Chicken pie

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Put the chicken into a large saucepan. Add the onion wedges, garlic cloves and stock cube and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken from the saucepan, reserving some of the stock. Remove the chicken meat and cut into small pieces. Discard the skin and bones. Mix a little of the reserved stock into the chicken so that it creates a firm but moist mixture. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Pastry:
Mix the flour and 5ml salt together. Grate the butter into the flour. Rub in lightly with your fingertips. Mix two-thirds of the egg-yolk mixture with the icecold water and vinegar. Stir into the flour to form a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until firm.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle. Fold the one shorter side of the pastry over inwards and then fold the other side over that. Roll the pastry out again. Divide in half. Seal half in a plastic bag and freeze it to use another time. Chill the remaining half until ready to bake the pie.

Roll out the dough again and cut in half. Use the one half to line a greased pie dish. Spoon the filling onto the pastry. Cover with the other half of the pastry. Press the edges together.

Brush the surface of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve the chicken pie hot, accompanied with a herb salad.

Text and image: Ideas magazine

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