Chicken Pie

Ingredients

• 200 gms Plain flour ( 1 1/3 cups+2tbsp)
• 100 gms Butter (kept @ room temp for 15 mins)
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 cup Cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 med - big Onion (finely chopped)
• 1 small Capsicum (cut into small cubes)
• 1.5 tsp Chopped / grated garlic
• 1 tsp Chopped / grated ginger
• 2 Green chilli (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Celery (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Spring onion (chopped)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Pepper powder
• Salt
• Oil - Sunflower/ Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Butter (refer notes)
• 1 tbsp Plain flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 tsp Pepper powder
• A pinch of Italian seasoning

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven @ 180 C, 10 mins before baking.

2. 2

   To make the pastry

3. 3

   Rub in the butter cubes to the plain flour till it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add beaten egg and water (if required) and make a soft dough. Do not knead it too much. Keep the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 25 mins.

4. 4

   To make the filling

5. 5

   Heat oil and add chopped onion ad cubed capsicum. When the onions and capsicum have become soft (it doesn't have to brown), add grated/chopped ginger,garlic and green chilli. Cook for 2-3 mins. Add chopped celery, spring onion,salt and pepper powder. Cook for 4-5 mins. Add cooked and shredded chicken pieces and mix well. Cook for 2-3 mins, till everything comes together. Switch off the gas and let it cool.

6. 6

   To make white sauce

7. 7

   Melt butter in a sauce pan. When it's completely melted, add plain flour and stir. Cook for 3-4 mins on low flame, till the raw taste of flour is gone. Make sure it doesn't turn brown. Add a cup of milk and stir well, so that everything is combined. Keep stirring and make sure that there are no lumps. Add pepper powder, salt and Italian seasoning. When the sauce begins to thicken, switch off the flame and let it cool.

8. 8

   Assembling the pie

9. 9

   Grease the pie tins with butter. Roll out the refrigerated dough depending on the size of the tin you are using. Transfer the rolled out dough to the tin and trim the edges, if required. Prick the base all over with a fork. Bake the pastry in the pre heated oven for 7-8 mins, till the colour of the pastry changes to that of a light biscuit colour.

10. 10

    Meanwhile mix together the white sauce and the chicken filling. Take the baked pastry out of the oven (let the oven be on and keep the oven door closed) and fill it with the chicken and white sauce filling. Make lattice on top (optional) and brush the lattice with a beaten egg.

11. 11

    Return the pies to the oven and bake for 12-15 mins, increase the oven temp to 200 C and bake for 5 more mins, till the lattice has a light golden brown colour.

12. 12

    Remove the pie from the oven. Let it cool in the tin for 5-10 mins. Remove from the pie tin and serve hot/warm. You can have it with some salad on the side.