Filo Chicken Pie
A good pie such a comforting classic .Excellent choice for left over chicken .For a richer pie , use half and half instead of milk .
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1.5 kg whole chicken
1 small onion,halved,
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 carrot ,sliced thickly
1 celery stalk,sliced thickly
pared rind of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
155 g butter
55 g plain flour
150 ml milk
25 g cheese,grated
3 eggs,beaten
225 g filo pastry
salt and pepper
method
1.Put the chicken in a large saucepan with the halved onion, carrot. celery ,lemon rind ,bay leaf and peppercorns . Add water and bring to the boil .Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked .
2 .Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Bring the stock to the boil and boil until reduced to about 625 ml . Strain and reserve the stock .Cut the cooled chicken into pieces ,without the skin and bones .
3 . Fry the chopped onions until softened in 55 g of the butter . Add the flour and cook gently, stirring for 2-3 minutes .Gradually stir in the reserved stock and the milk .Bring to the boil ,stirring constantly then simmer for 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth. Remove from the heat ,add the chicken and season. Leave to cool then stir in the cheese and eggs .
4 . Melt the remaining butter and use a little to grease a deep metal baking pan . Cut the pastry sheets in half width ways .Line the pan with one sheet of pastry and brush it with a little melted butter .Repeat with half of the pastry sheets . Spread the filling over the pastry ,then top with the remaining pastry sheets , brushing each with butter and tucking down the edges. Bake in a preheated oven , 190 degrees C 5 for about 50 minutes until golden. Serve warm .
Pie making tips:
Read the recipe in its entirety before beginning .Make sure you have all of the ingredients and utensils and that you understand all of the directions .Many mistakes have been made skipping steps .
Cold ingredients are essential to making a great pie crust it even helps to have cold bowls and utensils in addition , be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out .Keeping the shortening cold ensure a nice flaky crust !
Don't overwork or over handle the dough .Your shortening /butter should be coated with flour mixture , not blended with it .Over processing causes gluten to form , a substance that toughens the dough .It's even a good idea to have cold hands before handing .
Make sure that all your ingredients are really fresh .Try making fruit pies when the fruits are in season to ensure a wonderful pie .
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1.5 kg whole chicken
1 small onion,halved,
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 carrot ,sliced thickly
1 celery stalk,sliced thickly
pared rind of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
155 g butter
55 g plain flour
150 ml milk
25 g cheese,grated
3 eggs,beaten
225 g filo pastry
salt and pepper
method
1.Put the chicken in a large saucepan with the halved onion, carrot. celery ,lemon rind ,bay leaf and peppercorns . Add water and bring to the boil .Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked .
2 .Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Bring the stock to the boil and boil until reduced to about 625 ml . Strain and reserve the stock .Cut the cooled chicken into pieces ,without the skin and bones .
3 . Fry the chopped onions until softened in 55 g of the butter . Add the flour and cook gently, stirring for 2-3 minutes .Gradually stir in the reserved stock and the milk .Bring to the boil ,stirring constantly then simmer for 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth. Remove from the heat ,add the chicken and season. Leave to cool then stir in the cheese and eggs .
4 . Melt the remaining butter and use a little to grease a deep metal baking pan . Cut the pastry sheets in half width ways .Line the pan with one sheet of pastry and brush it with a little melted butter .Repeat with half of the pastry sheets . Spread the filling over the pastry ,then top with the remaining pastry sheets , brushing each with butter and tucking down the edges. Bake in a preheated oven , 190 degrees C 5 for about 50 minutes until golden. Serve warm .
Pie making tips:
Read the recipe in its entirety before beginning .Make sure you have all of the ingredients and utensils and that you understand all of the directions .Many mistakes have been made skipping steps .
Cold ingredients are essential to making a great pie crust it even helps to have cold bowls and utensils in addition , be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out .Keeping the shortening cold ensure a nice flaky crust !
Don't overwork or over handle the dough .Your shortening /butter should be coated with flour mixture , not blended with it .Over processing causes gluten to form , a substance that toughens the dough .It's even a good idea to have cold hands before handing .
Make sure that all your ingredients are really fresh .Try making fruit pies when the fruits are in season to ensure a wonderful pie .
