Chicken Pastel

It's another ordinary day! But who says you can't prepare a special meal when there's no special occasion? Here's another hearty dish that is served during fiestas and special occasions in the Philippines. It’s easy to prepare and you you can cook this any day you want.

Chicken Pastel or Pastel De Pollo in Spanish, is the Filipino version of Chicken Pot Pie. The main difference is that chicken pastel doesn’t have a bottom crust, only top crust.

My mother used to cook chicken pastel often but not with the pie crust on top because we didn’t have an oven then. It is a very creamy dish that my brother and I love when we were growing up.

I’m going to share with you the original version of this dish wherein the chicken stew is topped with a pie crust and then baked. It is more elegant to serve chicken pastel during special occasions with the crust on top. But I know that we, Filipinos love to eat everything with rice. So let me tell you that you can omit the crust part and just serve the chicken stew with rice.

If you are looking for a scrumptious chicken dish, this is a must-try!

Prep Time: 30 mins          Cook Time: ~1hour           Servings: 4-6                                

Ingredients:

• 2 big boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 pc lemon
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 pcs Chinese chorizo, bias sliced
• 2 pcs beef franks, bias sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, minced,
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 big potato, cubed
• 1 regular sized carrot, cubed
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup button mushrooms, cut in half
• 6 to 10 pcs green olives
• ¼ cup grated  cheddar cheese
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/8 cup water

Procedure: 

1. Sprinkle chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper then marinade in lemon and soy sauce for at least 30 minutes. After marinating, drain chicken.

2. In a pan over medium heat, fry chicken in melted butter until light brown. Push chicken to one side of the pan.

3. Add garlic and sauté until light brown. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add chorizo and beef franks and sauté for 2 minutes. Mix well with other ingredients.

4. Pour chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add fish sauce, potato, carrot, bell pepper and mushrooms and simmer for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are half cooked.

5. Add sweet peas, green olives and grated cheese. Mix well.

6. Dissolve cornstarch in evaporated milk. Pour mixture into the pan. Mix well until sauce is thickened. Add salt & pepper to suit your taste. Continue cooking until vegetables are done, that is about 2 minutes more. Do not overcook.

7. Transfer to a baking dish.

8. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. In a bowl, combine flour, butter and salt.
10. Gradually pour the cold water while mixing the ingredients. Mix well. Gather the dough and mold it into a ball.

11. On a flat surface, flatten the dough by using a rolling pin.

12. Fit the dough on top of the dish and trim according to the size of the dish. Shape the edge of the dough by pressing using a fork or your finger tips.
13. Punch small holes on the pastry to let out steam during baking.
14.Bake until crust is golden brown (about 30-35 minutes). Brush with beaten egg three to four times during baking.
15. Serve hot!

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