Easy chicken and vegetable pie

This recipe is a great way to turn leftover chicken (and leftover vegetables) into a flavoursome, first-class dish.

Ingredients

Filling:

The vegetables listed here are what we typically use, but because nearly any vegetables work, you can use whatever you have available.

  • Cooked de-boned chicken, diced into small pieces
  • ½ cup to ¾ cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ cup of sliced mushrooms
  • 2 celery sticks
  • ½ capsicum
  • 1 potato, peeled in diced into small cubes, or ¾ cup cooked pumpkin
  • Your favourite garden herbs, such as thyme, chopped parsley, and chopped sage

Ingredients for the crust:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1/3 cup (100 gram) butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Marietjie's healthier crust, for three people (see Notes):

  • ¾ cup flour
  • ¾ to 1 cup chicken stock
  • 50 gram butter
  • ¼ cup grated cheese (optional)
  • 2 small eggs
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • A pinch of salt

Method

  1. Fry onion in oil until translucent, add garlic and fry for a minute or two.
  2. Add your selection of vegetables and the diced chicken.
  3. Flavour with fresh or dried herbs, salt and pepper.
  4. Add chicken stock keep the filling to taste to keep it moist, but don’t overdo it.
  5. Transfer the filling to a greased casserole dish.
  6. Mix the ingredients for the crust, which will form a runny mixture that you can pour over the filling.
  7. Bake in an oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Notes

When she cooks for the three of us, Marietjie use less dough. She also cuts down on the butter.

Because we have a regular supply of home-made chicken stock, frozen in 1½ cup containers, Marietjie uses approximately ¾ cup for the filling and the remaining ¾ cup for the crust’s dough. You can also reduce the stock used for the filling, and use more for the crust.