Chicken and Bacon Pie Recipe

Name: Chicken and Bacon Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil; 1 rasher of British bacon or equivalent streaky/American bacon, cut into strips (around 25g / 0.88oz); 1 small chicken breast (around 120g / 4.2oz); 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1/4 large brown onion, diced (around 50g / 1.75oz); 100g mushrooms, sliced; 1 tbsp flour (around 10g), plus extra for rolling the pastry; 30ml / 2 tbsp white wine (optional); 85ml / 1/3 cup chicken stock; 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems); 50g / 1.75oz frozen peas; 30ml / 2 tbsp whipping, cooking or single cream; 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard; 100g puff pastry sheets; 1 egg, beaten; Casserole dish – for 2 portions I used this one which is 9×5 inches; Baking paper or foil; Baking beans such as these – or you can use uncooked rice; Pastry brush

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This chicken and bacon pie is the ultimate comfort food. Tender chicken, crispy bacon and peas in a creamy mustard sauce. All wrapped up in flaky puff pastry crust. The recipe takes around an hour of cooking, and 15-20 minutes of prep. Once you’ve done the initial prep and cooking, you can pop it in the oven for the last half hour and forget about it.

Can you line the bottom of a pie with puff pastry?

For starters, a pie is technically a filling which is fully encased with pastry. Online one day I actually found a person who was so adamant about that fact that they had submitted a petition to the UK parliament about this very definition, which I found a little amusing.

So, yes, technically a pie should have a bottom and a top. But is puff pastry a good option for the bottom of a pie? Obviously, it won’t be so puffy when it’s been compacted down by all that filling, but it does work well. For best results, you should blind bake the bottom first (see instructions below).

How do I make my bottom pie crust crispy?

Any pie fillings that are particularly saucy can add extra moisture to the bottom layer of pastry, making it limp and soft. The creamy chicken and bacon mixture in this pie is no exception. However, you can avoid a ‘soggy bottom’ through a technique called blind baking.

Blind baking might sound a little strange, but it’s actually very straightforward. It simply involves baking the pastry a little (around 15 minutes for puff pastry) before you add the filling and then return to the oven to fully bake it.

There are a few things that are needed for this method to be successful. Firstly make sure that you have lined the pie dish as closely as possible with the pastry. Press the pastry in carefully around the edges and corners. Secondly line the pastry inside the dish with some baking/parchment paper. Then you need to add some weight to the bottom of the dish which will stop the pastry from rising. You can buy ready-made baking beads which are actually made for exactly this purpose, or you can use some uncooked rice instead (but you’ll need to throw it away after so it is a little wasteful).

Can you make it in advance?

This pie is perfect for making in advance, and even for freezing. For best results, you want to do this before you bake the pie. Follow the instructions up until you are about to apply the egg wash to the pie. Make sure everything is fully cooled and then place in the fridge for up to two days before brushing on the egg and then placing in the oven.

You can also freeze the pie at the same stage. To take up less room in the freezer you can use these foil pie trays – which are also perfect for making single-serve pies. Great for days when you need something quick and easy for dinner without planning ahead. After freezing, remove the pies from the freezer and place in the fridge 6 hours before you are going to cook. Then follow the oven instructions as below.

Ingredients

To make this chicken and bacon pie you’ll need (jump to the printable recipe card for full measurements):

Olive oil – since this is just for frying, feel free to substitute for the oil of your choice
Bacon rasher(s) – sliced. Back bacon (British bacon) either smoked or unsmoked. Or streaky bacon (American bacon) is also fine
Chicken breast – cut into bite sized pieces
Brown onion, diced (or white is fine)
Mushrooms, sliced (brown or white varieties are both fine)
Garlic, finely chopped
Plain flour)
White wine (optional – increase the amount of stock if you prefer not to use)
Chicken stock
Single, cooking or whipping cream
Frozen peas (you can use fresh instead)
Wholegrain mustard (you can use dijon instead)
Pre-made puff pastry sheets
Egg

Equipment:

Casserole dish – for 2 portions I used this one which is 9X5 inch
Baking paper or foil
Baking beans such as these – or you can use uncooked rice
Pastry brush

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry until crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chicken into the pan and cook until browned on all sides.
Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Dust the flour over the ingredients in the pan and stir everything together. Cook for a further minute.
Add the wine, stock and thyme to the pan and combine everything. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has thickened.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream, mustard, bacon and peas. Season to taste.
Roll out the pastry into a thin piece around double the size of the casserole dish you are going to use. Place the casserole open side down on the pastry and cut around it, leaving around 1.5 inches from the edge of the dish.
Carefully place the pastry inside the dish and gently press around the inside edges so that it sits flush with the sides. Place some baking paper or foil inside the dish and press it into the edges. Fill with some baking beans or some uncooked rice and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
While the base of the pie is in the oven ball up the remaining pastry and roll it out into a piece around the size of the top of the casserole.
After 15 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and remove the baking paper and beans/rice. Fill the pie with the chicken and bacon mixture and place the sheet of pastry over the top. Trim the edges if it is too big and then press the two pieces of pastry together.
Beat the egg and then use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top of the pie with the egg.
Place the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe steps - fry bacon and chicken and add the sauce ingredients

Recipe steps - blind bake the pastry and fill and then bake.

If you are looking for other great pie recipes then check out this chicken pot pie or this fish pie with egg.

Products that work well for this recipe