Monday, May 9, 2011

Flaky Chicken Pot Pies

A new era has began....seriously? I'm not too sure. :P With all that excitement that went on during the Singapore Election in the past weekend, now is truly the cooling off time. Now that 6 oppositions candidates(only!?) have successful made their way into the parliament...out of the 87 seats, which is actually the highest number ever since independence. Whether their presence will cause any impact or political changes are yet to be known. Seriously, no hurry in there, since it's another 5 more years, ain't nothing we can do now (same old Singaporean attitude isn't it). Regardless, I just hope this election is good enough to make a wake up call to the government, a sign of the peoples' displeasure....will it? *sigh*

Enough rambling, back to today's post. Yesterday was Mother's Day, so it's very natural me (the good daughter, ha!) baked something nice for my mum. But instead of baking the usual cream cake for my mum. I decided to bake some Mini Chicken Pot Pies for her & my Dad to enjoy. One of the main reason is also my mum is not too much of a sweet tooth person, so making something savory seems like a better choice. But I did still bake her a fresh Strawberry Chiffon (less sweet) for desert as well. :) Anyway, here is the flaky chicken pot pie I'm talking about:

I have actually made chicken pies many times before when I was still in States. Somehow I just didn't get to make it again once I returned to Asia. Weird huh...for something so delicious. :P But again, there are so many different delicious food there that we can make! :)) But for now, here is chicken pie recipe:


Ingredients for Mini Chicken Pot Pies (makes about 6 of 7oz pies):
Pastry Pie Crust:
180g plain flour
120g unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp cold water (optional, not needed if already moist)

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and salt in. Now add in the cold butter cubes and knead into the flour using just your finger tips until it resembles bread crumbs. Then adding one tablespoon of ice water to the flour mixture at a time till it just comes together. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Chicken pie filling:
1 chicken breast, cut into small bite size
1 white onion, chopped
1 large russet potato, skinned and cubed
1 small carrot, cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tsp corn flour
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
  1. In cooking saucepan, set the heat at medium low and add 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Add onions and potatoes and carrots in, stir fry for 5 minutes, then add a couple teaspoon of water and cover to slow cook for 5 to 8 minutes till cooked.
  2. Then add chicken and cook till opaque, add seasoning and chicken stock to cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in cornflour and 1 tbsp mix into the chicken mixture to thicken it. Scoop up the mixture to let cool till needed.
Assembly:
  1. Weigh out about 35g of dough for each pie pastry. While the remaining dough is also equally divided into 6 portions to be used as the pie cover later. (Or you can make a large pie). It should be enough to make at least 6 of 7oz pie pastry. Press the dough into the tart pan (or you can use disposable ones like me) and shape it nicely. Prick the base of the dough and repeat till all 6 of the pastry has been pressed in.
  2. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes to pre-bake it. After done, remove from oven and cool the pie shells until needed.
  3. Scoop about 3 to 4 tbsp of chicken pie filling in to the cooled pie shells. Then roll out the saved 6 portions of pie pastry dough into disc just enough to cover the pie cavity. Seal the edges with either your finger tips or a fork. Brush with egg wash and prick some holes on the top pie pastry for ventilation.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven of 180C for 10 to 12 minutes till the pie crust is golden brown. Remove from oven to cool before serving.
This is such a nice comfort food to enjoy at home with your family over the weekend. Highly recommended if you like pastry pies and savory dishes. :) I know my parents, especially my mum had a wonderful lunch eating this yummy chicken pies from me. ;)
A picture of the flaky pie crust with the yummy chicken filling. Hope you folks will give this a try...definitely will become a family's favorite comfort food. :) 
Have a great week ahead all! Cheers!

    22 comments:

    E. said...

    Happy belated Mother's Day! The heart in the pot pies is such a cute finishing touch. I don't believe I've ever eaten chicken pot pie before. Even though I think it's something I might not like, yours look pretty good. Does the crust get soggy after the filling is added? Thanks for sharing!

    ann low said...

    Hi Bee, I'm sure you had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday:)
    I love chicken Pot Pies and yours looks very yummy. Just nice for my afternoon tea now :))

    Edith said...

    My hubby loves pie and I am going to KIV this for June hols.

    Thanks.

    Passionate About Baking said...

    Happy Mother's Day to you too! Chicken pies have always been my favourite. Your flaky chicken pot pies made me drool... Gosh, wish I could just reach out to have one...perhaps two...maybe three?

    CaThY said...

    I love chicken pies! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReeseKitchen said...

