Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Introduction & method

Chicken and mushroom must be one of the favourite UK savoury pie fillings. The creamy sauce enveloping the tender chicken and mushroom chunks, all encased in crispy pastry is just wonderful.

Make the Hot Water Pastry

The fat for the pastry can be lard, butter, shortening or a mixture. I generally use half-and-half lard and butter. Cut the fat into small cubes, place it in a saucepan with water and simmer until it has melted. Try not to let the water boil.

Stir the salt into the flour in a large bowl. Pour over half of the fat/water and stir it in until the water has been incorporated. Do the same with the other half of the water. Tip the dough out onto a worktop, wrap it in plastic film and leave to cool. It needs to be about room temperature by the time you use it.

Make the Chicken and Mushroom Pie Filling

We start by making a simple sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and stir in the flour until it is well mixed in. Add the stock, tarragon and pepper, stir well and simmer until it thickens. Once thickened, you may want to take it off the heat for a bit if you haven't got the chicken and vegetables ready.

Peel the onion and chop into small pieces. Heat some oil on low in a frying pan. Add the onions and cook until softened - do not brown them. Add the onion to the sauce. Wash the mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. Heat some more oil in the frying pan and cook the mushrooms until they just start to release moisture, then add them to the sauce. Chop the chicken breasts into small chunks, a bit over a centimetre (half an inch). Add the chicken to the sauce, stir well, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Assemble the Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Pre-heat your oven to 190°C (374°F) if it's a fan oven, or 210°C (410°F) if it's not.
In this recipe we are making a family-sized pie, so you'll need a pie dish or tin about 23cm (9 inches) in diameter. Generously smear butter all over the inside. Take half of the pastry and roll it out into a disc about 3-4mm thick (just under a quarter of an inch). Place the tin, upside down, on the pastry, and cut around the edge to form the lid. Set aside and roll out the rest of the pastry. Carefully place the pastry into the tin, pressing down so it fits snugly into the edges of the dish. Trim off any excess pastry, and if you have any gaps around the top, just moisten the edges and press a bit of spare rolled-out pastry into the gap.

Spoon the filling into the case, saving a bit of the sauce to use as gravy when you serve it. Moisten the rim with cold water, and place the lid on. Press it down all around with your thumbs, then lift up the edge of the pie, work it between your fingers to get it nice and smooth, and crimp it any way you like. Make some holes in the top with a fork, paint the top and the crimp with beaten egg, and sprinkle some random bits of oregano around the edge for decoration. You could also decorate it with thinly-sliced, sauteed mushrooms.

Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, but check it after 30 minutes just to be sure it's not overbaking.

The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Chicken and Mushroom Pie on YouTube.

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Ingredients & Info

PASTRY

300 grams plain (all-purpose) white flour

150 grams lard, butter or a mixture

150 ml hot water
FILLING

300 grams chicken breast

1 medium onion

250 ml chicken stock

250 ml milk

1 tsp tarragon

half a tsp white pepper

50 grams unsalted butter

50 grams plain white flour

250 grams mushrooms

PLUS

Beaten egg for glazing. Water for sealing. Oil for sautéeing.

Makes 1 family-size pie
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Cooling/resting time: 1 hour.
Cooking time: 1 hour.
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

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