30 mins to 1 hour
1 to 2 hours
Serves 40
Hairy Bikers recipes
From Hairy Bikers' Meals on Wheels
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 550g/1lb 4oz lard, plus extra for greasing
- 1.15kg/3lb 5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1½ tsp salt
- 300ml/½ pint water
For the filling
- 300ml/½ pint sunflower oil
- 4kg/9lb chicken thighs, boned and skin removed, flesh cut into pieces
- 100g/3½oz chopped fresh thyme
- 1kg/2lb 4oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 100g/3½oz chopped fresh tarragon
- 500ml/18fl oz soured cream
- milk, to glaze
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease five large pie dishes with lard. Add a small amount of flour, then turn the tin to coat the base and sides, shaking out any excess.
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For the pastry, pulse the flour, salt, and lard in a large food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water, mix until just combined, then tip onto a work surface and knead until smooth. Place the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes. (This makes a lot of pastry, so you may need to make it in batches.)
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Meanwhile, for the filling, heat half of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the chicken pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until browned (you may need to do this in batches). Add 1.5 litre/2¾ pints water and the thyme, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third and the chicken is cooked through.
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Heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan over a medium heat, add the mushrooms, and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (It is best not to overcrowd the pan, so you may need to do this in batches.)
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Add the mushrooms to the chicken mixture along with the tarragon, then stir in the soured cream until well combined. If the mixture is looking dry add a little hot water or stock. Divide the mixture among the pie dishes and set aside.
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Divide the pastry into five pieces and roll each piece of pastry out on a clean, floured work surface until it is a little bit larger than the diameter of the pie dish.
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Place the pastry lid on top of the pie and trim off any excess pastry. With a knife, make two small holes in the centre of the pastry lid to allow steam to escape. Brush the pastry with a little milk.
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Repeat with the remaining pastry.
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Bake the pies in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden-brown.