- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
- Calories
- 1040 kcal
Quick summary
“The creamy chicken pie is a classic of Brazilian home cooking, notable for its buttery shortcrust pastry that delicately crumbles in the mouth. The crust houses a moist filling of cooked and shredded chicken breast in a sauté of onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese. The dough requires minimal handling to avoid developing the gluten, maintaining a crumbly texture. Brushed with egg yolk and baked at 180°C, it delivers a brilliant golden color and well-structured slices.”
What you need to know
- Mix the cold butter into the flour only with your fingertips without kneading to maintain the crumbly and friable texture.
- Let the dough rest wrapped in plastic wrap for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to stabilize the fat consistency.
- Let the chicken filling cool completely before applying to the dough so it doesn't melt the fat of the raw pastry.
Ingredients
Main
- Dough: 3 cups of wheat flour, 1 cup of butter, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cold water as needed.
- Filling: 500g shredded chicken breast, 1 chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
- To brush: 1 egg yolk.
Instructions
Principal
- In a bowl, mix the flour, butter, egg, and salt until a homogeneous dough forms. Add cold water little by little if necessary.
- Divide the dough into two parts, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the pan until golden brown.
- Add the shredded chicken to the pot and mix well.
- Add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper, and let cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out one of the parts with a rolling pin, lining the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the filling over the dough, add the mozzarella cheese on top.
- Open the other part of the dough and cover the filling, pressing the edges to seal well.
- Brush the egg yolk over the dough.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Chef's tips
- Open the dough between two food-grade plastic sheets with the rolling pin to transfer to the pan without the risk of breaking.
- Make small holes in the dough lid with the tip of a fork to allow internal steam to escape during baking.
- Add a teaspoon of milk to the beaten yolk before brushing to provide a homogeneous golden finish.
Variations
- Chicken and heart of palm pie: add 1 cup of chopped heart of palm and green olives to the chicken sauté.
- Carne-seca savory pie: substitute the chicken for desalted and shredded carne-seca combined with mashed cabotiá pumpkin.
- Individual empanadas: line 8cm tartlet molds with the dough and filling to bake snack portions for 25 minutes.
Substitutions
- The unsalted butter can be replaced by lard or culinary margarine with 80% lipids.
- The mozzarella cheese in the filling can be swapped for creamy requeijão in a squeeze bottle or finely grated Minas cheese.
- The chicken's tomato sauce can be enriched with fresh heavy cream to provide a more velvety texture.
How to store
Keep the baked and cold pie covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes to preserve the crunchiness of the buttery dough.
Can it be frozen?
Freeze the assembled and egg-washed pie (raw or baked) wrapped in plastic film for up to 90 days at 18°C below zero. Bake straight from the freezer in a medium oven at 180°C for approximately 50 minutes.
What to serve with
Harmonize with a green leaf salad with cherry tomatoes and a light mustard dressing, fluffy white rice, and cold natural passion fruit juice.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the pot pie dough become elastic or rubbery?
This happens when the dough is kneaded vigorously, activating the gluten networks of the flour. The shortcrust pastry should only be aggregated with the fingertips without kneading.
The bottom of the pie was soggy and undercooked. What to do?
The chicken filling was probably applied while still hot or with too much liquid broth. Cool the filling completely before assembling and bake on the bottom rack of the oven.
Can I use cooking oil instead of butter in the dough?
It is not indicated. The solid fat of the butter is what produces the brittle flakes characteristic of shortcrust pastry. Oil makes the dough heavy, greasy, and without aeration.
How to pass the open dough lid over the baking dish without tearing?
Roll out the dough between two plastic sheets with a rolling pin. Remove the plastic from the top, support the dough turned over the filling, and peel off the remaining plastic delicately.
