Chicken & Mushroom Pie

This classic creamy Chicken & Mushroom pie is perfect for a hearty meal in just over an hour. Like a traditional farmhouse pie it uses a shortcrust pastry for the pie base, but for the top pie crust it uses a lighter puff pastry, meaning this Chicken & Mushroom pie will be a sure winner on the dinning room table. This pie is very quick and simple to make, just thicken the sauce which makes the gravy to your own preference – we like it classically thick and creamy.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Serves 4 to 6 people. You will need approx a 1.2 litre pie dish (buttered) for this recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

Pie Filling

7 chicken thighs (boneless & skinless)
250g small chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
250ml chicken stock
60g butter
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped or minced)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
45g plain flour
200ml milk
150ml double cream
75ml white wine
pinch of flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

see this masterclass on making shortcrust pastry.

225g plain flour (plus extra for dusting work surface)
50g butter (cut into cubes)
50g lard (cut into cubes)
pinch sea salt
1 large egg (beaten)
1 egg yolk (to glaze)

Top pie crust

500g ready-made puff pastry

Recipe Method:

For the shortcrust pastry: see this masterclass on making shortcrust pastry. This goes into the base of the pie dish. In a mixing bowl sift in the flour and add the salt. Take the diced butter and lard and rub this into the flour, with your finger-tips, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the beaten egg to bring the flour and butter into a pastry dough which is silky and smooth. Cover in cling film and place the pastry dough in the fridge to chill for twenty minutes.

Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and shape it into a slightly flattened ball. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick and use it to line your buttered pie dish (a 1.2 litre pie dish) – trim it neatly with a little over-hang. Cover the pie dish and place in the fridge for later.

For the pie filling: In a frying pan melt the butter over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic and sliced mushrooms and fry, stirring often, until the onion and mushrooms are lightly browned and tender (about 5 minutes). Take off the heat.

Cut the chicken into small ‘bite-sized’ pieces, season them with pepper and sea-salt.

In a tall saucepan add a little butter and a little oil and fry the chicken pieces with the bay leaf and thyme leaves. Cook everything for 5 minutes on a medium-high heat until the chicken is no longer pink but nicely golden. Sprinkle in the flour. Stir the flour into the chicken and butter in the pan and cook off for a minute before slowly adding in the milk.

Then gradually stir in the chicken stock, add the fried onion, garlic and mushrooms from the frying pan, and bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce which makes the gravy is smooth and thickening up. Season the gravy to taste, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream and wine. Once stirred in put it back on a moderate heat to reduce and thicken the gravy. Keep stirring. Once thickened to your satisfaction cover the pan with a lid and set aside to fully cool.

Preheat the oven to 190°C

Spoon the cooled chicken pie filling and gravy into the pastry lined pie dish and brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg yolk. Roll out the puff pastry (for the pie crust) on a well-floured surface until it is about 5mm thick and large enough to cover the pie top. Place the puff pastry over the pie, sticking it down to the egg washed edges of the shortcrust pastry base. Trim off the excess. Use a fork to crimp the pie top and base together where they meet, to fully seal the pie. Brush the top with beaten egg yolk. Cut a little steam hole in the centre of the pie lid.

Bake for 45 minutes in the oven at 190C until the pie crust is puffed up and golden brown and the filling is piping hot. Serve. This pie goes well with mash potatoes and some seasonal steamed vegetables.