The weather’s chilly, we’re staying home, and we’re craving comfort dishes. Hello Wesli Jacobs, Executive Sous Chef at The Table Bay hotel, who generously shared his recipe for this wholesome chicken and mushroom pie.
What’ more … he’s made it easy enough for all of us to prepare at home – no special chef skills or equipment required.
Simply whip out your favourite pie dish, warm up the oven and get ready to spruce up your cooking skills in just a few easy steps.
Serves 4
You’ll need: Cheese pastry – 120g flour; pinch of salt; 30g butter; 30g lard; 60 grated cheddar cheese; 1 egg, beaten.
Chicken and mushroom pie filling: Three boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cubed; 150g of button mushrooms, quartered; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 50g of butter; 2 tbsp of plain flour, plus more for dusting; 300ml of milk; 200ml of chicken stock; 200g peeled baby carrots; 100g leek stems cut into quarters; 100g green beans; 20g microgreens; white pepper to season, freshly ground 2 tbsp of chives, chopped; 2 tbsp of parsley, chopped; 60g grated cheese; 1 egg, beaten; 2 tbsp of olive oil; salt to season. Veggies for a side dish.
How to:
For the cheese pastry, sift the flour and pinch of salt into a bowl. Dice the butter and lard, then rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in the grated cheese, add the beaten egg to bring the mixture together as a firm dough. Knead lightly and wrap the dough in cling film. Chill until required.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the boneless chicken breasts and cook it until it starts to turn white. Add the mushrooms and continue to fry until the chicken is golden-brown and the mushrooms have released all their moisture. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add a touch more oil to the same pan and sweat the onion and garlic clove for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside with the chicken and mushrooms.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly until it has formed a thick smooth paste.
In a bowl, mix the chicken stock, milk, white pepper and salt together. Pour the liquid slowly into the flour mixture, whisking constantly on medium heat until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Stir in the parsley and chives and pour the sauce over the chicken and mushroom mixture. Mix well, then spoon into a pie dish and leave until completely cool.
Roll out the cheddar cheese pastry dough on a lightly floured surface until it is the thickness of a pound coin (around 3mm). Brush the edges of the pie dish with a beaten egg; lay the pastry on top, press down the edges and trim. Brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg.
Make two or three slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape, bake the pie in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top.
Sauté baby carrots, leeks and green beans in a pan until tender. Serve vegetables alongside baked pie and microgreens for garnish.
* Recipe & image by The Table Bay Hotel.
