Kurnik chicken pie
- Main
- Medium
- 8–10
- 2 hours 50 minutes
PT2H50M
Chicken pie is a comforting, delicious thing, but have you ever had the Russian version? Filled with chicken thighs, herbs, eggs, rice and carrots, the filling is packed into rich flaky pastry and finished off with hot chicken broth.
This recipe is taken from Salt and Time by Alissa Timoshkina (Mitchell Beazley, £25). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 375g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 300g of unsalted butter , chilled and cubed
- 185g of soured cream
- 1 egg , beaten, for sealing and glazing
Filling
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 3 onions , thinly sliced
- 4 carrots , peeled and grated
- 400g of boneless chicken thighs , skinless or skin on, as you prefer
- 250g of long grain rice
- 6 hard-boiled eggs , peeled
- 1 bunch of chives , small, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of tarragon , small, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of dill , small, finely chopped
- 200ml of chicken stock, hot
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
1
To make the most tender flaky pastry, you will need to pulse the
flour, salt and butter together in a food processor until you have
a uniform crumb with no lumps of butter within the flour. Add the
soured cream and pulse again until the dough starts to form a
ball
2
Tip on to a work surface and gently bring together with your
hands. Cut off roughly one-third of the pastry and shape into a disc.
Shape the remaining two-thirds into another disc. Wrap both discs
individually in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for about an
hour until firm
3
Next, cook all the ingredients for the filling. Melt 25–30g of the
butter in a large frying pan and fry the onions and carrots with a
generous seasoning of salt over a low heat for 10–15 minutes until
they begin to caramelise, stirring occasionally. Remove from the
pan and set aside
4
Melt the remaining butter in the same pan and fry the chicken
thighs over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes on each side, seasoning
with salt and pepper as you turn. If using thighs with skin, make
sure to get it nice and crispy. Let them cool slightly before pulling
the chicken apart with your fingers – you want juicy bite-sized
chunks or strips
5
Cook the rice in plenty of salted boiling water for a minute or so
less than the packet instructions – you want it to be al dente, as it
will cook further once inside the pie. Drain and let it cool.
Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs and mix them with all the
herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper
6
Line a large (3-litre) bowl with clingfilm, making sure there is a bit of overhang
around the sides. Remove the bigger disc of pastry from the refrigerator and
lightly flour the work surface. Roll out the disc into a rough circle until it’s about
3mm thick and use it to carefully line your clingfilm-covered bowl, ensuring there
are no air pockets between the bowl and the pastry. Return to the refrigerator
while you roll out the smaller disc in a circle to the same thickness
7
When the filling ingredients are sufficiently cool, remove the pastry-lined bowl
from the refrigerator and start layering, beginning with the herby eggs, followed
by the onions and carrots, chicken and finally the rice. Make sure you firmly pack
down each layer before adding the next, as this helps the pie to hold its shape
once you flip it and remove the bowl
8
Brush the pastry rim with some of the beaten egg (reserve the rest for later)
and top the pie with the smaller pastry disc. Pinch together to seal, leaving the
overhang. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for a couple of hours
9
When you’re ready to bake the pie, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/gas mark 6.
Place a baking tray lined with baking parchment on top of the bowl. Holding the
base of the bowl, quickly flip it and the baking tray over together, then carefully
remove the bowl and clingfilm to reveal your pie
10
Trim and crimp or twist the edges, then brush the whole pie with the
remaining beaten egg. If you have any dough left over, you can also add some
ornate shapes to decorate the pie and give it a folksy Russian look. Use a knife
to cut a cross in the top to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes
or until golden brown and a metal skewer inserted into the steam hole comes
out hot
11
Bring the whole pie to the table and add an element of performance by
pouring the hot chicken broth into the hole at the top. Alternatively, enjoy a slice
of the pie with a steaming mug of broth on the side
Discover more:
Go to Comments
Kurnik chicken pie
