400gswiss brown mushrooms (cremini, baby bella, chestnut), chopped roughly(14oz)
1kgskinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into small bite-sized pieces (2.2 pounds)
1teaspoonsalt
1 ½tablespoonsfresh thyme leaves
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1mediumbrown onion, diced
⅓cupplain flour (all purpose flour)(43g/1 ½oz)
1litre low sodium chicken stock(4 cups)
¼cupthickened cream (heavy cream), optional(60ml)
FOR THE PASTRY
450gplain flour (all purpose flour)(1 pound)
225gsalted butter(1 cup / 8oz)
1extra largeegg
150mlcold water(5 fl oz)
1egg yolk beaten with a dash of milk (egg wash)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
Large stainless steel frying pan or large skillet
food processor
Rolling Pin
9 inch pie dish
Instructions
COOK THE MUSHROOMS (OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED):In a large deep frying pan or skillet, add half the butter and half the vegetable oil over medium high heat.
Once hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the moisture they release disappears and they start to get a little golden (10-15 minutes). Set aside in a large bowl.
COOK THE CHICKEN: First, in a medium bowl, mix together the cubed chicken, salt, thyme, pepper and remaining oil.
Add it to the pan and cook stirring now and then until cooked through and starting to turn golden (7-8 minutes). You may need to do this step in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. If you crowd the chicken it will steam instead of caramelise.
Set the chicken aside with the mushrooms. After this step, you may have a lot of fond in the bottom of the pan. Fond is where proteins from meat caramelise on the pan and it’s all amazing flavour you don’t want to lose. Before it burns, add a dash of water and scrape all of that off the bottom of the pan. Leave it in the pan to cook along with the onions in the next step. This step is called deglazing the pan.
COOK THE GRAVY:Over medium heat, add the remaining butter to the pan, and once melted add the onion. Cook 3-4 minutes until softened slightly.
Add the flour and stir well so that it’s mixed through the onion. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring every so often.
Slowly add the stock, stirring well as you do so that there are no lumps. Make sure to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the mushrooms (whether you browned them or not) and chicken back to the pan and stir well. Bring the gravy to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until reduced and quite thick.
If the gravy gets too thick you can add a little more stock or a little water but you want it quite thick. The liquid should reduce by about half, remembering to stir every so often.
Stir in the cream, if using. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer back to the large bowl and cool completely. Best done in the fridge but let it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then sit on a tea towel in the fridge to absorb any heat from the bowl.
TO MAKE THE PASTRY: To a food processor, add the flour and butter and process until it looks like bread crumbs. Add the whole egg and blitz just enough to combine. With the food processor on low, slowly add the water until the dough starts to clump together.
Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and just pull together with your hands until it just holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour before continuing.
TO ASSEMBLE: Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced) / 400F.
On a floured surface, roll out half the pastry large enough to fit the bottom of a 24cm (9.5 inch) pie dish and about 3-4mm thick. Lay into the bottom of the pie dish making sure it overhangs the lip a little.
Add the cold chicken and mushroom mixture into the dish and brush a little water around the edge of the overhanging pastry base.
Now roll out the second half of the pastry dough and lay it over the top, making sure it overhangs the edges also. Trim off the overhang with a sharp paring knife. Using the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the forefinger of your other hand, pinch the edges together all the way round to seal the edge of the pie. Brush the top of the pie all over with the egg wash, then poke 3 holes in the top (so that steam can escape).
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and the top is golden all over. If it looks like it's browning too quickly, just cover with foil for the remaining baking time.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.