Recipe | Chicken
Chicken, Garlic, and Mushroom Pie

This is basically Coq au Vin as a pie (although I leave out the bacon). Easy, looks great, and tasty. Takes about one hour to prepare and cook and serves 6-8. Based on a recipe by Annabel Langbein in With Fork and Spoon.

Sauce

Sauce can be prepared ahead of time.

3 tablespoons olive oil
400 grams button mushrooms

  • Brown well in a heavy saucepan.
  • Remove and put to one side.

8-10 baby onions, peeled and halved
12 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

  • Add to pan.
  • Cook gently until softened and starting to brown (8-10 min)

1 x 400 gram can tomatoes in juice, chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
browned mushrooms from above

  • Add to pan.
  • Simmer for 20 min.

Pastry

  • Preheat oven to 220º C

2-3 sheets of puff pastry, cut into quarters
1 egg, beaten, or a little milk

  • Put the pastry on a baking tray and brush with egg or milk
  • Bake at 220º C for 8-10 minutes
  • Reduce to 180º C and cook until pastry is puffed, golden, and cooked through (10 min).
  • Split each pastry in half, through the middle.

Chicken

800 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs and/or fillets, cubed
Sauce from above

  • Add chicken to pan with the sauce.
  • Cover and bring to the simmer.
  • Simmer until chicken cooked (8-10 min)

3 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons port or sherry

  • Combine in a jar
  • Mix into sauce
  • Stir over heat until slightly thickened.
  • Spoon hot chicken filling over a pastry bottom.
  • Put pastry lid on top.
  • Serve.