Chicken and Wild Garlic Pie
Rated 5.0 stars by 4 users
Author:
Drogo
Servings
4-6
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Chicken and wild garlic pie is a lighter, more spring-like take on the British classic, swapping a full pastry case for a single crisp golden pastry lid that keeps the dish on the relaxed side of comforting. This wild garlic chicken pie sits pieces of tender chicken in a creamy, gently flavoured sauce woven through with foraged wild garlic, which brings a clean, mildly alliaceous note that lifts the whole dish out of pub-pie territory. The filling takes well to variation, working just as happily with the addition of asparagus, broccoli, soft leeks or a handful of mushrooms when they are in season. A solid creamy chicken pie for a Sunday lunch, a relaxed dinner-party main or a substantial midweek dinner.
Ingredients
Chicken and Wild Garlic Pie
-
320g ready rolled puff pastry
-
150g wild garlic, finely sliced
-
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
- 2 onions (1 diced, 1 cut in half)
- 100g frozen peas
- 500ml whole milk
-
50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 clove
- 1 egg, beaten
Directions
Step 1, Combine the milk, onion, bay leaves and cloves in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes, covered. Strain.
Step 2, Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir continuously to make a roux, letting the flour cook out for a couple of minutes, until it smells nutty.
Step 3, Gradually add the milk to the roux, stirring continuously until smooth and thickened, around 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 4, Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until soft but not coloured, around 10 minutes. Add the diced chicken pieces, and cook until browned all over and almost cooked through.
Step 5, Preheat the oven to 200C.
Step 6, Combine the chicken mixture with the bechamel, wild garlic and peas and use it to fill the pie dish.
Step 7, Roll the puff pastry out a little larger than your dish and lay it on top, cutting a slit in the top. Crimp the edges, brush with beaten egg and lay a few wild garlic leaves on top, to decorate. Brush with egg again.
Step 8, Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.
Recipe Note
About This Chicken and Wild Garlic Pie
Wild garlic carpets shaded British woodland for around eight short weeks between March and May, releasing its distinctive scent as it comes into leaf. The leaves are milder and more herbaceous than a clove of garlic, which makes them ideal for stirring through cream-based sauces where bulb garlic would overpower the dish. This wild garlic recipe pairs the leaves with chicken in a creamy filling that gives both ingredients room to breathe, and topping the pie with a single sheet of all-butter puff pastry, rather than a full pastry case, keeps the dish on the lighter side.
Outside the wild garlic window, the same spring chicken pie works with spring onions and a clove of garlic.
Serving Suggestions
Serve chicken and wild garlic pie with just-boiled Jersey Royal potatoes, buttered greens such as wilted spinach or spring greens, or a simple dressed watercress salad. A chilled glass of dry white Burgundy or an English white wine pairs particularly well.
