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Chicken Filo Pie - Recipe by Meni Valle

Name: Chicken Filo Pie - Recipe by Meni Valle
Ingredients: 1 kg whole chicken; 80mL olive oil; 1 kg onions, diced; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp thyme leaves; 3 eggs; 100mL olive oil and 50 g melted butter combined, for brushing; 10 sheets store-bought filo pastry

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 kg whole chicken
80mL olive oil
1 kg onions, diced
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp thyme leaves
3 eggs
100mL olive oil and 50 g melted butter combined, for brushing
10 sheets store-bought filo pastry

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C (360 F).

Place the whole chicken (or cut it into pieces if you prefer) in a large pot of cold water. Place over a medium heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool. Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pot and reduce over a high heat until it begins to thicken. Discard the skin and bones of the cooled chicken, then shred the meat and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in large frying pan and sauté the diced onions for 12–15 minutes until softened and caramelised. Add the paprika and thyme and season well. Take off the heat and add to the shredded chicken mixture along with the eggs and 120mL of the reduced chicken stock, then mix well. Set aside ready to use in your pita.

Brush the bottom of a shallow 36 cm round baking tin with some of the olive oil and butter mixture.

If using store-bought filo, layer five of the sheets in the tin, one on top of the other, brushing each with the olive oil and butter mixture as you go. Pour the cooled filling evenly over the top sheet and cover with the remaining five sheets, again brushing the top of each with the olive oil and butter. Place in the oven.

Bake for about 1 hour or until the pastry is crispy and golden. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, sprinkle a little more cold water on top with your hand. Cool a little before cutting into wedges to serve. The pita is delicious warm, cool or at room temperature.