Chicken pastel - Filipino chicken pot pie
Chicken Pastel - chicken pot pie with chorizo and stuffed olives
When I think of holidays and celebrations, Chicken Pastel or the Filipino version of chicken pot pie comes to mind. The mingling of Chinese and Spanish ingredients makes Chicken Pastel a unique and traditional comfort food.
There are many variations and interpretations of chicken pastel from Spain to the Americas. This is my version of Chicken Pastel from the Philippines which fills me with nostalgia and fond memories of Mom's homecooked meals.
All photos are owned by Bakerwoman All RIghts Reserved
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless chicken
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbsps. soy sauce
- Mexican pork chorizo
- 1 can Vienna sausage
- Stuffed small Manzanilla olives
- 3 cups water
- 3 large carrots sliced
- 9 small potatoes or 3 medium quartered
- 11 white mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature ( 1 stick)
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/8 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 beaten egg + 2 tbsps. water for egg wash
Instructions
Step 1
Slice 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast into 2- inch pieces and put into a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce and the juice of one lemon.
Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
TIP: Make sure to remove any lemon seeds from the chicken as these can get wedged between your teeth.
Step 2
Add 3 cups of water into a dutch oven and the drained marinated chicken. Boil uncovered until all of the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
Using the same pan. add 2 tablespoons butter into the pan and brown chicken for 2 minutes.
Prepare pork chorizo, Vienna sausages and stuffed Manzanilla olives
Slice Vienna sausages and set aside 20 Manzanilla olives for later.
The Mexican pork chorizo is what I used for this recipe instead of Spanish sausage (Chorizo de Bilbao).
Step 3
Pork chorizo - secret ingredient of the chicken pastel
Remove pork chorizo from its casing and pan fry until cooked for about 10 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of cooked chorizo to the chicken. Reserve the rest for breakfast as this is great with scrambled eggs.
Spanish sausage or chorizo de Bilbao can be used if available. It is cured and sliced like a regular sausage unlike the Mexican sausage.. I opted for the Chorizo de Puerco Mexican ground sausage as this was lean and fresh and was the only chorizo I could find at the local supermarket. The blend of robust spices and lean pork made this chicken pastel so flavorful and special.
Step 4
Slice 3 large carrots, contents of one carton of white mushrooms ( about 11) and 3 medium potatoes or 9 small ones like the ones shown. Set mushrooms aside.
Add the potatoes and carrots only to the chicken mixture as these take longer to cook than the mushrooms. Add 2 cups chicken broth and simmer covered until potatoes and carrots are tender about 15 minutes.
Get those vegetable peeled and sliced efficiently
Step 5
Add sliced mushrooms, Vienna sausages and stuffed Manzanilla olives. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
The olives and the Vienna sausages add the saltiness to the dish. There is no need to season with salt.
Thicken the sauce
Mix 1/2 cup water and 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth.
Step 6 - Add this into the chicken and vegetable mixture to thicken the sauce.
Stir for 1 minute. The chicken dish should look like this and ready to be scooped to a casserole.
Dutch oven are great for casseroles and stews
Step 7 - Slice 4 hardboiled eggs
This egg slicer comes with two cutting wire disks - one for the traditional egg slicer and the other as a wedge slicer. Slicing hardboiled eggs horizontally and then vertically creates clean-cut chopped eggs for egg salads.
Heavy-duty egg slicer cuts with style - One of my best kitchen helpers
Hardboiled eggs never looked so good. Clean-cut, uniform, and slices so quickly.
Step 8 - Transfer to dish
Step 9 (optional) - Top with wedges of four hardboiled eggs
Transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture into a casserole. This is now ready for the pie crust.
Make the pie crust for the chicken pastel
Make the pie crust
Mix 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temperature, 1/8 cup vegetable oil, and 1/4 cup cold water.
If you do not have a pastry cutter, use a fork or blend with your fingers to form dough into a ball.
Roll dough with rolling pin from the center out between two sheets of wax paper - Cut off uneven edges with a knife and rolling until dough is large enough to f
Pie crust should look like this - Fold crust in half, lift and fit over half of casserole
This is the trick I used to fit the pastry crust over the casserole easily without tearing it or stretching it. Fold the crust in half over the top sheet of wax paper. This will expose the crust. Fold the bottom half of the wax paper under the dough. Carefully lift the dough and flip the exposed dough over the casserole allowing a slight overhang. Unfold the other half of the dough and the wax paper. Trim the edges evenly and press with a fork to seal.
Every pie maker needs a rolling pin
A rolling pin is great for crushing nuts, Graham crackers, vanilla wafers for great dessert recipes.
Brush crust with egg wash - Mix 1 beaten egg with 2 tbsp. water to create egg wash
Egg wash gives the pie crust a nice golden color when done. Use a silicone brush or pastry brush to evenly coat the unbaked crust. Pierce the crust with a fork to create vents for steam while baking. This is important so as not to make the crust puff up with an unwanted pocket.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Bon appetit! - Chicken pastel is ready to be served.
This dish is great by itself or with French bread to sop up the flavors. The blend of the chicken, vegetables, chorizo and other ingredients make this chicken pot pie unlike any other. A bowl of green salad and a glass of wine will complete this great holiday comfort food. Salud!
French White serving dishes - Simple but elegant
Interesting links to other Chicken chorizo recipes
- Spanish Chorizo - What is Spanish Chorizo? FAQ
Chorizo is a sausage that has many different varieties and is eaten all over Spain, made with pork meat and paprika. - SPANISH CHICKEN WITH CHORIZO AND POTATOES | Recipes | Nigella Lawson
Much as I love to have a pan bubbling away on the stove, I often feel that the most stress free way to feed people is by taking the oven route. When I'm frazzled,… - Rachael Ray Show - Food - Chicken and Chorizo Skillet Supper With Thick-Cut Oven Fries in Garlic and
Rachel Rays's Chicken and Chorizo Skillet Supper with Thick-Cut Oven Fries in Garlic and Paprika Butter
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