Chicken Mushroom Pie

Dedicated to Jing!

For the pie filling (adapted from Pie by Angela Borggiano):

¾ oz. dried wild mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

3 chicken thighs, cut into pieces about ¾” square

2 large chicken breast halves, cut into pieces about ¾” square

8oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup wine

¼ cup flour

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Drain the dried mushrooms, reserving ¾ cup of the soaking liquid. Strain the liquid through a sieve to remove the gritty bits. Chop the mushrooms finely.

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and cook the onion until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chicken, and cremini mushrooms and cook on high heat for 6 minutes. Add wine and simmer for one minute.

Reduce temperature to medium and stir in the flour until evenly mixed in. Add the drained dried mushrooms and reserved soaking liquid. Simmer together for about 5 minutes, then add the cream and cook for a further 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the parsley and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

 For the crust (from Mollie Katzen’t Sunlight Café by Mollie Katzen):

1½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter, cubed

6 tablespoons cold water

Egg, for the egg wash

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and mash with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse meal. Add water and mix until the dough adheres to itself when pinched. Gather the dough into a ball and roll to desired size.

For the pies:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Assemble and fill the pies according to what size you are making.

To make small pies in ramekins (4” wide, 1 ½” deep), you will need about 4 batches of dough. Roll out the dough and place a ramekin upside-down on top of it to cut out a lid for each of the pies. With the remaining dough, line the ramekins. Place enough filling in the ramekins to fill them. Wet the edges of each lid with water and place a lid on top of each pie. You can also cut out shapes such as mushrooms, hearts, or stars out of the leftover pie dough for decoration. Wet the back of each piece before sticking it onto the lid of the pie. Brush the pies with egg wash and place the ramekins on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 40 minute, or until golden brown. Yields about 8.

To make appetizer-sized empanadas, you may need about 3 ½ -- 4 batches of dough. Use a mug or a cookie round cookie cutter with a 3” diameter to cut out circles. Place a small spoonful of pie filling in the center of the circle and spread water around the edge of the circle. Fold the dough in half and crimp the edges with a fork or pinch the edges together with your fingers to seal it. Brush empanadas with egg wash and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Yields about 30.

To make larger “empanadas” for dinner, you will need 3 batches of dough. Use a bowl or round dish with a 6” diameter to cut circles out of the dough. Place a spoonful of pie filling in the center of the circle and spread water around the edge of the circle. Fold the dough in half and crimp the edges with a fork or pinch the edges together with your fingers to seal it. Brush empanadas with egg wash and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Yields about 14.