When searching through my recipes for a
really traditional South African Chicken Pie I could find none better than that contained in the Cook and Enjoy It recipe book by S. J. A. de Villiers
I do not generally use recipes from published works preferring to use those tried and true recipes given to me by friends.
As previously stated, this is the best South African Chicken Pie recipe which I possess
Since it is one from Mrs de Villiers, that I have often used with no alteration, I have no hesitation using it verbatim on my website as a fine example of South African Traditional cooking.
SIDE NOTE:-Mrs de Villiers was the doyen of South African cook book authors. Her Afrikaans cookbook "Kook en Geniet" celebrated it's 60th anniversary in 2011
The English version "Cook and Enjoy It" now Cook and Enjoy" is 10 years younger, both of which are still in print after a number of revisions, a remarkable achievement testifying to the quality of this great book which I heartily recommend.
The Chicken Pie Recipe given below, which comes from the 2002 reprint of the 1992 seventh revised edition is basically a word for word translation of that given in the 1951 Kook en Geniet original edition, so it definitely qualifies as a traditional chicken pie recipe
Anyway, enough waffling, on with this delicious recipe
Chicken Pie Ingredients
1 chicken weighing 1.5kg [3lb 5oz] approximately
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion
500ml [2 cups] hot water
125ml [½ cup] white wine
8 peppercorns
1ml [¼ tsp] ground mace
5 allspice berries
15ml [1 Tbsp] sago
30ml [2 Tbsp] vermicelli
30ml [2 Tbsp] butter
1 egg yolk
juice of 1 lemon
4 slices ham
2 hard-boiled eggs
puff pastry
15ml [1 Tbsp] milk
To make the Chicken Pie
Wash, singe and cut the bird into pieces
Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and place in heavy saucepan
Chop the onion finely and add it, the hot water and white wine to the saucepan
Tie the spices in a cheesecloth and add
Simmer the chicken gently until tender and the meat falls off the bones
Add the sago, vermicelli and 15ml [1 Tbsp] butter stirring carefully to ensure the sago and vermicelli do not burn
Remove the bag containing the spices as well as all the large chicken bones
Preheat the oven to 230oC [450oF]
Beat the egg yolk, set 5ml [1 tsp] aside and mix the rest with the lemon juice
Add the egg/lemon mixture to the chicken and stir slowly until thick and creamy then remove from the heat
Place the chicken in a pie dish with pieces of ham and sliced hard-boiled egg inbetween and dot the meat with the remaining butter
Place a heat-proof egg cup in the center of the pie dish to prevent the pastry from sagging
Cover the chicken [and egg cup] with the puff pastry and garnish with strips of the pastry. Brush the top of the chicken pie with the reserved egg yolk and milk
Make a few slits in the pastry to let steam escape and then bake for 30 minutes
This traditional South African Chicken Pie can be served with chicken giblet gravy or sour pie sauce with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
The chicken pie is also delicious when eaten cold.
