River Cottage

Velvet Chicken Pie

This recipe is a little vague as I made it up last night due to an excess of herbs in the pantry. I know what you’re thinking: “this doesn’t bode well”. But, the unctuous sauce and velvety chicken is not too rich and not too overpowering – yet manages to be lovely and cozy for a cold February evening. In fact, I will probably never have a recipe that has clear-cut quantities as I would really like to see people play around with the basic idea. I also love trying new techniques and in this case it’s velveting meat. This is an Asian technique which creates the most wonderfully textured meat but don’t leave it in the oil too long or you’ll regret it, and that comes from experience! My final thought on this dish: it’s imperative that you curl up in front of a fire/heating element/candle when you sit down to enjoy this steamy open pie!