Individual chicken and bacon pie in a mini-casserole

Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes, takes us to England with this version of the classic British chicken pie. Rosa presents a truly tasty version, but I encourage you to view it with the investigative cook mode on, since by playing with other ingredients, your favorites, it will become one of your most versatile recipes.

Today's recipe is synonymous with resounding success at home. And no, it's not sweet! But we'll need to use the oven anyway, and that already makes me happy. It's perfect when temperatures start to drop and you want to bring out a spoon and enjoy a comforting, piping-hot, flavorful meal. This is a dish with a long tradition in British cuisine: the chicken pie. However, due to the popularity and commonness of its ingredients and the fantastic resulting combination, it's a really tasty bite for practically any palate, regardless of latitude.

Generally, it's usually prepared in a single oven dish from which it's served to each diner, but on this occasion, I've chosen to make it individually using these beautiful and extremely versatile Le Creuset mini-cocottes; they not only ensure perfect cooking of the ingredients, but their appearance as an individual dish is ideal to enjoy this simple delicacy with all the senses.

Needless to say, making your own shortcrust pastry at home is really a good idea, although it's not essential, since nowadays you can find ready-made, good-quality pastry in practically any supermarket, either frozen or fresh. However, if you decide to make it at home for the first time, I assure you it's very simple; it only requires some refrigeration time —we must keep it cold throughout the process—, and minimal handling. No proofing or kneading and with the most basic ingredients: flour, butter and very cold water. Really, there are almost as many versions of shortcrust pastry as there are people who make it, but the old 3:2:1 formula always works perfectly for me, that is, 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part water. As simple as can be, right?

Regarding the filling ingredients, whichever you choose, it's important to use quality products, whether fresh or canned (I invite you to see the new Claudia&Julia Pantry, because many preserves are artisanal and made from high-quality fresh produce), like the ones I used in this recipe. The list shown here is the combination I usually employ, but nothing is set in stone when it comes to chicken pie. It's a highly adaptable recipe to the eater's taste. The use of bacon is entirely optional; I usually include it because it adds juiciness to the chicken which, generally, tends to lack it. The same goes for mushrooms (you can add them or not), leeks (perfectly replaceable with celery, for example) or the type of herbs used (tarragon, sage, thyme, coriander, parsley, etc.); it all depends a bit on personal taste. I'm eager to know which version of chicken pie would be your favorite…

INGREDIENTS (for 6 mini-cocottes or ramekins of about 10 cm Ø)

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 180 g plain wheat flour (+ extra flour for rolling)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 120 g unsalted butter very cold, even frozen, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 60-75 ml approx. ice-cold water
• 1 egg for glazing

For the filling:

• 150 g smoked bacon
• 350 g free-range chicken, boned and cleaned of skin and fat (preferably thigh and drumstick meat)
• 2 small spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 leeks
• 150 g porcini mushrooms
• 80 g fine peas
• 2 level tablespoons of cornstarch (like Maizena)
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 125 ml white wine
• 3 tablespoons single cream for cooking
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Curly or flat parsley
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

*1 tablespoon=15 ml; 1 teaspoon=5 ml*

Method

For the shortcrust pastry:

(If you are going to use ready-made shortcrust pastry, go straight to the filling instructions)

1. To make our own shortcrust pastry, start by placing the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk until fully combined.
2. Next, add the cold butter, cut into small cubes, and work it lightly with your fingertips or with the help of two knives, just enough until it's more or less integrated and coated with the flour; you'll get a handful of irregular “crumbs”, but there should still be visible bits of butter and flour not combined. It's very important not to overmix so that the butter doesn't warm up and soften.
3. Then, add the ice-cold water; start by adding 3 tablespoons gradually while mixing everything with your hands until a dough forms that holds together more or less and comes away easily from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If necessary, we can add the rest of the water gradually (you may not need it all) until we can compact the dough into a block.
4. Finally, shape into a ball and flatten slightly, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or even overnight).

For the filling:

1. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Start by cutting the bacon into strips and fry it directly without oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for about 4–5 minutes until lightly browned but not crisp. Drain to remove as much fat as possible and transfer to a separate medium casserole. Set aside.

