Mary Berry’s chicken and bacon pie serves six and can be made up to two days ahead
Mary Berry’s chicken and bacon pie recipe has a simple puff pastry shortcut(Image: Olga Mazyarkina via Getty Images)
Mary Berry has unveiled countless recipes over the years, encompassing both sweet and savoury pies. As winter approaches, many households will be seeking warming and satisfying evening meal ideas.
Mary’s chicken and bacon pie remains a firm favourite amongst home cooks, boasting over 20 five-star reviews on BBC Food.
The recipe description states: “This creamy chicken and bacon pie topped with an impressive pastry lattice makes a wonderful centrepiece for a special family meal. If you want to keep things simple, just top with a sheet of puff pastry and trim.”
This pie feeds six people and can be prepared up to two days in advance, making it ideal for entertaining guests.
Mary Berry’s chicken and bacon pie recipe
Ingredients:
- Six skinless chicken legs
- Four celery sticks, diced
- Four bay leaves, roughly sliced
- 200ml dry white wine
- 300ml chicken stock
- 250g smoked back bacon, cut into small pieces
- One large onion, roughly chopped
- 50g butter
- 60g plain flour
- Two tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
- One tbsp grainy mustard
- Two x 375g ready-rolled, all-butter puff pastry
- One egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan before placing the chicken legs, celery, and bay leaves into a large ovenproof saucepan. Pour over the wine and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken legs are cooked through and tender. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled, strip the meat from the chicken bones. The bones can be kept and used for making stock.
Tear the meat into bite-sized chunks before transferring to a bowl. Strain the stock, keeping the celery and discarding the bay leaves, and measure out the liquid.
You should have approximately 750ml. If not, top up the difference with a little extra stock or white wine.
Heat a large frying pan and cook the bacon pieces over a medium-high heat for three minutes. Add the onion, place a lid on top, and continue frying for a further 10 minutes until the onion has become tender.
Add the butter, stirring until fully melted, then scatter over the flour to create a roux. Gradually pour the reserved liquid into the roux, whisking continuously as you go, and stir over a high heat until the mixture thickens into a smooth sauce.
Take care not to add too much liquid at once.
Season with a little salt and pepper, then incorporate the reserved celery, crème fraîche and mustard, stirring well to combine before folding in the chicken pieces. Spoon the filling into the ovenproof dish and smooth the surface level.
Allow to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the pastry for the pie. On a lightly dusted work surface, roll out each pastry sheet to approximately 3mm in thickness.
Slice each piece into long, generous ribbons, roughly 3cm in width.
You will need sufficient ribbons to cover the top of the dish, around 16 in total. Weave the ribbons together on a sheet of baking paper until you have a pastry lattice large enough to sit over the pie.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up or, if time permits, place in the freezer until solid. Remove the filling from the fridge and brush the edges of the dish with a little beaten egg.
Carefully lift the pastry lattice from the baking paper and position it over the chilled filling. Trim away any excess pastry around the rim and press down gently to seal.
Turn the oven up to 200°C/180°C (Fan). Glaze the pastry with the leftover beaten egg, then place in the oven for 30 minutes, until it’s golden brown and fully cooked, with the chicken mixture bubbling away.
Serve immediately while still piping hot.
