Chicken pie struggles

[Kevin86]

Also just to go a bit outside the box switch it out for stewing beef if it’s cooked then in moisture it can go all day and just melt apart. So a beef pie may turn out well for you.

Also I have cheated on this recipe and changed it Jamie Oliver has a quick easy pizza dough recipe that takes no time to whip up and top the dish with. It’s not puffy but it’s not a dry pie pastry either so I kinda like it and it tops it simply and goes well with the gravy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K2RB1KcNtAM

 

[Goliath]

Thanks for your comments everyone. The Jamie Oliver recipe is getting a little stale for me flavour-wise. I just find it bland now as this is the one I've been making a lot, so if anyone can give me some tips to make a chicken pie more delicious I'm all ears.


I'm a beginner cook so please don't blast me.

I've never considered this until now, but maybe adding some Chutney to the filling? Adding something or taking something away from the recipe, like the mustard?



Anyone who has advice on what they would add to a chicken pie to make it tastier and add extra dimension of flavour, please give me your thoughts.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would make a chicken stew, beef stew, etc... without the puff pastry.

Decide what individual serving dishes you are going to use and cut pieces of puff pastry to fit. Place the pieces of dough on a baking sheet, glaze, and bake them. At serving time ladle the hot stew into the serving dishes and top each serving with puff pastry.

Another option would be to use frozen puff pastry cases.

https://www.pepperidgefarm.com/product/puff-pastry-shells/

For a different flavor element, I would make a basic Supreme Sauce seasoned with sherry, cognac, or bits of pimiento and add cooked chicken with some combination of peas, carrots, mushrooms, or pearl onions.

https://frugalhausfrau.com/2018/10/16/easiest-supreme-sauce/

Good luck!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Supreme Sauce! What a great idea. Another option is to make an Aurora Sauce. This is done by adding tomato puree to your Supreme Sauce, Chicken Veloute, or Bechemel Sauce.

Add mushrooms, parsley, and a touch of lemon juice to make a Sauce Poulte.

There are so many sauces that will work in you chicken pot pie. To me, the classic is made with chicken veloute, or Supreme Sauce, to which diced, cooked potato baby green peas, diced, cooked carrot, and either rustic chopped, or pearl onion is added, along with chicken meat.

Actually, using cornish rock game hens will give you better texture and flavor. And I prefer a pie crust for the lid, and also like a bottom crust. But that's just me. Use whatever assembly technique you prefer.

Also, since veloute, bechamel, etc. start with a flour roux, the pot pie filling remains creamy and thick, and doesn't break down as cornstarch thickened sauce does. I hope you reach your pot pie Nirvana.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Goliath]

So just an update :



I tried everything - cooking the chicken pieces half-way through and then putting it in the fridge to cool, adding it into the pie filling to cook in the oven still results in, for the most part, dry chicken pieces. And this is chicken that has virtually no colour on it either, so it looks white.



However I found a trick - if I flour my chicken pieces, I can brown it all over so it gets that nice golden-brown colour, adding it to my pie filling and after cooking? Perfectly tender chicken breast pieces!!!


Apparently the flour has something to do with it. Not sure what exactly.


The other thing - the sauce consistency. I've tried everything I can to ensure the filling itself is not runny. Even if the mixture looks like clay consistency in the fridge, once it cooks, and I cut a piece of the pastry, the filling is very runny and I've never understood this.


Long story short, I've solved this problem by creating a roux! Before I used to just add flour (or cornstorch) to the filling mixture with the chicken stock and wait for it to get thick. Now I start off making the roux, add the chicken stock and ... the order I do this seems to have worked as I made a chicken pie last week and for the first time the filling consistency was thick! Very thick, just how I like it.


So anyways, just thought I would add my 2c. Flouring the chicken made it super tender, and makes it look great after browning it, and creating the roux solved my runny filling issue.


The only little issue is that the chicken pieces have a slightly ... I don't know,gummy texture? I assume this is due to the flour, but it definitely has a different texture and taste. But it's really soft and tender.