BUTTER CHICKEN PIES
This Recipe Makes 8 Medium Sized Pies
Butter Chicken Pies: A Flavorful Twist on a Classic Dish
If you’re a fan of buttery, creamy chicken curry, then you’re in for a treat with Butter Chicken Pies – these savoury pies are a mouthwatering fusion of rich, aromatic butter chicken filling wrapped in a crisp, golden pastry. Perfect for dinner, parties, or even meal prep, these pies are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that will transport your taste buds straight to comfort food heaven.
Whether you make them as individual pies or a larger pie to share, these Butter Chicken Pies are the perfect combination of flaky, buttery crust and creamy, spiced filling. If you’ve ever craved butter chicken but wanted something portable and easy to eat, this recipe is for you!
Why Butter Chicken Pies?
Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is a beloved Indian dish known for its smooth, velvety tomato-based sauce and tender chicken. By turning it into a pie, you get all the flavors of this comforting curry in a convenient and delicious handheld form. The buttery, flaky crust complements the rich and creamy chicken filling perfectly, making each bite utterly irresistible.
Why the use of Shortcrust Pastry?
Unlike puff pastry, which is light and airy with multiple layers, shortcrust pastry is denser and provides a solid base. This makes it better for supporting heavier fillings, as it won’t collapse or lose its shape under the weight.
In summary, shortcrust pastry is the best choice for pie bases because of its flaky texture, sturdiness, buttery flavor, and ability to hold fillings well without becoming soggy. Whether you’re making a hearty savory pie like a butter chicken pie or a sweet fruit pie, shortcrust pastry will ensure the perfect base to complement your filling!
Butter Chicken Pies Ingredients:
Butter Chicken:
- The butter chicken recipe can be found “here“.
The Pies:
- 400 grams shortcrust pastry
- 400 grams puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 10cm foil tins
Method:
- Start off by making the Butter Chicken as this is going to be the filling. If you are tempted to eat this before filling the pies – my trick is to make extra for dinner and save the remaining for the pies (this entire pot was just for 2 people so depending on your family, you can adjust the amounts).
- Make sure the Butter Chicken is cold before attempting to fill the pies as the hot filling will melt the pastry.
- I have used 10cm foil tins which I got from Westpack.
- The pastries should be thawed in the refrigerator beforehand. For this recipe I used Puff Pastry and Shortcrust pastry.
- Start by unrolling the Shortcrust Pastry. This is going to be used as the base of the pies.
- Use a cutter or a lid like I have which is a bit bigger than the circumference of the foil tin.
- Cut around the lid or cutter to form a circle.
- You should get about 3 circles out of this.
\- Please do not roll out the pastry to try and make more shapes. Gently fold the pastry with your hands and press down to create more circles. You should get 8 circles in total.
- Place the Shortcrust Pastry circles one at a time into the foil tins. Press down firmly so it covers the surface & outer edges
- Flip the tin over & cut off excess pastry.
- Continue this process until all the tins have the pastry base.
- Air fry for 7 minutes at 180° Celsius.
- Unroll the Puff Pastry. Do not roll it with a rolling pin – leave it as is.
- Take one of the foil tins and use this as a guide to cut the circles for the lids of the pie.
- You should get the whole 8 circles cut out from the pastry – the excess can be used to create shapes for the top of the pies if preferred.
- Crack the egg into a bowl and beat using a fork.
- Lightly brush some egg wash around the edge of the pie base.
- Place the puff pastry lids over & gently press down the edges so the lids can stay put.
- Use the tip of a fork to crimp the edges of the pastry & pierce the fork in the middle of the lid so steam can escape when baking.
- These can now be packed & frozen to consume whenever you want them.
- If you want to bake them, preheat your oven to 200° Celsius. Brush the remaining egg wash over the pies.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 200° Celsius – this will allow the puff pastry to rise. After 10 minutes lower the heat to 180° Celsius & allow to bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Alternatively, these can be air fried at 180° Celsius for 20 minutes, then flip them over & air fry for a further 5 minutes just to make sure the bottom cooks as the element in the air fryer is only at the top.
- Allow them to cool for a bit on the baking tray before serving.
- The bottom side of the pies should be thoroughly cooked – some have mentioned that their pastry didn’t cook through so this would depend on your oven. I would suggest flipping them over to make sure it is cooked or pop them into your air fryer (flipped).
- These pies are perfect for lunch boxes, a quick dinner, ramadan preps, etc.
