Country Chicken Pie

Darn it! Forgot to take photos. I'll post the recipe and redux it another day.

It's a pie-a-thon. Between the leftover Key Lime Pie and today's chicken pie, I'm all pied out. Use storebought pastry if you don't want to make it from scratch and it's a quick pie fix.

• 500g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 450g cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch bits
• 1 cup iced water, plus more as needed

Whizz the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a food processor or mixer with a dough hook until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then, dump in all the water at one and continue mixing until the dough starts massing around the blade/hook and pulls away from the sides. Pull the dough on a floured surface and knead lightly so that it comes together and roll into a ball. Cover with cling wrap and let it chill in the fridge while you make the filling.

• 1 large chicken breast, skin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, cubed
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Roll the chicken cubes in flour till evenly coated. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot and sear the chicken until brown. Add the onions and fry till soft and translucent. Throw in the carrots and potatoes and give it a stir, then add the remaining flour and continue stirring till everything is mixed well. Pour in the chicken stock until the meat and veg are covered.

Add the mushrooms, mustard, thyme and pepper to the stew and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 1 - 2 hours till vegetables are tender.

Once stew is cooked, add salt to taste and remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Now, to assemble the pie.

Grease a 10-inch pie tin. Using 2/3 the dough and roll out evenly until you have a circle with a 3-inch edge larger than your pie tin. Gently press the dough sheet into the pie tin, leaving the edges untrimmed.

Roll out the remaining dough into a circle with a 1-inch clearance for the top. Pour the cooled filling into the pie tin, and place the dough sheet on top and press the edges of the top and bottom crust together gently.

Trim the dough so you have a 1/2 inch clearance of dough, then pleat the edges inward to form a nice crust. You can also use the back of a fork to create pretty lines.

Pierce a few holes in the top of the pie to let steam vent and brush over an egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water).

Bake pie at 200C for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.