Chicken and Vegetable Pie – Pae Heihei me ngā Huawhenua
This recipe has been my ‘go to pie’ for a long time now. I often make it for Māmā (Mum’s) who have had new babies, as it filled with delicious flavours and hearty enough to fill you up after the mammoth effort that is child birth. I recently made this recipe for an awesome kaupapa called https://kurakai.co.nz who give away kai (food) to people who need a bit of aroha (love) sent their way. They asked if I wanted to make some meals for the Matariki period and I jumped at the opportunity. There are so many wonderful charities out there and we can all help in simple ways. This recipe is a bit of work but I love to make it for gifting to others so the effort is always worth it. This recipe either makes one large pie or you can split the mixture in two and make one for you and your whānau and one for someone else.
I used store-bought pastry for the Kurakai meals but my Savoury Shortcrust Pastry recipe would also work super well with this recipe. You can make this pie in to a Pot pie with the pastry only on the top or you can make it a traditional pie with pastry on the bottom and the top. Kei a koe te tikanga – it is up to you!
Roast Chicken and Vegetable Pie in a Roast Garlic Sauce
A delicious pie filled with roasted chicken and vegetables in a creamy roast garlic sauce. Perfect for serving a crowd or for gifting to others.
Servings 1 large pie
Ingredients
Roast Chicken – Te Heihei Tunu
- 1.5 kg heihei (a whole chicken, I prefer free-range but use what you like)
- 2 tbsp noni ōriwa (olive oil or any oil you have)
- Tote me te pepa (salt and pepper)
- 2 tbsp amiami raki (dried herbs, I use a mix of rosemary, thyme and oregano) You can also use fresh here if you have it or grow it.
- 315 ml (1 ¼ C) wai (water)
The Vegetables – Ngā Huawhenua
- 800 g huawhenua (vegetables, I roughly use 1 medium kūmara, 2 medium potatoes, 2 carrots and ¼ of a small pumpkin but you can use whatever root vegetables you want).
- 1 aniana (onion)
- 4 – 5 tōpuku kāriki (garlic bulbs)
- 3 tbsp noni ōriwa (olive oil or any oil you have)
- Tote me te pepa (salt and pepper)
The Garlic Sauce – Te Ranu Kāriki
- 80 g pata (butter)
- 2 tbsp huka (sugar)
- ½ C (75 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- Kāriki kua parahunuhunua (roasted garlic)
- 750 ml wairenga (stock, using the juices from the roast chicken and water to top it up)
- 1 tbsp paura wairenga (stock powder, chicken flavour is best but any stock will work). It can also be any type of stock, I used the stock pot sensations.
The Pastry – Te Pōhā
- 300 g store bought pastry – you can use savoury on the bottom and puff pastry on the top or just use one kind for both. If you are making a pot pie, you only need 150g of pastry.
- 1 quantity Savoury Shortcrust Pastry (if you want to make your own instead of store bought).
Instructions
Roast Chicken – Te Heihei Tunu
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C fan bake or 190 °C bake setting.
- To a roasting dish, add the heihei (chicken) and drizzle over the noni (oil). Season well with tote me te pepa (salt and pepper). Sprinkle over the amiami (herbs), making sure to cover the entire heihei (chicken).
- Pour the wai (water) in to the bottom of the roasting dish. This is going to create a stock as it roasts so we can use it in the gravy.
- Add the lid to the roasting pan or cover with tin foil. Place in the preheated oven and bake for around 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the heihei is perfectly cooked. Prepare the huawhenua once the heihei (chicken) is in the oven.
The Vegetables – Ngā Huawhenua
- Peel and chop all of the huawhenua (vegetables) in to roughly the same size. Cut the aniana in to wedges. Add them all to a large baking tray.
- Chop the tops off the tōpuku kāriki (garlic bulbs). This may seem like a lot of garlic but when it roasts it changes in to a sweet, mild garlic paste. Nestle them in to the huawhenua (vegetables). You can add some herbs here as well if you want to. I had some rohimere (rosemary) in the garden so I added that but this is optional.
- Drizzle over the noni (oil). Whakatāwaratia ki te tote me te pepa – season with salt and pepper.
- Add them to the oven and cook for around 45 minutes. Turn the kāriki (garlic) over half way through the baking. Once the huawhenua (vegetables) are cooked to perfection and the kāriki (garlic) is soft and squishy to touch, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Once the heihei (chicken) is cooked, remove it from the oven. Pour the delicious juices in to a jug. Add the stock and stir until the stock is dissolved. Top it up with wai (water) so that you have 750 ml of liquid.
- Once cool enough, shred the heihei (chicken), discarding the bones. Note: This recipe would still work if you removed a quarter of the heihei (chicken) for another meal. How much you use is up to you.
The Garlic Sauce – Te Ranu Kāriki
- Once the kāriki (garlic) is cool enough to touch, squeeze out the toasty goodness on to a small plate and mash it in to a paste.
- Set a frying pan or large pot over medium heat. Add the pata (butter) and melt it. Once fully melted, add the huka (sugar) and puehu parāoa (flour). Cook it off for 3 – 5 minutes, it will be thick and sticky but continue to move it around the pan as you cook out the puehu parāoa (flour).
- Add in all of the pē kāriki (garlic paste). Slowly add the wairenga (stock) a quarter at a time. After each addition stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened and has absorbed all of the liquid. Once all the liquid has been mixed it, simmer for a few minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the shredded heihei (chicken) and huawhenua (vegetables). Mix it all together so all the flavours combine. Prepare your pastry as it cools slightly.
The Pastry – Te Pōhā
- If you are making a pie with pastry on the base and lid:Grease a 30 x 25 cm tin or casserole dish with a little oil.Roll out the pōhā (pastry) to the size of the tray. Press it in to the base and sides of the tray. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and spread it out until it is flat.
- If you are making a pot pie: No need to grease the tin, just add the chicken and vegetable mixture straight in to the dish and spread it out evenly.
- Add the pastry lid and make sure it is tucked in around the edges. Make a couple of holes with a knife or fork on top of the pastry.
- At this stage you can cover and freeze this pie for up to 3 months. When you want to cook, allow it defrost completely before baking. You can also refrigerate for up to 4 days before baking as well and bake straight from the refrigerator when you are ready, following the instructions below.
- If you are baking it fresh, simply pre-heat the oven to 175 °C.Cook for 45 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating. Serve it with a fresh huamata (salad) and enjoy with those you love.
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