Lemon Infused Chicken Pie

Whether you are preparing a whole chicken or just a few chicken breasts, the lemon flavour has to be deliciously prominent. And to do so, two whole lemons will be infusing the chicken as it bakes in the tinfoil-covered packets.

Chef’s tip

If you’re not sure whether you should make a whole chicken or not, we’re here to tell you to do it. Shred the whole chicken and keep the rest for other meals throughout the week. Delicious chicken mayo sandwiches can be made, or perhaps a creamy, chicken pasta. Either way, you’ll find a way to enjoy the leftover chicken.

How to ensure that the chicken pie does not come out dry

No one enjoys a dry pie, so to ensure that this chicken pie is extra juicy and tasty, a creamy mushroom and vegetable sauce is prepared. 

We’re all about keeping it easy and quick where we can, so if you have some frozen veggies in the freezer, now is the time to use them. A classic mix of peas and carrots will work perfectly with the added mushrooms. And if happen to have fresh vegetables, even better. Feel free to also add an onion to the mix for some extra flavour.

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Lemon Infused Chicken Pie

This lemon-infused chicken pie is filled with healthy and flavourful vegetables and is even topped off with a quick and easy homemade pie crust.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Global

Keyword Chicken

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Adelaide Havinga

Ingredients

Roasting the Chicken

• 1 whole chicken or just chicken breasts
• freshly ground salt and pepper
• enough butter
• 2 lemons sliced in half
• juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• foil to wrap the chicken

To add to the Chicken Pie

• 2 tins creamy mushroom soup 
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter.
• 200 g mushrooms, sliced 
• 15 ml fresh thyme leaves, (Dried thyme leaves will be fine)
• mixed frozen vegetables of your choice (defrosted)
• juices set aside from roasted chicken and extra chicken broth should be about 2 cups 

Pie Crust

• 125 ml oil
• 125 ml milk
• 200 ml flour ( or 200ml flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder)
• 1 large egg (Beat well with a fork and a little water)

Instructions

Roasting the Chicken

• Preheat the oven: 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F – for boneless chicken breasts, we recommend baking them in foil for 25–30 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken. The whole chicken will take longer, about 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.
• Tear off some foil: Use a sheet of foil that is big enough to seal your chicken and accompanying ingredients. You’ll do the same for each piece of chicken. Be sure to lightly spray or oil your foil to prevent sticking. You can also use non-stick foil.
• Place each piece of chicken and its accompanying ingredients on its own sheet of foil, or place the whole chicken on the foil. 
• Stuff 1/2 lemons inside the cavity of the whole chicken.  
• Add teaspoons of butter under the chicken skin, rub all over with the butter, sprinkle the lemon juice, season, and sprinkle the fresh herbs.  For the chicken breast, put a dash of butter on each breast, sprinkle the lemon juice, season, and sprinkle the fresh herbs. 
• Seal your packets: To create the chicken packets, fold the foil lengthwise around the chicken and ingredients, and roll up the ends to create a seal.
• Bake the packets: Bake your chicken in the packet and then unwrap the foil to check for its doneness. Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, which you can check with your meat thermometer. If it’s not finished cooking, roll the foil back up and return to the oven for a few more minutes.
• When done, remove from the oven, when cooled shred the chicken, and set aside all the yummy juices.

To add to the Chicken Pie

• Prepare a casserole dish with nonstick spray and Preheat the oven to 180°C– 356°F
• Place the shredded chicken pieces in a casserole dish.
• Combine 2 cups of the broth and a little flour combined with butter in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil until the mixture has slightly thickened.
• Add the vegetables to the chicken.
• Stir-fry the sliced mushrooms with butter, add on top of the chicken mixture and the thyme.
• Pour the broth mixture over the chicken pieces 

Pie Crust

• In a bowl, add all the above ingredients and whisk until a smooth mixture,  it must be slightly runny. If the dough is too thick, add 1 egg and 125ml milk.
• Pour over chicken pieces and spread evenly.
• Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes (if making it double, 30 minutes) or until crust is cooked through and golden brown

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