Chicken, Ham & Cheese Pie

A delicious pie that could make an excellent picnic food!

Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 hour
Makes one 20 cm pie

Ingredients

For the pastry
3 cups plain flour
180g butter, chopped
1/3 cup iced water

For the filling
1 kg chicken mince
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs lightly beaten
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp French mustard
1/3 cup cream
100 g sliced ham, finely chopped
100 g processed Mozzarella, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten, extra

For the chicken sauce

70 g butter
70 g white flour
750 ml boiling chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180 C (350 F) place flour and butter in food processor.
2. Process for 20 sec until mixture is  fine and crumbly. 
3. Add almost all the water, process for 20 sec or until mixture comes together.
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, press together until smooth.
5. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and carefully line a 20 cm spring form tin, bringing pastry up 2 cm higher than the sides.
6. Cover with plastic wrap until required.
7. Keep pastry trimmings for decoration. 

 

For the filling

1. Place chicken, herbs, eggs, onions, zest, mustard, garlic and cream in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. 
2. Place half the chicken mixture into pastry-lined tin and smooth surface.
3. Top with ham and Mozzarella, then remaining chicken mixture.
4. Brush around inside edge of pastry with egg.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and lay over top of mixture.
6. Press edges of pastry together.
7. Trim pastry edges with a sharp knife.
8. Turn pastry edges down. Use index finger to make indentations around inside edge. 
9. Decorate top or leave plain. 
10. Brush top of pie with beaten egg and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

For the Sauce

1. Cut the butter to cubes
2. Melt the butter on a low heat preventing any coloration
3. Remove from heat, add flour and whisk well
4. Bring to the heat, and keep whisking until the mixture is well combined and get a whitish color
5. Then add the boiling chicken broth while whisking constantly, until the sauce gets the desired.consistency.

Bon Appétit!