Chicken and Bacon Pie

Is there anything more comforting, on a cold wintry day, than a home baked pie? It gives that lovely, cosy, hygge feeling, warming you from the inside out. I had a lovely homemade pie when at a friend’s, one recent Sunday. Hers was a chicken, bacon and mushroom pie, but the overall flavour inspired this easy chicken and bacon pie recipe with peas.

You could swap pancetta for chopped bacon and/or peas for mushrooms in this creamy chicken and bacon pie. I used shortcrust, but making this chicken and bacon pie with puff pastry is also fine. Using cream means there’s no need to make a sauce with plain flour.

If you want to add a chicken stock pot or cube to the sauce then you can. I found there was plenty of flavour without, due to the inclusion of fresh thyme. Chicken thighs are fine to use – but they’re not quite as easy to cut into cubes as boneless chicken breasts. Which is why I use them in most recipes. They are leaner, too.

This could be adapted to create a recipe for chicken and ham pie, if you prefer. Or have some to use up, such as leftovers from making honey roast or slow cooker ham. Just add the ham when adding the peas to make a chicken and ham pie with a puff pastry or shortcrust topping.

Makes one large pie

Chicken and Bacon Pie ingredients

• Chicken breast, 2, chopped into small cubes (about 1cm)
• Pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, 1 pack (about 75-100g)
• Shallot, 1-2, finely chopped (depending on size)
• Garlic, 1 clove, crushed
• Single cream, 1 carton (about 300ml)
• Thyme, fresh, about 2 stems; or dried, 1 tsp
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Petit pois or peas, frozen, 150g
• White wine, a dash (optional)
• Pastry, shortcrust or puff, 1 ready rolled sheet
• Egg, 1, beaten

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Saucepan or large frying pan
• Wooden spatula
• Pie dish
• Pastry brush

How to make Chicken and Bacon Pie

• Cook the chicken, pancetta and shallot for a few minutes, without any oil. Stir-fry over a medium heat until they start to brown.
• Add the garlic to the partly cooked chicken mixture and stir, then add the cream, thyme and black pepper and stir again. Cook over a low heat, stirring, every few minutes, until you have a nice, thick sauce (a little thicker than required if you’re adding wine).
• Add the peas and the wine (just a little splash, if using) to the chicken and bacon pie filling and stir. Transfer the sauce into a suitable oven dish and place the pastry sheet over the top. Trim away the excess and press down, with your thumb or a fork, around the edges to seal the pie. Stab a couple of slits into the centre to allow steam to escape.
• You can use any pasty offcuts to make shapes for the top of the bacon and chicken pie, if you like. Then brush beaten egg all over the top to glaze it.
• Bake for about 20-30 minutes, at 180 degrees fan, until the pie is piping hot and the pastry golden brown.

Serve this chicken and bacon pie with mash, roast potatoes or chips plus carrots and/or broccoli.

Related recipes:

• Beef and mushroom pie
• Shortcut cottage pie
• Cheat’s quiche
• Chicken and bacon pasta bake
• Chipotle chicken traybake

Note –  This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via these, I may earn a small fee. This has absolutely no effect on the price you pay. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.