Mediterranean Chicken Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Make the chicken filling: Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides with salt and pepper; go heavy on the pepper. Set aside.
• Put olive oil in a wide, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, turmeric, saffron, ginger, allspice and cinnamon, and stir to combine.
• Place seasoned chicken thighs on top of onion mixture, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover with lid ajar and cook until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove thighs from pot and let cool. Continue to cook onion mixture until all broth has evaporated and only onion remains. Turn off heat and let onions cool.
• Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken thighs. Tear thigh meat into 1-inch strips and add to onion mixture. Add raisins and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Chicken can be prepared in advance until this point.)
• Put ricotta in a bowl and add mint, preserved lemon, lemon juice, lemon zest and a little salt. Stir to combine, and set aside. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove phyllo from package, unroll to make a flat stack and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Assemble the pie: Brush bottom and sides of a 12-inch paella pan or low, round earthenware casserole with warm melted butter. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo side by side in pan, overlapping in the middle by 1 inch, pressing down in the center so phyllo lines bottom of pan, leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Butter the sheets from the center all the way to the edges.
• Repeat the process with 2 more sheets of phyllo, set at a slight angle to the first layer. Paint this layer with butter all the way to the edges. Repeat, setting the pastry again at a slight angle to the previous layer, so the overhanging edges make a complete circle by the end of the process. Make 7 buttered layers of 2 sheets each.
• Fill the pie: Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with half the almonds and pistachios. Spread the chicken mixture evenly across the pan. Drop spoonsful of the ricotta mixture over the chicken mixture. Top the ricotta layer with remaining pistachios and almonds.
• Close the pie by folding all the overhanging phyllo sheets gently toward the center of the pan, pressing to enclose the filling. Brush more butter over the top and tuck in and smooth any stray phyllo.
• Bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp. To unmold, invert pie onto a cool baking sheet, exposing the flat top (formerly the bottom) of the pie. With spatulas, carefully transfer pie to a serving platter.
• Put confectioners' sugar in a mesh strainer, and shake to cover the pie generously, like a thin layer of fallen snow. Cut into wedges to serve, but for the best experience, forgo the fork, and eat the pie with your fingers.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the peppers and onion on a big baking tray with half the oil. Transfer to the oven and cook on the top shelf for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, carefully make a pocket between the skin and the flesh of each chicken breast, but don't pull off the skin completely. Push equal amounts of cheese under the skin, smooth the skin back down, brush it with the rest of the oil, season, then add to the tray along with the tomatoes and olives. Return to the oven and cook for 25-30 mins more until the chicken is golden and cooked. Serve with baked potatoes, if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/ Gas 6/fan oven 180C. Spread the potatoes, courgette, onion, pepper and tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin and scatter over the olives. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
• Slash the flesh of each chicken breast 3-4 times using a sharp knife, then lay the chicken on top of the vegetables.
• Mix the olive oil and pesto together until well blended and spoon evenly over the chicken. Cover the tin with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the tin. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are juicy and look tempting to eat and the chicken is cooked through (the juices should run clear when pierced with a skewer).

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts on sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of the salt evenly over chicken breasts; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the basil; press lightly. Turn chicken breasts over. Sprinkle remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt over chicken; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons basil. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Pound chicken with rolling pin or meat mallet to 1/2-inch thickness.
• In 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts. Cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown on outside and no longer pink in center. Remove chicken to plate; cover to keep warm.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and tapenade to skillet. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tomatoes just begin to soften and mixture is heated through. Serve tomato mixture over chicken; top with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, use a fork to combine crushed garlic and egg yolk. Place chicken breasts in a shallow glass dish and spread both sides with egg mixture. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours, or overnight (recommended).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Place one half of the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured board. Place 1/2 cup spinach in the center of the pastry sheet. Remove one chicken breast from marinade, shaking off any excess, and place on top of spinach. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto over chicken, layer with half the sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle with half the feta cheese, and top with 1/2 cup spinach. Fold pastry sheet around chicken, using fingers or fork to seal pastry seam. Place chicken seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat steps with the second half of the puff pastry sheet and remaining chicken breast.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Test for doneness by cutting through center of chicken breast; if juices run clear, chicken is cooked.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a hot skillet, add oil and chicken and sautee for several minutes, until chicken is mostly white. Add artichokes and seasoning, mashing with a wodden spoon to combine. Add dates and mash the mixture together for even distribution. Remove from heat. Combine prepped cheeses into the filling.
• Lay out phyllo dough 3 layers thick and put half the filling in the center. Bring ends together and press all sides in until sealed into a pouch. Flip over and placed on a lightly greased cooking sheet. Repeat the filling step with the other 3 sheets of dough, then brush the pies with eggwash until coated. Bake for 20 minutes, until pies are golden brown.
• For appetizers, follow all the same steps except divide the filling into 6 portions and cut the dough into thirds. Then fill smaller pies with the same method.