius.

And this is what I ended up with ... An exceedingly delicious and creamy pie with a crust to die for :D ... and while the mini pies always have issues with filling overflow, the Pie Bird did its work and made sure the pie came out perfect!

Happy Cookings!
Violet