Lifestyle
Hard-body chicken potjie pie with dumplings
This dish combines the traditional South African potjie with a savoury pie crust and hard body chicken filling for a delicious meal.
![Hard body chicken potjie pie with dumplings and morogo](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/49/2023/05/hard-body-chicken-potjie-pie-with-dumplings-and-morogo-780x470.jpg)
This recipe incorporates hard-body chickens or Umleqwa (IsiKhosa), which have tougher meat, harder bones, and a stronger flavour. These birds are suited to long and slow cooking methods. Recipe compliments of Homegrown Tastes South Africa.
Hard-body chicken potjie pie
Ingredients
- Oil
- 1 onion, peeled & chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- Boquet Garni
- 2 tbsp Curry Paste
- 2 tsp chicken spice
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 3 tbsp white wine
- 1-2 cups water (depending on whether you cook on the stove or use a pressure cooker)
- 1 hard-body chicken approx. 1,5 kg, cleaned and cut into pieces
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 8 baby onions, peeled & cut into halves
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 roll of puff pastry, cut into large circles that fit your potjie pots
- Sesame seeds
- Egg wash
Method
- Heat oil in a large pot then sauté the onions, garlic and bouquet Garni until the onions soften.
- Add the chicken spice, curry paste, stock cubes, wine and water.
- Add the chicken & simmer for 2-3 hours on a low temperature until the chicken softens.
- Once the chicken is cooked add the carrots, celery and baby onions, simmer until the vegetables are tender then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the cooked chicken, gravy & vegetables into miniature potpie pots, top with the puff pastry then brush with egg wash and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Bake @ 200 C for 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crispy.
- Serve with dumplings and green leafy vegetables.
For the dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon margarine
- ½ cup milk
Method
- Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
- Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in milk and mix until a batter forms that is thick enough to be scooped with a spoon. Allow batter to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drop batter by spoonfuls into boiling stew or soup. Cover and simmer without lifting the lid for 15 minutes. Serve hot.