Heston Blumenthal’s chicken & ham pie recipe: Food (2024)

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Heston Blumenthal’s chicken & ham pie recipe: Food (3)

The fact the ingredients are cooked separately for this pie means they each retain their character for a tasty result.

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Ingredients

  • For the chicken
  • 8% brine (80g salt dissolved in 1kg tap water)
  • 500 g brown chicken stock
  • For the ham
  • 1 gammon joint, weighing approx. 1kg
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 leek, white part only, cleaned and finely sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced
  • For the leeks
  • 2 tbsp. groundnut or grapeseed oil
  • Chicken skin from the thighs
  • 300 g leeks, white part only, cleaned and finely sliced
  • For the mustard sauce
  • 200 g white wine
  • 225 g whole milk
  • 225 g double cream
  • 150 g brown chicken stock (from above)
  • 2 tbsp. agar-agar flakes
  • 30 g dijon mustard
  • 40 g wholerain mustard
  • Salt and black pepper
  • To assemble and cook the pies
  • 5 g tarraon leaves
  • 10 g flat-leaf parsley
  • 250 g all-butter puff pastry
  • 1 medium egg, lightly beaten

Directions

  • Place the brine in a bowl big enough to contain the chicken thighs. Add the chicken and leave for five hours. Rinse the chicken under cold running water for five minutes, then dry with kitchen roll. Store in the fridge until needed. Two hours after you have started brining the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 85ºC / gas mark 1.
  • Put the gammon joint and vegetables in an ovenproof saucepan, and pour in enough cold water to cover the meat. Put a lid on the pan and place over a medium heat. Bring the water to a simmer and then place the pan in the oven for five hours, or until the meat flakes. Allow the meat to cool in the liquid before removing and dicing.
  • When the gammon has been cooking for three hours, place the brined chicken thighs in another ovenproof saucepan and cover with the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer over a medium heat, then place in the oven, along with the ham, for 1 hour 30 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool in the liquid before removing and dicing. Keep 150g of the chicken stock for the mustard sauce that will bind the pies.
  • Meanwhile, cook the leeks. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with the oil and place the pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin and render the fat from it for 10–-15 minutes. Remove the skin and discard. Reduce the heat to medium and add the leeks to the fat. Cook until completely soft (approximately 15 minutes), then allow to cool in the pan.
  • Now make the mustard sauce. In a saucepan, reduce the white wine by two-thirds. Add the milk, cream and chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat while whisking. Sprinkle the agar-agar into the pan and whisk it into the sauce. Continue to simmer for four minutes. Allow to cool, then blitz thoroughly with a hand blender.
  • Return the pan to a medium heat, stir in the Dijon and wholegrain mustards, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. When ready to assemble and cook the pies, pre-heat the oven to 215ºC / gas mark 6 ½ . Mix the diced ham and chicken with the mustard sauce and leeks. Finely chop the herbs, add them to the mixture and adjust the seasoning. Pour into individual pie dishes, approximately 10 centimetre in diameter (or, if you prefer, a family-sized dish, approximately 28 centimetre in length).
  • Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until approximately five milimetre thick. Cut out six circles slightly larger than the diameter of the pie dishes (or cut to the right size for a single pie). Leave the pastry in the fridge to rest for about 20 minutes.
  • Lay the pastry discs over the pie dishes and fold the overhang around the lip of the each dish to seal the edges. Crimp the edges of the pies with a fork for decoration. Make a few holes in the middle to release the steam. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the pies with the beaten egg.
  • Place in the oven for approximately 15–-20 minutes or until the pastry turns golden on top.

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Heston Blumenthal’s chicken & ham pie recipe: Food (2024)

FAQs

How long to cook frozen chicken and ham pie? ›

Cooking guide: For best results, brush pastry top with beaten egg, place in a pre-heated oven at 180c for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden. If frozen add 20 minutes to the cooking time and reduce cooking temperature to 170c.

Should you thaw a frozen chicken pie before baking? ›

You can make, bake, cool and freeze. Or you can make, assemble and freeze. Either way when you're ready to cook, there's no need to thaw; just add a good 15-20 minutes of extra baking time. Another way is to just make the filling, cool it and store in freezer-quality bags.

How long to bake a frozen pie at 350? ›

Baking 9″ Savory Chicken Pies or Vegetarian Pies is easy!
  1. Preheat Oven to 350.
  2. Remove all wrapping from pie.
  3. Place frozen pie in the oven and bake for 70-80 minutes until crust is golden brown.
  4. Remove pie from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

What temperature is Heston chicken done? ›

It is recommended that you take the meat to 75°C; Heston admits that but says 60°C gives you the perfect succulence.

How to make chicken tender like restaurants? ›

Marination: Marinating chicken before cooking is a popular technique used to enhance flavor and tenderness. Restaurants use marinades made from a combination of acidic ingredients (such as vinegar, citrus juice, or yogurt) and flavorful herbs and spices.

How long does a frozen chicken pie take? ›

Conventional oven

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Remove frozen pie from plastic wrapping and place in oven on middle rack. Heat for 60 minutes or to your liking. For best results, let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

How long and what temperature do you cook a frozen meat pie? ›

Frozen Meat Pies and Pasties

Pre heat oven to 350°F. Remove frozen pie from wrapping place on a baking tray and put in the middle rack of the oven and allow for 35 mins. Take it out and let it sit for 10 minutes before devouring! Mini's only need 25 minutes.

How long do you cook a frozen pie in the oven? ›

How-to Bake A Frozen Fruit Pie
  1. Do not thaw the pie.
  2. Unwrap the pie and bake it at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes.
  3. Reduce the temperature to 375ºF (190ºC) and bake it for an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until the centre is bubbly.
  4. A fruit pie can be stored at room temperature for up to two days.

How long to heat frozen chicken pie? ›

Place your pot pie on a baking sheet in the preheated oven and reheat for approximately 25-35 minutes for refrigerated pies and 45 minutes or longer for frozen pies. If you are reheating multiple pies, stagger them a few minutes apart so all pies will be hot and fresh at serving time.

References

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