Chicken pie tips, please

[VaguelySkeletal]

If you make a chicken pie, does the chicken have to be cooked before you fill the pie and put it in the oven?

Yes! I cook mine in a cream, leak, mushroom, garlic and thyme sauce first. V tasty

Yes, I cook chopped chicken and bacon together then add leeks or mushrooms and make a roux with flour and milk/cream. Let it cool before adding the pastry. Then I know the pie is ready when the pastry's cooked and I don't need to worry about checking the chicken.

Then I know the pie is ready when the pastry's cooked and I don't need to worry about checking the chicken.

Good point.

Why do you let it cool before filling the pastry?

Try the fay ripley creamy chicken pie recipe, easy as... well pie .. and absolutely delicious.

I use leftover roast chicken and normal chopped ham instead of chicken breasts and Serrano ham. And I add cooked chopped stuffing if there's any leftovers.

TBH I do already make chicken pie, but I always make it in one go and serve as soon as it is done. So it all goes in hot, but the chicken isn't necessarily cooked through.

This time, though, I want to prep the filling one day, then fill and bake the pie a day or two later. So I don't want the chicken to sit around half cooked. But OTOH the filling will go into the pie cold, so I don't want the chicken to over-cook, either.

I boil the chicken first then cut off the meat. Mary Berry has a very time-consuming but delicious recipe, as long as you're not squeamish.

If you put the pastry on top of hot filling it is more likely to go soggy from the steam, cool filling and the pastry will crisp better.

I use a whole baby chicken with some herbs and then add some finely diced veg towards the the end. Drain and keep the stock, some can be used for the chicken pie. Shred the chicken and sauté some mushrooms. Then add the shredded chicken, boiled veg, mushrooms, and cream of mushroom soup and simmer. Add cornflour if necessary to thicken. I like to have a top and bottom of a pie, usually shortcrust at the bottom and puff pastry on for the pie lid. So I blind bake the bottom and after it cools, I add the filling. Put in fridge and roll out puff pastry. Take chicken pie out of fridge and roll the puff pastry on top, prick with a knife/fork, egg wash and then bake