Skip to main content

Weekend Recipe: Moravian Chicken Pie

Moravian Chicken Pie
This Moravian chicken pie recipe from Cook's Country yields a satisfying double-crusted pie filled with shredded chicken and served with a rich gravy.
Support Provided By

Moravian Chicken Pie

We first seared the chicken to render the fat from its skin, which we used later in a roux to thicken the gravy. To ensure it would be moist, we then poached the chicken in chicken broth and used that broth for our gravy. After shredding the chicken, we tossed it with some of the gravy base to continue to keep it moist during cooking. While the pie cooked, we thinned the remaining gravy base with more chicken broth to give the final gravy the perfect consistency.

Ingredients

  • Crust: 1/2 cup sour cream, chilled
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Ingredients

  • Pie: 2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
  • 3 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. FOR THE CRUST: Combine sour cream and egg in bowl. Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until only pea-size pieces remain, about 10 pulses. Add half of sour cream mixture and pulse until combined, 5 pulses. Add remaining sour cream mixture and pulse until dough begins to form, about 10 pulses.

2. Transfer mixture to lightly floured counter and knead briefly until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each half into 4-inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before using.)

3. Remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes. Working on lightly floured counter, roll into 12-inch round and transfer to 9-inch pie plate, leaving 1/2-inch overhang all around. Repeat with second dough disk and transfer to parchment – lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover both doughs with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. FOR THE PIE: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.

5. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.

6. Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.

7. When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve pie with gravy.


Note

If you get less than 2 tablespoons of fat from browning the chicken in step 4, supplement it with butter. The pie may seem loose when it comes out of the oven; it will set up as it cools.

Support Provided By
Chicken Pot Pie

Weekend Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie for Two

To simplify the Chicken Pot Pie, this recipe opted to make two individual pies inside of ramekins.
Photo courtesy of Cook's Country

Weekend Recipe: Delmonico Potatoes

This is a worthy substitute to what you'll find at the New York City steakhouse.
Photo: Plan Check

Cocktail Recipe: Kentucky Bubble Bath

This is a clean, refreshing cocktail that will still pack a punch.
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.