Proper chicken pie | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to cook chicken for pie jamie oliver? ›

Use a large sharp knife to carefully cut down the back bone of the chicken, cutting it in half. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil into a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear for 10 minutes, or until golden.

If you are making a pie with a crust you'll need to decide which type of pastry to go for. Shortcrust pastry is the best for pies that fully encase a filling as they tend to be firmer and less likely to leak. Puff pastry is great if you prefer just a pastry lid on top of the filling.

Blind bake pie crust – Whether using store bought or homemade shortcrust pastry, it needs to be blind baked to ensure the base doesn't go soggy once filled with the pie filling.

Just let it simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. But if you've already added the broth and realize it's too thin, you can always make a slurry to stir in. Stir a tablespoon of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water and add it to your filling mixture to thicken it.

Why is my chicken potpie so watery? Follow our recipe for Classic Chicken Potpie and your pie should not be watery. A watery potpie may be the result of not cooking the filling for long enough or adding too much liquid to the filling.

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

I do line the base of the pie with pastry, which is optional – but I love it. You blind bake the pastry slightly to prevent a completely soggy bottom however. The sides of the puff pastry when blind baking may puff slightly, but that is totally okay.

If you're going to fill it completely, so a sauce or something, no, you shouldn't need to blind bake it. But it will effect your baking time. Rule of thumb with pie baking is, you need to have the pastry baked before the filling boils. If the filling boils, it will seep through your pastry, and it's just bad.

Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

Too many pumpkin pies have soggy crusts that never fully brown. To avoid this, recipes often call for blind baking your crust. That is, baking the empty crust before the filling is added. This gives the crust time to firm up and brown, time it typically doesn't get if the faster cooking filling is added first.

Should you chill pastry before blind baking? ›

Firstly, cool the unbaked pastry dough

Once you have rolled out your pastry dough and added it to your tin, put it in the fridge. Let it cool down for 30 minutes before baking. Once chilled, add baking paper on top and fill with dried beans or ceramic beans for weight. You're ready for blind baking.

Mix potato starch with 60ml (¼ cup) cold water in a bowl until smooth, then stir it through beef mixture to combine. Bring back to the boil, then remove from heat and transfer to a container to cool. Refrigerate overnight to chill and thicken. Meanwhile, prepare pastry.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

Watery filling

Water can be released from your pie filling while cooking in the oven. To avoid turning your pie into a sloppy mess, add flour to the filling or add some nuts to thicken it up, like in our Chicken and Leek Pie. This will help to absorb any excess water while it's cooking and will keep the pastry crispy.

The best tenderizer though, is a salted yogurt marinade. The salt has the same effect as in a regular brine, but the lactic acid in the yogurt further tenderizes the meat. A 15-minute marinade with one cup of yogurt and one teaspoon of salt makes for the most tender chicken breasts imaginable.

Larger cuts, such as whole chickens or bone-in pieces, often benefit from covered baking to ensure thorough and even cooking. Smaller cuts, like chicken breasts or tenders, can be baked uncovered for quick results. Lastly, think about the desired texture and flavor you're trying to achieve.

Cornstarch as Pie Filling Thickener

Cornstarch is faster-acting than flour and forms a smooth, relatively clear filling. Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.