How Long To Cook Shortcrust Pastry Lid

Recipe: Shortcrust Chicken Pie

Wanna go all out on your chicken pie? This is one to impress. Make your own shortcrust pastry flavoured with a bunch of herbs and use it to completely surround the filling. It cuts perfectly and should ooze just a little for the perfect consistency.

Ingredients

For The Pastry

250 g plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
110 g unsalted butter, chilled
1 large egg yolk
3-4 tbsp whole milk
1 sprig tarragon
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten

For The Filling

1 whole chicken (1.5kg)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot
1 leek
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp plain flour
200 ml chicken stock
150 ml double cream

To Finish

1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp flaked sea salt
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Step 1

Make The Pastry

Tip the flour into a Compact Food Processor and add the chilled, cubed butter. Blitz until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, milk and the leaves of the herbs. Season with a little salt and pulse to bring it together into a dough. Wrap the dough in Cling Film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to relax.

Step 2

Roast The Chicken

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Rub the chicken with the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Step 3

Blind Bake The Base

Slice the rested dough into two parts. Roll one part of dough on a lightly floured surface to 0.5cm thickness. Lay over a 20cm tart case and gently press into the edges and right down into the corners, trim off any excessive pastry. Line the inside of the tart case with baking parchment and fill with dried beans. Then chill again for 15 mins. Bake the case for 15 mins, then remove the beans and brush with beaten egg. Bake again for 5 minutes before allowing to cool.

Step 4

Make The Filling

Peel the carrot and wash the leeks. Push them both through the thin slicing disc of a Compact Food Processor. Put a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the butter and fry the sliced leeks and carrot for 5 minutes, until softened. Strip all of the cooked meat from the chicken legs and breast. Add it to the pan with the thyme leaves and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the flour and coat everything in it before adding a little chicken stock at a time, letting it thicken up and go smooth before adding more.

Step 5

Fill And Cover

Once all of the chicken stock has been added pour in the double cream and mix well. The mixture should mostly be filling and not be too liquid. Pour the mixture into the blind baked tart case. Roll out the second piece of dough to the same thickness as before and cut out a circle just bigger than the top of the tart case. Brush around the edge of the dough with the beaten egg. Roll the dough over the tart, egg side down. Press the edges of the dough gently into the top of the tart case, crimping to seal. Brush the top of the dough with the egg and sprinkle over the sea salt with a little fresh thyme.

Step 6

Bake And Serve

Bake the pie for another 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Carefully remove the pie from the case and serve! Makes 1 pie

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