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OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN PIE

2.5 hours cooking time

30 min preparation time

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 small chickens (± 3 kg in all)
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
8 coriander seeds
4 black peppercorns
6 cloves
3 bay leaves
45 ml (3 tbsp) white vinegar
2 onions, finely chopped
3 small carrots, peeled and sliced
750 ml (3 cups) water
400 g (1 roll) ready-made puff pastry

Sauce
45 ml (3 tbsp) Clover Mooi River Salted Choice Butter
45 ml (3 tbsp) cake flour
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
125 ml (½ cup) Clover Cream

Method

  1. Place the chicken, salt, parsley, coriander, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, white vinegar, onions, carrots, and water in a large saucepan.
  2. Simmer the chicken until cooked – approximately 2 hours. Allow to cool somewhat, then remove the chicken from the stock. Pour the stock through a sieve and set aside. Set the onions and carrots aside.
  3. Pull the meat off all the bones and cut into smaller pieces. Finely snip the skin off one chicken drumstick and add it to the flaked chicken. Then add the onions and carrots.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Butter a large oven-proof dish. Spoon the chicken mixture into the prepared dish.
  5. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the cake flour. Stir in the chicken stock little by little and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.
  7. Unroll the puff pastry dough over the top of the chicken mixture. Brush a little water on the rim of the oven dish and press the dough firmly onto the rim. Trim the edge neatly. Cut a few slits in the dough for the steam to escape.
  8. Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 200 °C. Lower the oven temperature to 180 °C and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.