British🍞 Bread & bakery

Chicken Tikka Curry Pies

Name: Chicken Tikka Curry Pies
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: ~2 cups plain flour; ~½ tsp salt; ~100 g butter; ~50 g lard; ~½ cup cold water; 2 chicken breast fillets; 1 white onion; 2 tbsp tikka curry powder; ~2 tbsp oil; ~1½ cups chicken stock; ~½ cup cream; ~1 tbsp cornflour; ~2 tbsp fresh coriander; 1 egg; ~1 tbsp milk

⏱ 120 min🍽 Serves 4

Four outstanding individual chicken tikka curry pies made with British short crust pastry. A delicious spiced chicken filling paired with golden, crispy pastry—simple to make yet impressive to serve.

Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood

4 Chicken Tikka Curry Pies: The best chicken curry pies you’ll ever taste.

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

plain flour~2 cupsest.
salt~½ tspest.
butter~100 gest.
lardor use solid vegetable fat, or use all butter~50 gest.
cold water~½ cupest.
chicken breast fillets2
white onionmedium-sized1
tikka curry powderhomemade spice mix or ready-made blend2 tbsp

Steps

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1
Make short crust pastry using a food processor: add flour and salt, then the cold butter and lard, pulse for about 40 seconds until breadcrumb texture (or rub by hand quickly if doing it manually). Slowly drizzle in cold water until the dough comes together. Divide into four pieces, flatten slightly, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2
Prepare the curry filling: dice the chicken breast into small pieces and finely dice the onion. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, and fry until soft, about 4–5 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes until it starts to turn white. Add the tikka curry powder and mix thoroughly, stirring for a few more minutes until everything is evenly coated.
3
Add stock and simmer: pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and return to a simmer. Stir in the cornflour to thicken immediately. Finally, add fresh coriander (optional) and taste for seasoning. Cover and allow to cool completely; ideally prepare this the day before and refrigerate overnight.
4
Roll out the pastry: remove one pastry portion from the fridge and knead gently if it's been chilled longer than 30 minutes to make it more pliable. Dust the bench and pastry with flour, then roll to 3 mm thickness using an adjustable rolling pin. Cut bases using a 7-inch (17 cm) cutter and lids using a 6-inch (14 cm) cutter. Repeat for all four pies.
5
Make egg wash: crack a large egg into a bowl, add a dash of milk, and whisk vigorously until the mixture runs off the whisk as a loose liquid. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F or gas mark 3). Grease the pie tins with a little butter.
6
Assemble the pies: gently place a pastry base into the greased tin and press it down carefully. Prick a few holes into the base with a fork (this is called docking) to prevent bubbling during baking. Spoon in the cooled curry filling, level with or just below the top of the case. Tap gently on the bench to release air pockets.
7
Seal the pies: brush egg wash around the rim of the pastry base (avoiding the gap between pastry and tin). Brush a little egg wash on the edge of the lid. Line up and gently press the lid down around the rim. Crimp the edge with your fingers and thumbs using a fluting motion. Trim excess pastry with a knife blade, cut two vent holes in the centre, crimp the edge again for a neat finish, and brush egg wash over the entire lid surface.
8
Bake the pies: place into the preheated oven and set the timer for 50 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively, you can freeze at this stage; simply defrost in the fridge for 24 hours and then bake as normal. Allow the pies to cool in the tins for a while before serving.

Chicken Tikka Curry Pies

Ingredients

Steps

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