Food24
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Round-ups
    • New Recipes
    • Cooking with Lamb
    • Lunchbox
    • Pasta Recipes
    • South African Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Baking
    • Braai Recipes
    • Easy Weekday Meals
    • Plant-based Recipes
  • News
    • Food News
  • Videos
  • Drinks
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails
    • Coffee
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Cooking Guides and Tips
    • Create your cookbook
    • Plant-Based Family Meals
    • Win
No Result
View All Result
Food24
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Round-ups
    • New Recipes
    • Cooking with Lamb
    • Lunchbox
    • Pasta Recipes
    • South African Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Baking
    • Braai Recipes
    • Easy Weekday Meals
    • Plant-based Recipes
  • News
    • Food News
  • Videos
  • Drinks
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails
    • Coffee
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Cooking Guides and Tips
    • Create your cookbook
    • Plant-Based Family Meals
    • Win
No Result
View All Result
Food24
No Result
View All Result

Chicken pie: Your guide to mastering winter’s most quintessential comfort food

Food24
Tessa Purdon by Tessa Purdon
June 1, 2018
in Cooking Guides and Tips
0
Chicken pie: Your guide to mastering winter’s most quintessential comfort food
0
SHARES
974
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

(image: iStock)

ALSO READ: Make these 3 chicken pie recipes with 1 pack of puff pastry

It’s no secret that a wholesome and hearty homemade pie is real soul food. It’s comforting and, for many of us, extremely nostalgic. What makes it so damn delicious? Is it the creamy rich filling with tender pieces of chicken all enveloped in a rich sauce, or the crispy pastry on top that often gets secretly nibbled from all the edges of the pie dish when no one is looking?

Whether you’re a pie fiend and know your way around a rolling pin, or just can’t bring yourself to think of making one yourself from scratch, we’re here to guide you through the elements that make chicken pies great.

The meat (filling) 
There’s nothing worse than a filling that’s too dry, dense and solid when you serve it. Preventing this starts with the meat. It’s usually best to first gently poach your chicken in a chicken or vegetable stock. This will ensure it’s not only tender and moist (from cooking in and absorbing some of the liquid), but also more flavourful. It’s best to use thighs and legs (on the bone – as this adds an extra richness of flavour to the meat).

The sauce
You don’t want a gloopy, stodgy sauce (unless that’s what you like!) and you also don’t want a sauce that’s too runny and soupy. It’s generally the sauce that makes or breaks a chicken pie. Many sauces are roux-based with the addition of warmed cream or milk. Make sure your ratio of flour to butter isn’t too high, otherwise you’ll have a super thick consistency. At the end of the day, whatever you choose comes down to personal preference of sauce thickness, but the general rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of flour to 2 tablespoons of butter and 250ml liquid. Always make sure you infuse your milk with half an onion when heating up. This is a simple and super effective way of adding even further depth to the flavour of your sauce.

The flavouring
Don’t forget to season your filling – both the sauce and the chicken – with salt (and pepper, if you want a bit of spice), but don’t overdo it. Your tongue is a good guide here, so taste as you go. You can also add in aromatic herbs like freshly chopped thyme, parsley and a bit of mustard for some oomph. Some people also throw in a tot of sherry! It’s all about layering flavours and allowing the ingredients to ‘collaborate’ with each other. You can also add some cooked peas or carrots to the sauce for a bit of bulk, colour and contrast in each mouthful.


The pastry 

What’s worse than biting into a piece of soggy, under-cooked pastry? Nothing. Puff pastry is the way to go if you want to be traditional. You want your pastry to ‘puff’ up nicely, which requires space, so don’t overcrowd the dish with too much filling. If it’s stuck to the filling, you’ll end up with soggy pastry. Don’t pierce the pastry with a fork because if air escapes, it will collapse onto the filling and lose its shape. Making your own puff pastry = expert level, but if you don’t have the patience or time, simply get the best quality ready-made puff pastry from your local supermarket.

Don’t forget the egg wash! 
Glazing your pastry with a beaten egg just before baking might seem gratuitous but it makes all the difference. The addition of the egg wash results in a golden brown and shiny pastry once you remove it from the oven, making it Instagram-ready.

Happy cooking! If you take a pic of your gorgeous chicken pie, be sure to tag us @Food24_sa.

ALSO READ: Give your grandmother a run for her money with these 10 roast chicken recipes

Tags: chickenComfort FoodPiesRecipes


Related Posts

How load shedding affects your food, and what you can do about it
Cooking Guides and Tips

How load shedding affects your food, and what you can do about it

February 18, 2021
Everything you wanted to know about cooking oil – how to store it and what to do with it when it gets old
Cooking Guides and Tips

Everything you wanted to know about cooking oil – how to store it and what to do with it when it gets old

February 5, 2021
Tips and tricks for homemade ice cream
Cooking Guides and Tips

Tips and tricks for homemade ice cream

January 22, 2021
Next Post
Trending: Food Jenga is taking off and people are loving the concept of stacking their food

Trending: Food Jenga is taking off and people are loving the concept of stacking their food

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Food24 Team Loves

coffee

5 new coffee trends you can expect for 2021

January 20, 2021
Here’s how you can create your own personalised family cookbook

Here’s how you can create your own personalised family cookbook

December 4, 2020
roast chicken

8 ways with rotisserie chicken

September 4, 2020
4 Ways I used meal planning to save money every month

4 Ways I used meal planning to save money every month

February 20, 2019

Popular this week

  • Which is better: no-name or premium brands? We tasted 17 different products to find the best value

    Which is better: no-name or premium brands? We tasted 17 different products to find the best value

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chefs tell us 8 trade-secrets to making a truly fantastic Milk Tart at home

    23 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 27 February is Milk Tart Day: Celebrate with our greatest collection of milk tart recipes

    48 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Hassle-free family dinners: Here are 9 tray bakes we love

    21 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • If cauliflower can be pizza, it can be anything – 7 recipes that will stop you in your tracks

    4 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get weekly access to our best recipes, tips and tricks

Sign Up
Footer

Quick links

  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Win

Collections

  • New Recipes
  • Lunchbox
  • South African Recipes
  • Baking
  • Braai Recipes
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Dessert Recipes

Other links

  • Advertise with Food24
  • Editorial Policy
  • How to Pitch
  • Contact us

Not in the mood to cook?

Visit eatout.co.za to find the perfect restaurant near you.

eatout.co.za

© 2020 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

  • About us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • New Media
IAB
No Result
View All Result
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Round-ups
    • New Recipes
    • Cooking with Lamb
    • Lunchbox
    • Pasta Recipes
    • South African Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Baking
    • Braai Recipes
    • Easy Weekday Meals
    • Plant-based Recipes
  • News
    • Food News
  • Videos
  • Drinks
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails
    • Coffee
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Cooking Guides and Tips
    • Create your cookbook
    • Plant-Based Family Meals
    • Win

© 2019 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Fill the forms below to register

Subscribe to Newsletter

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Close
Food24
Recipe Disclaimer

All recipe content is the responsibility of the party from whom such content originated. You agree that you use the content on Food24 at your own risk. Please read our editorial policy.