Hairy Bikers Chicken and Chorizo Pie Recipe

Hairy Bikers chicken and chorizo pie is their Basque oilasko pastela, with paprika-rubbed thighs, chorizo and peppers in tomato under a crisp pastry lid. So their Big Book of Baking recipe serves 4 to 5 in about 1¾ hours, at 760 calories each for 4 on BBC Food.

“Some say that Basque food is the best in Spain,” they write, “and if this top-notch pie is anything to go by, they’re right!” And unlike most chicken pies, it has no stock or cream, because the tomatoes and pan juices make the sauce, thickened with a little flour.

Getting that sauce thick and smooth matters most, since to my mind a thin, lumpy filling would spoil the crisp lid. So the tilted-pan trick is worth the care, because they say it “should prevent little clumps of flour”.

Hairy Bikers Chicken and Chorizo Pie Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Spanish Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: 30 minutesTotal time:1 hour 45 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:760 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Smoky paprika thighs, sliced chorizo, red and green peppers and skinned tomatoes cook together in one frying pan until juicy. Then the filling cools in a deep tin before a homemade pastry lid goes on and bakes until golden.

Ingredients

For the 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 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 150g chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into thin slices
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 large ripe tomatoes (each about 100g), skinned and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp flour

For the pastry

• 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 75g unsalted butter
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 4 to 5 tbsp cold water
• 1 egg, beaten, or whole milk, to glaze

Instructions

1. Season the chicken: Put the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle over the paprika, salt and plenty of black pepper. Then rub the seasoning into the meat and set it aside. And to skin the tomatoes, I’d score a cross in each, then cover with boiling water for about a minute and peel.
2. Fry the vegetables and chicken: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions and peppers with the thyme and bay leaves for 3 minutes, stirring. Then add the chicken and its seasoning and cook for 3 minutes more, turning it until it starts to colour.
3. Add the chorizo and tomatoes: Add the chorizo and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft and juicy.
4. Thicken the sauce: Tilt the pan so the liquid runs to one side, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, chicken and chorizo and stir it in quickly. Set the pan level and stir the juices into the flour, then cook for a minute until it thickens, seasoning to taste.
5. Cool the filling: Tip everything into a roasting tin or dish about 25 x 30cm and at least 4cm deep. Then lift out the bay leaves and thyme stalks, my tip, and leave it to cool for about 30 minutes.
6. Make the pastry: Pulse the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and egg yolk in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then, with the motor running, slowly add just enough of the water to bring it together as a dough, and form it into a ball. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
7. Top and bake: Roll the pastry into a rectangle about the size of the tin, then lay it over the filling and tuck the sides down around it. Brush with beaten egg or milk and bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is piping hot.

FAQs

Is this the Hairy Bikers Spanish chicken pie?

Yes, this is their Basque chicken and chorizo pie from the Spain episode of Bakeation on BBC Two. And in their Big Book of Baking it carries its Basque name, oilasko pastela.

If you’d rather skip the pastry, their Spanish chicken tray bake roasts thighs, chorizo and new potatoes in one tin at 370 calories.

What chorizo should I use?

A firm cured chorizo ring is my pick, because it slices thinly, though the recipe only says chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into thin slices. But I’d say cooking chorizo works too, since it gets another 30 minutes in the oven.

And for more chicken and chorizo together, their chicken and chorizo paella fries the chorizo until crisp before the rice goes in.

Is it very salty?

It can be, because chorizo is salty and the chicken is rubbed with 2 teaspoons of flaked sea salt before cooking. And on BBC Food it comes to 4.9g of salt a portion, while the NHS advises adults to keep under 6g a day.

So I’d start with 1 teaspoon of salt on the chicken, which is my own change, and taste the sauce at step 4. Since the method already says to season there, you lose nothing by holding back.

Is it enough for 4?

It’s written for 4 to 5, but with just 4 chicken thighs, the peppers, onions and chorizo do a lot of the filling. So for bigger appetites I’d add a fifth or sixth thigh, which is my tweak rather than theirs.

And with pastry only on top, I’d serve it with green vegetables or a salad. Or for a richer pie for 6, their chicken, ham and leek pie uses 3 chicken breasts and 150g of ham in cream. And for a spiced pie, their Indian-style curried chicken pie also serves 6, with 800g of chicken in turmeric pastry.

Can I make it ahead or freeze it?

Yes, it’s easy to plan ahead, though the book doesn’t cover it. So here’s what I do: chill the cooled filling within 2 hours and keep it for up to 2 days. Then add the pastry and bake until piping hot, allowing about 10 minutes longer from cold.

I’d also freeze the filling on its own for up to 3 months, then defrost it overnight in the fridge before baking. But since that bake is its reheat, I wouldn’t reheat leftovers again, because the FSA advises reheating food only once.