Chicken and Ham Pie Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes

A comforting, creamy pie, stuffed with chicken, shredded ham and lots of sauce. I use rotisserie chicken so it's quicker to prepare.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Comfort Food, easy pie, pastry

Servings: Servings

2 x 320 g (2 x 11oz) rolls or ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (thawed if bought frozen)
1 tbsp oil
45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) strong chicken stock (I use 2 stock cubes in water)
300 ml (1+1/4 cups) whole (full-fat) milk
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice approx. the juice from a whole lemon
½ tsp dried thyme or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp black pepper
50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated parmesan
300 g (10.5oz) cooked shredded chicken (use the meat from a whole cooked rotisserie chicken – so you get a nice mix of light and dark meat.
200 g (7oz) cooked ham chopped into small chunks (buy ready-chopped ham chunks or shredded ham hock or chop some ham from a cooked ham)
1 egg lightly whisked with a fork

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
Line a round, 22.5cm (9") diameter, deep (1.5-2" deep) pie dish with one of the pastry sheets, you may need to cut and join the pastry to ensure it fully covers the pie tin. Trim the edges, leaving a 1cm overhang, as the pastry will shrink back slightly.
Prick the base of the pastry several times with a fork. Line the pastry with baking parchment so that it completely covers the pastry. I find it easier to scrunch up the parchment first, and then un-scrunch it, so it fits into the shape of the pie dish better.
Fill the pie with baking beans (or dried beans or uncooked rice) and place in the oven to 'blind bake' for 10 minutes. This helps to prevent the pie having a soggy bottom.
Take out of the oven and put to one side. When cool enough to handle, remove the baking beans and parchment paper.

Now start on the filling. Add the oil and butter to a large saucepan and heat over a medium heat until the butter melts.
1 tbsp oil, 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
Add the onion and cook, stirring often for 5-6 minutes until the onion is soft.
1 onion
Add the flour and stir until the flour coats the onion. Cook for 1 minute whilst stirring.
4 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
Add the stock, a splash at a time, whilst stirring with a balloon whisk, until all of the stock is used. Adding it in a splash at a time, whilst stirring, will ensure you have no lumps.
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) strong chicken stock
Add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens.
300 ml (1+1/4 cups) whole (full-fat) milk
Stir in the lemon juice, thyme, black pepper and parmesan.
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp black pepper, 50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated parmesan
Add the chicken and ham and stir again until combined and turn off the heat.
300 g (10.5oz) cooked shredded chicken, 200 g (7oz) cooked ham

Fill the pie base with the chicken and ham mixture.
Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash (whisked egg), then top the pie with the remaining piece of pastry. Pinch the edges to seal.
1 egg
Trim off any excess pastry (you can use the trimmings to make little pie decorations such as leaves if you like), then brush the top with more egg wash and pierce a couple of small holes in the top of the pie with a sharp knife.
Place in the oven (still at 200C/400F (fan)) and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
It's a saucy pie, so be prepared to spoon out the filling! I find the best method is to slice the pastry lid into portions and place on plates, then spoon out the filling and pastry base. Then place the pastry topping back on top.

If serving for 4, you'll need to multiple the calorie amount (and other nutritional amounts) by 1.5.

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