Erin’s Sunday Kitchen

Chicken Curry Pies

I’ve made chicken curry pies many times and they are the BEST! They are also definitely a pie shop staple, but they’re super delicious and you can easily make them at home.

This recipe is supposed to be easy and quick, and these make the best lunches ever. You can pack the entire thing in your lunchbox and you have a whole meal within the one pie (or one bite).

I’m honestly not too fussy on the ingredients and it’s a great way to use up random vegetables without really being able to taste them, but every time the recipe starts the same. I always like to add chicken of course, and some cubed up potatoes into my filling!

Essentially, as long as you have these spices and follow the general recipe, which is to sauté them with onions, garlic, a bit of brown sugar and top it off with some cream, these curry pies will turn out delicious.

I’ve tried a few different renditions, but my favourite way for the pastry is to use shortcrust pastry on the bottom and puff pastry on the top. The shortcrust pastry on the bottom gives it that proper pie base so it never goes soggy, even when reheating, and the puff pastry on top goes golden and flaky, making even an ugly pie come out BEAUTIFULLY!

Put a little bit of butter or egg wash on them and they will come out delicious. They are cosy, easy, filling and just one of those recipes that feels like something you would buy from a bakery, except you made them at home.

Why These Chicken Curry Pies Work

The best thing about these chicken curry pies is that they are not precious. You can add whatever vegetables you have sitting around, and once everything is cooked down with the curry spices, onion, garlic, chicken, potatoes and cream, it all just works.

They also make such good lunches because it is literally a full meal inside pastry. You can make a batch, keep them in the fridge, freeze some, or pack one whole pie into your lunchbox and be done.

The shortcrust pastry on the bottom and puff pastry on the top is my favourite combination. It gives you that proper pie shop feeling without making pastry from scratch, because the whole point of this recipe is that it is easy, quick and actually doable.

I’ll add my full video and recipe card so you can see exactly how I make them.

A Few Things Before You Start

Don’t stress too much about the exact vegetables. Use what you have, make sure the filling is thick enough before it goes into the pastry, and use shortcrust on the bottom with puff pastry on the top for the best pie shop style result.

Chicken Curry Pies Recipe

Below is the full recipe card with the ingredients, curry filling method, pastry instructions and baking time. Once they are golden and bubbling, let them cool slightly before eating because the filling will be so hot.

Chicken Curry Pies

The perfect one-bite lunch… mini chicken curry pies!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 Pies
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 potatoes washed & cubed
  • 1 red onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic finely diced
  • 1 carrot cubed
  • 1 chilli optional, diced
  • 2 tomatoes cubed
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock use as needed – filling must be thick
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 300 ml thickened cream
  • 300 g shredded chicken approx
  • 2 sheets shortcrust pasty
  • 2 sheets puff pastry
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar white vinegar can be used too
Spices – Can be substituted for 1-2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander seed
  • 2 tsp ground cumin seed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger ground
  • 1 tsp fenugreek optional
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 Cupcake Tray
  • 1 Large pan
  • 1 Cookie cutter or small bowl to cut the pastry optional

Method
 

  1. Add the butter and olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. (The olive oil helps stop the butter from burning.)
  2. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, salt and spices. (Add any harder optional vegetables here too.) Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion has browned and the spices are aromatic – you may need to turn the heat up a little.
  3. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir vigorously to deglaze the pan.
  4. Add the brown sugar, diced tomatoes and half of the flour. Mix well for about 2 minutes, until the flour is cooked out and darkened slightly.
  5. Add half of the chicken stock and stir until it is incorporated with the flour and the mixture is smooth.
  6. Add the remaining flour, repeating the process above, and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir again until fully combined.
  7. Add the potatoes and bring the heat down to a gentle simmer.
  8. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the cream and cooked chicken, making sure to adjust your taste for salt and sugar here.
  10. Lightly grease a cupcake/muffin tray with oil or butter.
  11. Cut circles or squares from the shortcrust pastry and press them into the greased tray, ensuring the pastry comes up the sides and slighlty over the top (see pictures).
  12. Spoon the filling evenly between each pastry case – depending on how many extra vegetables you added, you may have some leftover to be enjoyed with rice!
  13. Cut circular pieces from the puff pastry using a small bowl or cookie cutter and place them on top of each pie.
  14. Press the edges together with your fingers to seal the pies.
  15. Poke a small hole in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape.
  16. Brush the tops with egg wash or melted butter.
  17. Bake at 190°C fan-forced for approximately 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
  18. Allow the pies to cool slightly. If the tray has been greased well, they should pop straight out.
  19. Serve with sour cream and fresh coriander if desired!

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