Basque chicken pie filling
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into 12 wedges
1 green pepper, halved, seeded and sliced
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
150g/5½oz chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into thin slices
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 large ripe tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
2 tbsp flour
For the pastry
225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
75g/2¾oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 medium egg yolk
4–5 tbsp cold water
1 egg, beaten, or full-fat milk, to glaze
- Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle over the paprika, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Rub the seasoning into the meat and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan
- Fry the onions and peppers with the thyme and bay leaves for 3 minutes, while stirring.
- Add the chicken and seasoning
- Cook for another 3 minutes, turning the chicken regularly until it is starting to colour.
- Add the chorizo and garlic and fry for 2 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until they are softened and juicy, stirring regularly.
- Tilt the pan so that the liquid runs to one side and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, chicken and chorizo.
- Stir it in quickly
- Set the pan level and stir the cooking liquor into the flour.
- Continue to cook for one minute, stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from the heat and tip everything into a roasting tin or ovenproof dish, measuring about 25x30cm/10x12in and at least 4cm/1½in deep.
- Leave to cool.
- Pulse the pastry flour, baking powder, salt, butter and egg yolk in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Slowly pour in the water with the motor running, blending until the mixture just comes together as a dough.
- Form the dough into a ball.
- Roll the pastry out into a rectangle about the same size as the tin.
- Place it over the pie filling and tuck the sides of the pastry down around the filling.
- Brush with beaten egg or milk to glaze.
- Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven preheated to 200°C or until the pastry is golden and the filling is hot.