For fans of butter chicken, now you can have your favourite creamy Indian curry in pie form, thanks to this Butter Chicken Pot Pie recipe. Boneless chicken thighs are cooked in a creamy, mildly spiced curry sauce, then baked in ramekins, topped with crispy puff pastry lids. Just 20 minutes of prep is required, then the oven does the rest.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Ingredients
1tbspolive oil
1tbspunsalted butter
1onion, finely diced
2garlic cloves, finely chopped
1tbspminced ginger
500gboneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2tspgaram masala
1tspground cumin
1tspyellow mustard seeds
1tspground turmeric
1tspsea salt flakes, plus extra for pie topping
¼tspfreshly cracked black pepper
2tbsptomato paste
250mlthickened (whipping/heavy) cream
370gcooked basmati rice
1sheetpuff pastry, slightly thawed
1egg, whisked
1tspblack sesame seeds
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the chicken, garam masala, cumin, yellow mustard seeds, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the chicken is slightly browned.
Add the tomato paste and cream, stir to combine, and cook for 8 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) (200°C/400°F fan-forced). Remove the pastry from the freezer and leave it on your bench to thaw.
Divide the rice evenly among four ovenproof ramekins (½ cup/125 ml each). (See note 1 if you'd like to make one large pie instead.)
Top the rice with the butter chicken mixture.
Cut the puff pastry sheet into four even squares and top each ramekin with a square of pastry. Fold down the edges using your fingers.
Brush the pastry all over with the egg. Sprinkle each pie with sesame seeds and salt.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Notes
Note 1 – You can make this as one large pot pie, but the cooking time will be a little longer than for the individual pies. As a guide, I’d allow an extra 10–15 minutes, keeping an eye on the pastry and covering loosely with foil if it’s browning too quickly. You’ll know it’s ready when the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden and cooked through.
MAKE AHEAD
The Butter Chicken Pot Pie filling can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
LEFTOVERS
If made fresh on the day, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. The pastry will soften. If preferred, remove the pastry and reheat it separately in a preheated 220°C (425°F) (200°C/400°F fan-forced) oven until crisp and heated through. Not suitable to freeze.
Nutrition Facts
Butter Chicken Pot Pie
Amount per Serving
Calories
834
% Daily Value*
Fat
54
g
83
%
Saturated Fat
23
g
144
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
21
g
Cholesterol
241
mg
80
%
Sodium
924
mg
40
%
Potassium
636
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
53
g
18
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
5
g
6
%
Protein
34
g
68
%
Vitamin A
1305
IU
26
%
Vitamin C
6
mg
7
%
Calcium
100
mg
10
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.