Classic Chicken and Mushroom Pie

close up shot of chicken and mushroom pie garnished with fresh thyme in large white bowl

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4.75 from 4 votes

Here I'll share with you the easiest and most delicious way to make a classic Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Cooling time15

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Servings: - 5

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
2 Large Baking Trays, Baking Paper & Kitchen Roll (optional - for crispy chicken skin)
Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
Jug (for stock)
25cm x 17cm / 10" x 6.5" Baking Dish (or similar size)

Ingredients

100g / 3.5oz Smoked Bacon Lardons, diced (see notes)
1kg / 2lb skin-on bone-in Chicken Thigh, or 640g/1.4lb boneless skinless thighs (see notes)
1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper
1 medium White Onion, thinly sliced
300g / 10.5oz Chestnut Mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
3 tbsp EACH: Unsalted Butter, Flour
480ml / 2 cups Chicken Stock
80ml / 1/3 cup Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, finely diced
1x 320g/11oz sheet of Puff Pastry
1 Egg, beaten

Instructions

If using skin-on thighs: Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Use your hands to remove the skin and lay it flat on a large baking tray. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then place baking paper on top. Place another baking tray on top (this will prevent the skin from curling up). Bake in the oven for 20-25mins or until golden and crisp. Remove and pat with kitchen roll to soak excess fat and finish with another pinch of salt. The skin will crisp as it cools. Meanwhile, carefully cut out of the bone from the thighs.
Dice the chicken and season all over with salt and pepper.
Add the bacon to a large pan over medium heat and fry until crisp with the fat rendered. Remove and place in the baking dish, leaving the fat behind. Raise heat slightly to medium-high.
Space the chicken out in the pan and fry until golden on each side. Don't worry too much about cooking it right through, just a few minutes each side to lightly brown. Remove it from the pan and place in the baking dish with the bacon, leaving the excess fat behind.
Lower heat to medium, then add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue frying until the onions are soft & golden and the mushrooms have built up a golden crust. Add the garlic and fry for 30-60 seconds more.
Melt in the butter then stir in the flour to form a roux. Gradually pour in the stock and cream, stirring as you go to prevent lumps forming. Stir in the mustard, thyme, chicken and bacon and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally.
Once thickened, adjust seasoning if desired then pour everything into the baking dish and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Once the filling has cooled, brush around the rim of the dish with egg wash. Place the puff pastry over the top and crimp around the outside to 'glue' it to the dish. Trim excess pastry, then brush with egg wash. Slice a few steam holes, then place in the oven for 20mins, or until deep golden and crisp. Leave for 5 or so mins to cool, then serve up with the crispy chicken skin and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Chicken - You can definitely just use boneless skinless thighs if you'd prefer, just skip the first step. Thigh is much better than breast because it's less susceptible to overcooking. You might find that breast, especially after frying it, simmering it and baking it, isn't as tender as thigh.

b) Chicken skin - Timings will vary slightly so just be vigilant. It almost certainly won't be done before 20 minutes (unless your oven runs hot), but feel free to bake a little longer if needed. It will crisp as it cools, just ensure you pat away the excess oil and season with salt to draw out the final bit of moisture as it rests. If you find it's not quite crisp even after it cools, just pop it back in the oven for 5 or so mins to finish the job!

c) Smoked Bacon Lardons - These are great because they're nice and thick. You could sub bacon if you'd prefer, and you can go for unsmoked as well (although you lose out on bonus flavour!).

d) Mushrooms - In reality you can use any type of mushroom. You'll find that when they first hit the pan they dry it out. After a few mins they'll start to release moisture, then once that evaporates they'll start to brown.

e) Oil - You'll see here that I don't use any oil. You should have enough leftover bacon fat to fry the chicken, then enough leftover chicken fat to fry the onion. However if you feel you need to add a dash more oil at any time please do!

f) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 5.

Nutrition