Monday, January 13, 2014

easy chicken pie

Again, this was a dish that I blundered into making.

I wanted to make some tuna pasties. So I transferred a packet of frozen puff (ready-rolled) pastry from the freezer to the fridge for it to thaw.

Well, it stayed in the fridge for a few days, and at the end of those few days, I knew that I had to use it up pronto or I would have had to throw it out. By then I was feeling lazy and all thoughts of tuna had dissipated.

It so happened that I had some chicken breasts sitting in the fridge (surprise, surprise!) so I figured that a quick and easy chicken pie was the way to go.


When I say "easy", I meant it. I didn't bother with blind baking pastry at the bottom of the pie. I simply made the filling, placed it in little serving dishes (you can use a big serving dish for sharing if you like), placed a layer of puff pastry on top of each pie and baked them. I meant to serve them for breakfasts in the weekends as they freeze really well and are easy to heat up before eating.

So, this was how I made these pies.

To make the filling, I started by sauteing diced onions for about 2-3 minutes in hot olive oil, until they became soft and translucent. I then added minced garlic and cooked for another 30 seconds or so.


Into this, I added diced chicken. I stirred everything around until the chicken turned white.



I pushed everything to the sides of the pan, and added flour. This was stirred around until the flour had been incorporated.



I added frozen vegetables and chicken stock.



Finally, I added the diced potatoes and enough water to barely cover everything. A couple of bay leaves, salt and pepper, as well as some thyme and rosemary were added.



This was simmered for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes had softened and some of the liquid had evaporated.

I dished the filling into individual heat-proof bowls, and added a quarter of a hard-boil egg.


Then a layer of puff pastry was placed on the bowl and crimped.


They were placed on baking trays, and egg washed. I also used the tip of a knife to poke a couple of holes in the pastry for the steam to escape while cooking.




The pies were baked until the tops turned golden brown.


Simple to make, super delicious and fantastic for breakfasts on a lazy Sunday morning!


Have you taken part in my Ombre cakes giveaway? Click on the picture below to take part!



RECIPE
Easy Chicken Pies (Makes 24 small pies)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
200g frozen vegetables
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1.5-2 tablespoons plain flour
1.5 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 packet (6 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten (egg wash)
6 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Method:
1. Saute onion in hot olive oil until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken and cook until chicken turns white. Push all ingredients to the sides of the pan. Add flour, and stir until incorporated.
3. Add frozen vegetables, chicken stock, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add enough water to barely cover everything.
4. Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes have softened, and the liquid has evaporated slightly.
5. Spoon in serving dish(es). Top with egg, and puff pastry. Crimp the pastry. Egg wash and poke 2 holes with a knife.
6. Bake at 200C for about 12 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown. Serve immediately or cool completely before freezing.
*Can store in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before re-heating.

1 comment:

  1. yum yum! This has been on my to-do list eversince I was born. :p

    ReplyDelete