Ingredients / Shopping List
1 roast chicken 1 onion100g chestnut mushroomsTsp chicken gravy granules2 tablespoon creamBlack pepperCornish sea saltThyme leaves from one strand250g plain flour125 margarineWater1 tablespoon milk1 small egg
1 roast chicken
1 onion
100g chestnut mushrooms
Tsp chicken gravy granules
2 tablespoon cream
Black pepper
Cornish sea salt
Thyme leaves from one strand
250g plain flour
125 margarine
Water
1 tablespoon milk
1 small egg
Prep to Cook: Mixing bowl, round bladed knife, chopping board, vegetable knife, basin, jug, tablespoon, wooden spoon
Prep: Remove the meat from the roasted chicken and break up the meat to even sized pieces. Freeze the bones for stock making at a later time
Peel and slice the onion
Cut into half and slice each half into 6 segments
Fry the onion until some golden brown begins to show and the onion is softened
Stir in sliced mushrooms and mix well
Add gravy granules in a jug and pour over boiled water until you have 100ml gravy
Add the cream and stir thoroughly to ensure no lumps
Mix all the filling ingredients, the chicken, the mushroom, onion, thyme leaves and gravy with cream and allow it all to cool. Season with black pepper.
Prep the pastry:
Rub the margarine into the plain flour
Add water and mix to a dough, knead it lightly until you have a smooth ball.
Cut the ball in half
Roll out half and line the base of a pie dish
Fill the pie and level out
Roll the final half and lay over the filling. Seal the edges and trim off excess pastry
Crimp the edges and brush the pastry with egg and milk wash. Sprinkle with sea salt
Pies for picnics, pies for main meals, pies because . . . we love them. Double crust pie with chicken and chestnut mushroom filling
Cook this at 200ºC or Gas Mark 6 to ensure a crisp crust and golden colour.
Cooks Know How: The filling is pre cooked and therefore the oven temperature can be hot as the cooking time does not need to be prolonged. About 30 minutes should ensure that the bottom crust and the top crust become crisp and golden. The starch in the flour will brown at the high temperature and the protein in the flour, the gluten, will set to make the pastry crust rigid and able to contain the juicy filling. It is generally thought best to cook a double crust pie in a metal pie plate as the heat can penetrate rapidly and ensure the pie base is not soggy. Ceramic dishes do not allow the heat to penetrate quite so quickly and therefore there is always the worry the bottom layer of pastry will be soft and possibly soggy. Always pre-heat the oven so that the temperature is high from the outset of the cooking.