Chicken Pie Recipe

Our best ever chicken pie recipe for tasty simple home cooking is on the menu today. Yay!

Now the reason for this pie been on the menu today is that I was paging through all my chicken recipe's, and yes you guessed it, I found this old favorite of mine, a pie which is filled with veggies, mushrooms and spices for wholesome eating for the whole family.

Sounds good hey?

• roll puff pastry thawed (most local supermarkets sell this.)
• 3 med size chicken breasts (skin removed)  cut into bite size cubes sprinkled with chicken spice.
• 2 cloves fresh garlic (see the benefits of eating garlic) crushed.
• 2 medium onions chopped.
• 4 Tbsps olive oil.
• 2 Tbsps butter.
• 200gr sliced mushrooms.
• 1 med size green pepper sliced into strips (can also add yellow and red pepper ).
• 1 small packet thick white onion soup powder.
• 250gr frozen mixed veggies.
• 2½ cups chicken broth (I use the Knorr chicken stock which makes 500ml  of stock).
• 1cup milk (low or full cream)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed.
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley.
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard (can use English mustard).
• fresh ground sea salt to taste.
• fresh ground black pepper corns to taste.
• cup of water on stand by.

• Place the chicken and  olive oil into a frying pan and cook until chicken is tender and golden brown.
• Remove chicken and set aside.
  
• Using the same frying pan add the butter.
• Add the onions mushrooms, carrots and fresh crushed garlic.

Cook for approx 5 minutes on medium heat stirring until the onions are translucent and the  vegetables are tender. 

• Sprinkle half the packet of the thick onion soup over the veggies and cook, stirring  until   golden brown.
• Slowly pour in the broth, bring to a boil and stir until the mixture thickens. If it gets too thick use the milk to get the right consistency
• Stir in the mustard, thyme, green pepper, ground  black pepper, chicken, mixed veggies and parsley. 
• Remove from heat

Your oven should now have been pre-heated to 180°C.

• Spoon the chicken mixture into a large casserole dish.
• Unroll the puffed pastry on a flat surface sprinkled with flour.
• Roll the pastry out to fit your casserole dish over lapping by± 10mm. 
• Cover your casserole dish with the pastry, cut off any excess.
  
• Tuck the over hanging dough around the dish. 
  
• Insert small cuts randomly in the pastry to  allow the steam to escape.
• Using a small brush, brush the pastry with the whisked egg.
• Place the casserole dish into the preheated oven and bake until pastry is golden brown.

Plating

Delicious Chicken pie and Salad

The chicken pie is ready to plate up, and here are a few ways you can enjoy this delicious scrumptious pie.

• On it's own.
• With a refreshing garden salad (French, Greek, Italian the choice is yours, they all go well with this dish).
• With chips or potato wedges and gravy. (This was the most popular dish for all surfers in South Africa).
• A great favorite with my kids is with chips (fries) and half a bottle of ketchup ha ha!!
  

This article was printed from Home-Cooking-Haven.com.com

Oven Temp's

Cooking Terms and Tips

Al Dente: Usually applied to Pasta, means cooked until just done, but not soft. The pasta should still maintain some "bite:

Barbeque:  To cook foods over coals, known as a Braai in South Africa (The best in the world for this type of cooking).

Baste: To moisten food for added flavor and to prevent drying out while cooking.

Blanch: To cook briefly in boiling water to seal in flavour and color.

Bouquet Garni: A tied bundle of herbs, usually parsley, thyme, and bay leaves that are added to flavor soups, stews, and sauces but removed before serving.

Braise: Two cook first by browning, then gently simmer till done.

Bread: To coat with crumbs or cornmeal before cooking.

Broil: To cook on a rack or spit during or over direct heat, usually in and on top.

Brown: Two cook over high heat, usually on top of the stove, to brown food.

Caramelize: To Heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a syrup.

Core: To remove the seeds or tough woody centers from fruits and vegetables.

Cream: The butterfat portion of milk.   Also to beat ingredients, usually sugar and a fat, until smooth and fluffy.

Cube: To cut food into small ½ inch cubes.

Cut In: To distribute a solid fat in flour using a cutting motion, with 2 knives used scissors-fashion or a pastry blender, until divided evenly into tiny pieces.  Usually refers to making pastry.

Croutons: These are tiny cubes of toasted or fried bread, used as a garnish.

Coriander:  Also known as Dhania.

Dollop: A spoonful of soft food such as whipped cream or mashed potatoes.

Dot: To scatter butter in bits over food.

Dress: To coat foods such as salad with a sauce.  Also, to clean fish, poultry or game for cooking.

Drippings: Juices and fats rendered by meat or poultry while cooking.

Drizzle: To pour melted butter, oil, syrup, melted chocolate, or other liquid back and forth over food in a fine stream.

Experiment:   Always keep to the basics, but, take out and put in spices etc. to your tastes.

Fines Herbs: A mixture of herbs, normally parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon used to flavor fish, chicken and eggs.

Glace: To coat foods with glossy mixtures such as jellies or sauces.

Julienne: To cut into long thin strips match-sticklike in shape

Macerate: To soak in flavoured liquid; usually refers to fruit

Picked Over:  If you are working with lentils or other beans you might sometimes find a few little rocks that managed to sneak their way in, picked over means to make sure there are none left in what you are going to be using.

Poach: To cook gently over very low heat  is barely simmering liquid just to cover.

Puree: To mash or grind food until completely smooth. Usually in a food processor, blender, sieve, or food mill.

Ragout:  The basic method of preparation involves slow cooking over a low heat.

Reduce: To thicken a liquid and concentrate its flavor by boiling.

Render: To cook fatty meat or poultry - such as bacon or goose - over low heat to obtain drippings.

Sear:  To brown surface of meat quickly over a high heat, to seal in juices.

Simmer: To cook in liquid at just below boiling point, with only a few bubbles breaking the surface.

Skim:  To remove surface foam or fat from a liquid.

Seep:  To soak in a liquid just under the boiling point to extract the essence i.e. Tea.

Truss: To tie whole poultry with skin or skewers so it will hold its shape in cooking.

Whip: To beat eggs or cream with a wire whisk, eggbeater or electric mixer which increases the volume as air is incorporated into the eggs or cream.

Zest: The outer, colored part of the peel of citrus fruits.

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