South African Chicken Pie Recipe

Chicken Pie Ingredients

1 chicken weighing 1.5kg [3lb 5oz] approximately
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion
500ml [2 cups] hot water
125ml [½ cup] white wine
8 peppercorns
1ml [¼ tsp] ground mace
5 allspice berries
15ml [1 Tbsp] sago
30ml [2 Tbsp] vermicelli
30ml [2 Tbsp] butter
1 egg yolk
juice of 1 lemon
4 slices ham
2 hard-boiled eggs
puff pastry
15ml [1 Tbsp] milk

To make the Chicken Pie

Wash, singe and cut the bird into pieces
Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and place in heavy saucepan
Chop the onion finely and add it, the hot water and white wine to the saucepan
Tie the spices in a cheesecloth and add
Simmer the chicken gently until tender and the meat falls off the bones
Add the sago, vermicelli and 15ml [1 Tbsp] butter stirring carefully to ensure the sago and vermicelli do not burn
Remove the bag containing the spices as well as all the large chicken bones
Preheat the oven to 230^oC [450^oF]
Beat the egg yolk, set 5ml [1 tsp] aside and mix the rest with the lemon juice
Add the egg/lemon mixture to the chicken and stir slowly until thick and creamy then remove from the heat
Place the chicken in a pie dish with pieces of ham and sliced hard-boiled egg inbetween and dot the meat with the remaining butter
Place a heat-proof egg cup in the center of the pie dish to prevent the pastry from sagging
Cover the chicken [and egg cup] with the puff pastry and garnish with strips of the pastry. Brush the top of the chicken pie with the reserved egg yolk and milk
Make a few slits in the pastry to let steam escape and then bake for 30 minutes
This traditional South African Chicken Pie can be served with chicken giblet gravy or sour pie sauce with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.