Recipes from the Wine Club: Chicken Pie

October 10, 2012 No comments » [ssba]

I was flipping through the channels on TV the other day and of course landed on the cooking channel.  I have always been a fan of Jamie Oliver, so when I saw a show I hadn’t seen before, Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, I had to check it out.  Well to my delight, the recipe he was whipping up that evening looked delicious so I decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did!  This super-simple recipe is jam-packed with flavor, is so simple, and pairs great with our 2009 Syrah:

Quick, Easy and Delicious Chicken Pie

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s 30-Minute Meals

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 1 ½ lbs chicken (boneless breast or thigh), sliced into strips or bite-sized chunks
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 bunch green onion, chopped
  • About 5 ounces of sliced button mushrooms (just bought the small carton of pre-sliced ones)
  • 1 heaped tsp plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp Crème Fraiche
  • 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
  • A few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • ½ a fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 1 sheet pre-made puff-pastry (can be found in the freezer isle)
  • 1 egg
  • Salt & pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

As you can tell, this doesn’t have to be an exact science.  Since Jamie is from England, all the measurements were metric, so I had to hop online to convert and then approximate to the nearest measurable quantity.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a glug (about a tablespoon) of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a heavy-based pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook until all the pink has gone.  Add the sliced mushrooms and chopped green onions with a tablespoon of plain flour and give it all a good stir.  Mix in the Dijon mustard, a generous tablespoon of crème fraiche and the chicken stock. Finally add some picked thyme leaves and a good grating of nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and leave simmering on the stove while you prepare the pastry.  It may look a little soupy, but the flour will work its magic in the oven.

Unroll the pastry dough on a lightly floured cutting board and dust the top of the pastry with flour as well.  Roll out so it is slightly larger on all sides than the casserole dish you are using to bake it in (I used my Dutch oven to cook and bake the pie in).  Place the pastry dough on top and just tuck the extra ends around the edges of the baking dish.  Use a knife and lightly score the top of the pastry in a cross-hatch pattern, being careful not to slice all the way through the dough.  Beat an egg lightly and brush over the top of the pie.

Bake on the top shelf of the oven until the top is generously browned.  Since the filling has already been completely cooked, you are just puffing the dough and browning it.

Serve with your favorite sides, like mashed potatoes or carrots and peas.

The beauty of this dish is that it pairs perfectly with almost any wine.  While I first think white wine with chicken, this dish is so hearty and flavorful that it holds its own with something warm and peppery, like our Syrah, which is 30% off this month for Wine Club Members!

–What is your favorite comfort food?


Posted by , October 10, 2012 No comments

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