An individual chicken pie for each member of the family. Succulent chicken pieces cooked in creamy sauce with sweetcorn and peas, and a light pastry topping, is guaranteed to fill the hungriest tummies. And you can personalize them!
- Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus 10 minutes to prepare the pastry
- Cooking time: 30 minutes hob, 30 minutes oven
- Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 340g (12 oz) plain/cake and pastry flour (2⅓ cups)
- 85g (3 oz) cold butter (⅜ cup, or ¾ stick), cut into small cubes
- 85g (3 oz) lard (⅜ cup), cut into small cubes
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 egg, beaten
- For the filling
- 450g (1 lb) boneless chicken breasts (about 3), skin removed, OR
- 600g (1 lb 5 oz) chicken joints, skin removed
- 1 carrot, cut into large chunks
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- a few parsley stalks
- 6 black peppercorns
- 28g (1 oz) butter (2 tbsp, or ¼ stick)
- 28g (1 oz) flour (1½ tbsp)
- 2 tbsp double/whipping or heavy cream
- 100g (3⅓ oz) frozen peas (¾ cup)
- 115g/4 oz) frozen sweetcorn (⅔ cup)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- You will also need four 300ml (10 fl oz) ovenproof basins
- Method
- Put the chicken in a pan with the carrot, onion, bay leaf, parsley stalks, and peppercorns. Cover with cold water and bring to just under the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, skimming the surface regularly.
- Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the water over the flour and use a palette knife to bring the flour and water together. When it starts to bind, remove from the bowl and then lightly knead by hand. Wrap in cling film/wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
- When the chicken has cooked, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Strain off and reserve 400ml (14 fl oz) (1¾ cups) of the poaching stock, discarding the rest along with the herbs and vegetables.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (gas 6).
- Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and mix to form a smooth paste. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the reserved stock until it is thoroughly blended and smooth. Then return to a medium heat and stir until it starts to thicken. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Now pour in the cream and simmer for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until there is a smooth, thick sauce.
- Strip the chicken meat off the bones, if joints were used. Cut the chicken meat into small chunks and stir into the sauce along with the peas, sweetcorn and parsley. Season well.
- Now, roll out the pastry thinly. Using the top of one of the ovenproof basins as a guide, cut out four circles of pastry 2cm (¾ inch) larger than the diameter of the basin.
- Divide the chicken mixture between the four dishes. Dampen the pastry edges with water and cover the tops of the basins, pressing the edges of the pastry against the rim of the basins. Brush the tops with beaten egg.
- Any trimmings can be used to decorate the pies. A personal touch would be to put names on the top. Making the letters does take time but makes it special. Place any decorations on the pastry top and brush these with remaining beaten egg.
- Place the four basins on a baking sheet and then pop in the oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
- Serve with seasonal vegetables.
Updated: April 7, 2018