2. Next, cut the chicken into rather small pieces, season with salt and pepper and fry (if using the same pan, it should be free of fat) with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally until all pieces are evenly cooked. Set aside with the bacon in the same casserole.

3. Then, finely chop the onion and sweat it in another 3–4 tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent. Next, add the garlic, very finely chopped as well, and the leeks, sliced. Sauté everything together for about 5 minutes until well softened.

4. Add then the mushrooms, previously chopped, and continue cooking until all the flavors are well combined (about 3 more minutes), stirring occasionally.

5. Now add the peas and sauté everything for 1 more minute. Once everything is well softened, add it to the casserole with the bacon and chicken and set aside.

6. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in about 60 ml (around 4 tablespoons) of the chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps.

7. Then add the rest of the liquid ingredients to the casserole (the remaining chicken stock, the white wine and the single cream) as well as the dissolved cornstarch and simmer everything together over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

8. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the thyme and parsley (only the leaves) finely chopped and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces, the alcohol evaporates and it thickens slightly, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.

Assembly and baking:

1. When the filling is more or less cool, take the pastry out of the fridge (if it's too cold and hard to handle, you can leave it at room temperature for about 5 minutes to relax). On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry directly, without stretching or kneading, with the help of a rolling pin, always from the center outwards, until about 0.5 cm thick.

To prevent the pastry from sticking to the work surface, sprinkle lightly with flour and turn it as you roll. It's very important not to overdo the flour so as not to spoil the final texture. You can also place the pastry between two sheets of baking paper or cling film (in this case you should peel them off often to avoid creases in the pastry).

2. Next, with a very sharp knife, cut the portions of pastry needed to cover our individual pies. It's best to use the cooking vessels themselves as a guide (mini-cocottes or ramekins), but leave an extra 1 cm margin around to seal easily later. Place the pastry rounds on a flat tray, cover with cling film and return to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven (static, no fan) to 200°C and place the oven tray, previously lined with baking paper, in the middle position.

4. Then, divide the cooled filling among the containers up to the rim and, using a kitchen brush, brush the rims of the containers with the beaten egg.

5. Next, remove the pastry rounds from the fridge and place them over the containers, ensuring they are well sealed. If you prefer, you can decorate the edges as you like: with the tines of a fork or by giving some decorative shape to the edge, wavy, braided, etc. (In that case, it's advisable to add a little extra pastry around to shape it better).

6. Brush the surface of the pastry again with the egg and, with the help of a very sharp knife, cut a couple or three slits in the top center to let steam escape during cooking and prevent the pastry from becoming too soft.

7. Finally, place the mini-cocottes on the oven tray and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the pastry has a nice golden color and the filling juices bubble through the slits.

8. Let cool for about 10 minutes on a rack and serve still hot.

Notes:

- If you've decided to make the shortcrust pastry at home, congratulations! Your chicken pie will be hard to beat. And since you're at it, and given how versatile this pastry is and how well it freezes (always before baking), why not double the quantities and have reserves for future recipes? To freeze it (it keeps perfectly for 2-3 months, depending on the freezer), it must be well wrapped to prevent freezer burn, first in cling film and then in aluminum foil. When ready to use, leave it in the fridge overnight until thawed. Then roll it out and proceed according to the chosen recipe.

- In this recipe, I only use the shortcrust pastry to cover the pie, as it's a fairly substantial dish. However, if you prefer to line the base too and close it completely, you just need to double the ingredient quantities and fully line the inside of the containers with a larger pastry round.

- Although the result will vary, you can substitute the shortcrust pastry with puff pastry. Delicious, in any case.

- You may prefer to make a single pie for everyone to serve themselves; perfect, use an ovenproof dish and increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes or until you see it has that desired golden color and the filling juices bubble through the slits.

- If there are leftovers, you can keep them well covered with cling film and refrigerated for up to 2 days. To reheat, place it in the lower third of the oven preheated to 160ºC for about 15 minutes. If the surface browns too much, you can loosely cover it with some aluminum foil placed over the container(s).

- As a side, nothing better than a generous fresh salad.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Rosa