Mushroom Chicken Pie

As I tried to ask hubby what if I didn’t want to cook and didn’t like having rice that night, he immediately gave me a “green light” signal, and said, “It’s no problem if we skip a meal.”
Me: I just don’t want to have rice for dinner, love to have a pie instead.
Hubby: whatever you like.
You’d understand how I felt surprised if you knew him as much as I do. He has grown up to be a man who almost can’t live without rice for dinner. The mushroom chicken pie we shared that night was tasty. Although it took longer than I cooked rice, because I made the pastry by scratch, it’s worth every ounce of effort. If you don’t have enough time to make your own pastry, you can use the cheat’s version in the note section if you’re craving for this delicious homemade pie.

Mushroom Chicken Pie (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Yield: 3 to 4 servings (7-inch round removable bottom mould)

Ingredients of pie shell:

• 160 gm plain flour / all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 90 gm chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp iced water
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Ingredients of fillings:

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 50 gm bacon, diced
• 6 button mushrooms, about 85 gm
• 100 gm cooked chicken breast, diced
• 3 tsp corn flour / corn starch
• 160 ml chicken stock
• 85 ml whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 egg, whisked

To make pastry:

• Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add diced butter and stir with a knife. Rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips, lifting the flour from the bottom up on top, until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in lemon zest.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the chilled water and lemon juice to flour mixture. Add the rest of the chilled water bit by bit until the mixture comes together into a ball. The dough should leave bowl clean.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead by hand until smooth. Don’t over knead the dough. Divide into two balls, one larger in size for making the base, with another one smaller for making the top. Roll into two disc shapes. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for about 25 to 30 minutes.

To make fillings:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion until softened. Add garlic and cook until aromatic. Add mushroom and chicken. Sprinkle thyme and combine well. Cook until the mushroom turns soft.
• In the meantime, mix 2 tablespoons of chicken stock with 3 teaspoons of cornflour. Set aside.
• Pour the rest of chicken stock into the mushroom and chicken mixture. Bring it to a boil. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook to your preferred consistency. Add whipping cream. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Transfer the fillings into a large bowl and let it cool for a while.

To assemble and bake the pie:

• Preheat oven to 200C/395F.
• Remove the larger dough disc from fridge. Place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out into a circle slightly larger than the mould. Carefully line the mould. Trim the edge. Save the trimmed dough for decoration. Prick the base with a fork. Line with baking paper and place ceramic beads, or beans, or rice on top. Transfer to the preheated oven for blind-baking, about 15 to 20 minutes, until the edge becomes lightly brown.
• Remove the pie shell from oven. Put away the beads. Roll out the smaller dough disc into a circle similar to the size of the mould. Spoon the fillings into the shell and cover with the dough disc. Crimp the edges to seal and score the top pastry. Cut two slits in the middle of the pie. Use the trimmed dough for decoration. Egg wash the pie.
• Bake in the preheated oven, for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Serve hot.

Notes：

• You can skip the steps for making pastry from scratch if you don’t have time. Simply use the ready-made short crust pastry from supermarkets. All you have to do is to cook the fillings and pop it into your oven.
• Wash your hands before making pie pastry. It helps reduce your hand warmth. Thus the butter won’t melt too quickly. A large electric mixer can do this job with less fuss if you have one.
• Don't over knead the pastry dough. The crust won’t be crumbly otherwise.
• You can make the fillings a day ahead. Store in fridge with cover. When you’re ready, simply spoon it into the pie.