This is my Italian-style version of a chicken pot pie. As I mentioned in the video, I wanted something using Italian flavours like pancetta and porcini mushrooms instead of carrots and peas. I served this with a side of raw radicchio dressed in a little balsamic and olive oil. You could easily make individual pies, although you may want to buy an extra sheet of pastry to be safe. This quantity of filling serves 6-8.
INGREDIENTS:
1,350grams chicken thighs (with bones)
3 tablespoons olive oil
50g butter
salt & pepper
75grams diced pancetta
1 onion
500grams leeks (once tops have been removed)
6 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
30-50 grams dehydrated porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme)
1 litre chicken stock
230g puff pastry
1/2 a beaten egg
(radicchio with balsamic and olive oil to serve)
METHOD:
- Cut the chicken thighs into small pieces and season generously with sea salt. *If you want to make your own chicken stock, put the bones aside to cook in a pot of water on a low heat with some vegetables (carrots, celery, a whole onion, a whole head of garlic) for at least an hour. You can add a bit of extra salt because it won’t be as salty as store-bought stock.
- Put half the butter and enough olive oil to cover a deep fry pan and cook the chicken on a high heat, turning only once so you allow it to become nice and golden.
- When the chicken is almost done, add the pancetta to a corner of the pan and make sure all the fat melts down and it becomes almost golden.
- Add the chopped onion and leeks, with the remaining butter if it needs a bit of lubrication. You can turn the heat down a little so nothing burns.
- When the vegetables are soft, add the cup of white wine, which should lift off any golden bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Leave for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Mix in the 4 tablespoons of flour and let it cook for another few minutes.
- I hydrated my porcini mushrooms in a little water just to make it easier to chop them. Add the mushrooms and chopped fresh herbs to the pan.
- Pour in the litre of chicken stock and turn the heat to the lowest and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. You can cover with a lid if you don’t want to lose too much liquid. Because we’re not putting pastry on the bottom of the dish, it doesn’t matter if the sauce isn’t too thick. I didn’t cover my filling and it still had quite a lot of sauce but you definitely don’t want it to dry out. It will have more cooking time in the oven later so no need to worry about the chicken being cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. I like to taste it when it’s cooled because it really depends on how salty your chicken stock is.
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius (very hot) and let’s prepare the baking dish. I used one that was 30cm by 22cm. It gave us 7-8 portions in case you’re considering doing individual pies (although you may need a little more pastry).
- Spoon in the cooled filling and layer on top your puff pastry. I like to prick the pastry with a fork to let air escape and brush with some beaten egg to make it extra golden.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes or until super golden on top. If you add a little border to the edges like I did, be sure to leave it extra long in the oven to ensure it’s cooked. I found this didn’t dry out even when left in longer because all the juices are trapped safely under the pastry… and no one wants uncooked pastry. Serve with chopped radicchio.
