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Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pie

Introduction & method

If you're a pie-lover, like me, you'll love this one. Chunks of chicken and bacon with mushrooms in a crispy pastry case and drowning in blue cheese sauce. Proper comfort food!

 Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pie Recipe

Make the Pastry


We're using shortcrust pastry for this one, so cut your lard and butter into small cubes. You don't have to use two types of fat - you can use all butter or all lard if you want. In a large bowl, mix the salt and flour together then rub in the fat with your fingertips. If you have a stand mixer, the paddle attachment will make swift work of this. When the fat is all rubbed in the mixture should look like coarse sand. Now slowly add water and mix it in. You only want just enough water to make the dough stick together in a ball, about 4 tablespoons should do it. Wrap the dough in plastic film and leave it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

About the Bacon and the Cheese


It's best if you can get bacon in a chunk rather than sliced. You could also use gammon or lardons. The cheese - use whatever you like and is available.

Make the Filling


Cut the bacon and chicken breast into small chunks - about a centimetre (half an inch). Peel and chop the onion, rinse and chop the mushrooms. Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the chicken. Stir frequently until all of the pinkness has turned white then add the chunks of bacon and get them browned off. Remove the meat from the pan, add more oil and cook the onions for about 5 minutes. You want them softened but not particularly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes until they've released most of their moisture. Pour in the stock and add the oregano. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cream. Taste it and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Assemble and Bake the Pie


Heat your oven to 150°C (302°F) for a fan/convection oven, 170°C (338°F) conventional, gas 3. You'll need some kind of pie dish, metal for preference. I use a cake tin, 18cm (7½ inches) diameter, 4cm (1½" high). Sprinkle flour on your worktop and inside your chosen tin. Take a bit less than half of the dough and roll it out to about 3-4mm (less than a quarter of an inch) thick and a little bit bigger all round than the tin. Use the tin as a template and trim the pastry tight against the edge. This will be the lid of your pie. Set it aside and roll out the remaining pastry and offcuts. Put this into your tin and press the dough right down and into the corners. Spoon the filling into the pie, leaving most of the liquid for the sauce. Moisten the pastry rim with water and place the lid on. Trim off the excess dough and press the lid and rim together all around the edge. Beat an egg with a splash of milk and paint the lid with it. I decorated my pie with a lattice overlay - see the video for info on how to do that. Place your pie in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the top is golden. You might want to turn it round halfway through to get even colouring.

Make the Sauce


While the pie is baking, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan then stir in the flour. Let it cook for a minute or two, then stir in the liquid left over from the filling. Stir well then add the grated or diced cheese. When that has melted and the sauce is smooth and thick, it's ready. If it's too thick you might loosen it with a bit of milk.


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

 
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Ingredients & Info


PASTRY
 225 grams plain white (AP) flour
 65 grams unsalted butter
 65 grams lard
  water
FILLING
 2 chicken breasts
 300 grams smoked bacon or gammon
 1 medium onion
 150 grams mushroom
 500 ml chicken stock
 125 ml double (heavy) cream
 1 tsp dried oregano
  salt and pepper to taste
SAUCE
  liquid from the filling
 100 grams cheddar cheese
 50 grams butter
 50 grams flour

UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Serves 4 -6
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Pastry resting time: 30 minutes.
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes.