Chicken and Ham Pie

Why I Love Chicken and Ham Pie with Shortcrust Pastry

I love all of the pies, but this chicken and ham pie recipe is especially fabulous because:

• Ham and chicken pie is super cheap and easy. 
• White sauce for chicken and ham pie if made simply with cream, stock, tarragon and mustard. It’s rich, filling and absolutely yummy. 
• Easy chicken and ham pie recipe is perfect for busy nights, or bigger dinners. It’s a great family dinner that my kids love.

Ingredients For Chicken and Ham Pie

When I make this easy chicken and ham pie with shortcrust pastry I use:

Readymade Shortcrust Pastry – You can use a block, or ready rolled and just roll it out a little more to fit your tin or its shape. 

Butter – You can swap to margarine. 

Chicken Breasts

Red Onion

Double Cream

Chicken Stock

Wholegrain Mustard

Tarragon

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Frozen Peas – They don’t need to be defrosted, you can add them frozen. 

Cooked Ham – Nice thick ham is great. I use ham trimmings, which are cheap, thick and perfect for this type of meal. They’re a bit like broken biscuits. 

Plain Flour – This is just to dust the surface. 

Egg – Some readymade pastry doesn’t need an egg wash, so check the packet. 

You’ll Also Need

You’ll need a sharp knife, chopping board and rolling pin. 

You can prepare the filling in any non-stick, flameproof pan or dish. I use my large cast iron Dutch oven, but a large frying pan will work too. 

Then, to bake the pie, you’ll need an ovenproof dish. I tend to use my 8-inch square cake tin, because it’s nice and deep, but a pie tin or pie dish is great. Use what you’ve got. 

How to Make Chicken and Ham Pie– Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large, non-stick, flameproof dish or pan over medium heat on the hob. 

Step Two

Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often until browned. It doesn’t need to be cooked through just browned on the outsides. 

Step Three

Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Step Four

Add the stock, cream, mustard, tarragon and a good pinch of black pepper. 

Step Five

Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until you have a nice thick sauce. If the sauce is still too thin, simmer for a little longer. 

Step Six

Add the ham and peas and stir well. 

Step Seven

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step Eight

Remove from the heat while you prepare the pastry. It will thicken as it cools. Your pastry packet might say that it will work better if the pie filling is cool, but just leaving it while you prepare the pastry is fine, it certainly doesn’t need to be cold. 

Step Nine

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into two squares. One big enough to fill the bottom and sides of the tin with a little hanging over it. The other should be large enough to cover the top.

Step Ten

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) and grease the bottom and sides of your baking tin with butter or margarine. 

Step Eleven

Place the larger pastry square into the tin and press into the bottom and sides with a little hanging over. If any tears, just rip a little off from an overhang and patch it, this will all be inside, so it doesn’t need to be neat. 

Step Twelve

Spoon in the pie filling, filling to the top if possible. Even better if it piles up a little. 

Step Thirteen

Cover gently with the pastry lid.

Step Fourteen

Press the edges and the hanging-over bits together by firmly pinching around the edges of the tin with your fingers.

Step Fifteen

Trim away any excess by carefully sliding a sharp knife along the outer edge of the tin. 

Step Sixteen

Beat an egg in a small bowl.

Step Seventeen

Use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg liberally onto the top of the pie.

Step Eighteen

Use a knife to stab two holes into the middle of the pastry. 

Step Nineteen

Place into the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until golden brown. You should be able to see the sauce bubbling through the holes. 

Step Twenty 

Remove from the oven and rest for a few minutes before carefully serving.

Serving Suggestions

This pie doesn’t have potatoes, so you could serve it with a heavy carb, like chips or mashed potatoes. 

But it is quite a filling pie, so light options, like mushy peas, or steamed veggies are fantastic too. 

Leftovers

I don’t recommend saving leftovers if you are using leftover meat. But if it’s fresh, you can warm leftover pie up in the oven or microwave, using a food thermometer to make sure the chicken is over 75 degrees C before serving.