Cajun-style chicken pie with shortcrust pastry

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g flour
• 120 g butter, cold in pieces
• ½ tsp thyme, dried
• 200 ml cream
• 400 g chicken breast, without skin and bones
• 2 slices of bacon
• 2 cl sherry, dry
• 125 ml chicken broth
• 125 ml cream
• 5 spring onions
• 1 tbsp roux
• 1 egg(s) or milk for brushing
• Oil (sunflower oil)
• Pepper, freshly ground n. B.
• Salt, n. B.

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Arcadian chicken tourte

Crumble the flour, thyme, and butter. Add the cream and knead into a shortcrust pastry. Wrap in foil and let rest in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. In the meantime, wash the chicken breasts, trim them, and cut into strips or cubes. Dice the bacon and slice the spring onions. Preheat the oven to 220°C (top/bottom heat) or 200°C (fan). Heat the oil in a pan. Brown the chicken breasts in batches. Add the bacon and brown. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with the sherry. Allow the liquid to evaporate completely. Then pour in the chicken stock and cream and bring to a boil. Add the roux and simmer over low heat until it thickens. I always use roux brun, which imparts a very nutty flavor to the sauces. Add the spring onions and pour into a greased, round baking dish. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2 cm (the dough will stick a bit, so place a piece of cling film over it if necessary). Cut out circles of about 5 cm, prick them several times with a fork, and arrange them in a fan shape on the ragù. Only overlap the circles slightly, otherwise they won’t crisp up. Brush with milk or beaten egg and bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes (depending on your oven) until golden brown. If you have any leftover dough circles, simply bake them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and serve. Serve with a green salad with a refreshing dressing! Optional: If you’d like more sauce, increase the proportions of cream and chicken stock and add a little more roux. However, make sure the dish is a bit wider/larger. Otherwise, the cream sauce will boil over too high and cover the shortcrust pastry circles, which won’t crisp up.