Comforting Chicken Pie …

In our modern, fast-paced lives we are always looking for a quick recipe, a swift fix to our problems and instant gratification. But some things are just way better when done at a slower pace. The slow-food movement is being revived, and I relish the time, love and affection that goes into preparing food during the pre-microwave era.

This chicken pie recipe should only be attempted if you have some time on your hands. Read a book or magazine while the chicken is bubbling away … you can even go and potter around the garden as this chicken is going nowhere soon.

I prefer to use a whole bird as the different textures of meat add to the overall result of a moist and tender filling.

Ingredients

1 Chicken
1 Chicken Stock cube dissolved in 1 litre Water
Salt and pepper
2 Whole Cloves
1 Sprig of Thyme
1 Onion chopped
2 Carrots chopped
Punnet of mushrooms (optional)
½ Pack White onion soup powder
¼ Cup of cream
Store bought puff pastry (or if you are very energetic … make your own)

Method

Add the chicken, chicken stock, salt, pepper, cloves,thyme and water to a pot. Bring to a slow boil, cover and let it be until the meat falls off the bones. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Cool down. Pick the chicken meat off the bones and discard the bones, skin, and spices. Reserve the liquid.
Heat the oven to 180°C.

Fry the onion in the same pot until translucent. Add the carrots, mushrooms, chicken meat and some of the water. Simmer till the chicken meat resembles strings and the carrots are cooked. Top up with reserved water at all times to ensure that there is enough sauce as a dry pie is a no-pie.
Thicken the sauce with the soup powder and add the cream.

From here on its downhill. Fill a pie dish ¾ with the pie filling. Roll out the pastry to your desired thickness … as I don’t use a pie crust, I like the puff pastry quite thick. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake until nice and golden brown on top.

Enjoy a fabulous cooking experience!