A crispy base: A very crispy and dry dough makes a very good contrast with the moisture of the filling. To achieve this, you have to pre-cook the dough, before adding the filling and topping.
In the case of being, like the chicken pie that I bring you today, one that has all the filling and the dough in the oven together, it is convenient to put it closer to the floor of the oven. This way it’s crispy!
A moist and tasty filling: He is obviously the protagonist of this love story. Let’s get all the potential out of it!
A topping that complements the filling: the important thing is what is inside, yes. We all agree on this. But food enters through the eyes, so you have to decorate it beautifully. And with things that go well with the filling, for example seeds, cheese, fresh herbs, whatever you like the most.
Option 1: Traditional chicken pot pie
What do we need?
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 carrot
- 3 leeks
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 can of peas
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 glass of milk
- 1 splash of milk cream (optional)
- 2 cake tops
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper
Step by Step
- Chop onion and garlic. Cut the leeks into slices. The carrot, in small pieces. Sauté these vegetables in 1 tablespoon of butter for 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken cut into pieces: If cooked, sauté for 2 more minutes. If it is raw, cook until golden, it will be about 5 minutes or so.
- Add the peas and salt and pepper. You can also add corn kernels (in that case, half a can and half a can). Stir until the peas warm up. Season with salt and pepper and add the oregano.
- Sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Stir the preparation over medium heat for approximately 2 minutes.
- Warm the glass of milk in the microwave (or in a small saucepan and over the heat). Add to the preparation and stir. A kind of béchamel will form or white sauce and it will be a super creamy preparation. Add the splash of milk cream and integrate.
- Put one of the masses in a deep oiled pan, add the preparation and cover again with the other dough. The ideal thing for this chicken pie is to make some small holes so that the steam can escape (or prick it)
- Bake at 180º until the dough looks golden and serve.
Option 2: Chicken pie without dough
What do we need?
- 1 chicken breast
- 4 slices of bread (can be from the previous day)
- 3 leeks
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 eggs
- 4 slices
- 3 generous slices of mozarella cheese (about 200g.)
- Oil, salt and pepper
Step by Step
- Cut the breasts into cubes. Brown in a hot pan with a little oil over very high heat. We should not cook them too much since otherwise they will dry out during the second cooking. It’s a quick pass to seal them. Reserve on a plate and do not wash the pot.
- In the chicken pan, sauté the thinly sliced leeks and the minced garlic clove. When they are soft but, again, not fully cooked, add the chicken and stir. Reserve.
- Cut the bread into 2x2cm cubes. approximately.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl. When they are well beaten, season with salt and pepper to taste and mix with the bread, the chicken and leek mixture and 2 of the mozzarella slices, cut into small cubes. Join well. The mixture will be rather dry, there should not be too much egg left otherwise it will go to the bottom of the dish and a kind of omelet will remain, which is not what we want.
- Place the entire mixture in an oven-safe dish and flatten it a little (just a little, to even it out).
- Place the other slice of mozzarella, in pieces, distributed over the cake.
- Bake over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until you see the chicken pie golden brown on top. The temperature is important, since if we do it over low heat the chicken will dry out.