    Yummy! I'll like to try this! Yes maybe this weekend..heehee!I remember there was once I made this kind of pie...but result was terrible, end up I threw everything. So I'll show you if I success this time...;p

    Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

    This is such a comfort food, especially serve for a light lunch..I have not get my hands on making this, thougt i shall prepare for my kids in one of this day (but dont know when,hehehe)..Happy Belated Mother's day to you and your mom.

    茄子 said...

    哦,还有个小心形在中间噢,好可爱!我也很爱吃chicken pie ,但是却懒得煮馅料,就觉得比一般甜挞还要多工,所以都是想想而已,然后买来吃:P

    Jean said...

    hey i can see the many layers of flakes in the pot pie crust! looks really delicious!

    Lori said...

    Yum!! Pot pies are comfort food. Love 'em. Ienjoyed looking around your blog. I am a new follower of it and I hope you'll stop by ours soon!

    Lori

    My Little Space said...

    Bee, your pot pie looks incredibly delish! I should try out the mini size pot pie as well. I think my kids would love it too.
    I'm sure you had a fabulous Mother's Day.
    Kristy

    Jo said...

    Yummy and I am salivating already. In fact I was just browsing at some pie recipes as I thought of making some later this month.

    DG said...

    Yummy looking pie, I have not hae this for quite some time! Yours look irresistable with flaky crust. Thanks for sharing!

    Lyñ (My Little Messy N Cheeky) said...

    Hi Bee! Tks for visiting and following my blog and nice to know you! :D
    CHICKEN PIES!!! One of my favourites! ^.^

    Kitchen Corner said...

    That is really appetizing pie, I wish I could make something like these pie but my time is not enough now, too bad :(

    Unknown said...

    I like to eat this especially while it's still hot ^_^

    ICook4Fun said...

    Bee Bee, Happy Belated Mother's Day to you. A bit late to wish you as I was away. Is nice of you to baked something for you mom. My mom is not a fan of Western food so we always end up taking her for some Chinese food :)

    Honey Bee Sweets said...

    Thanks Esther. :) Hope you had a good time with your mum too. Oh you should definitely try chicken pot pie, even if you aren't gonna make it yourself, order it in some restaurant, it's yummy! Actually I pre-baked my pie base, and my filling is not as soupy, so it's not soggy base in case you wonder. :) You are most welcome, let me know how yours turned out ok?

    Thanks Ann! Hope your Mother's Day was also a fantastic one too! Oh yes, this chicken pie is good anytime! :)

    @Edith: Hope you like this version. :)

    T

    Honey Bee Sweets said...

    Thanks Jane! Yes, somehow this pie just spells comfort home food. :) I think I can have it anytime! Sure sure, some over and you can have a dozen, lol!

    You are most welcome Cathy! :)

    Reese, I can't remember about the unsuccessful attempt. All I remember about your bakes are the delicious and yummy ones, lol! Yes, do try it and let me know if you like it. :)

    Honey Bee Sweets said...

    @Sonia: Hope your Mother's Day was a great one too! Indeed, a nice warm pie and a cup of hot tea and I'm a happy camper! :D Try it...especially since you have tried Shepard's pie before, I'm so sure you are gonna love this!

    茄子,你知道我一直迟迟没做这 chicken pie也是因为懒得煮馅料,hahaha! 不过你可以用超市卖的烧鸡,可省下不少麻烦,而且味道也比较棒!希望你会找 机会试一下。 ;)

    Jean, thanks for pointing it out, heehee!

    Honey Bee Sweets said...

    Hi Lori! Thanks so much for coming by my blog! Love yours and your bro's blog, very unique indeed. :) Hope you will come by my blog again. ;)

    Kristy, indeed the small version feels more personalized, lol! But somehow I felt the filling is not as much, lol! Greedy me! Hope your Mother's Day was a wonderful one!

    Thanks Jo! Looking forward to your new post!

    Honey Bee Sweets said...

    Thanks DG! Hope you will make some for yourself soon. :)

    Hi Lyn! Oh thanks for dropping by and leaving me a sweet comment! I saw your post about Mother's Day and glad that you and your lovely kids had a fantastic Mother's Day celebration. ;)

    Hey Grace, be patient yah? I'm sure all those cooking and baking can wait. Most important now is to take good care of yourself and your dear baby. In no time you'll be baking up a storm again. :) Enjoy these times with your baby boy as it flies past so so fast! See you next week ok! Hang in there!

    Me too neyeeloh! Thanks for dropping by! ;)