Butter Chicken & Bombay Potato Pies

These homemade pies are filled with butter chicken & bombay potatoes, topped with a peshwari stuffed puff pastry lid & finished with garlic butter.

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These are some next level chicken curry pies! It’s a curry main course, side dish & naan, all inside a homemade pie…

If you’re a curry fan, you’ll love these chicken curry pies! Inside a crisp pie crust, there’s lightly spiced bombay potatoes (bombay aloo) & a rich and creamy butter chicken curry. These do take a bit of effort because we’re making everything from scratch but trust me, they’re worth it. They’re easily the best pie I’ve made yet!

Now onto the pie lid. These are rather special! Inspired by a peshwari naan, these puff pastry pie lids are stuffed with coconut & almond then brushed with garlic butter just before serving! They’re incredibly tasty, surprisingly easy to make and bring these pies together nicely.

For more dinner inspiration check our our ever growing collection of main course recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade pies, curries, barbecued meat, pasta dishes & lots more. Or for something to serve with these pies, take a look at our side dish recipes. I’d go with some triple cooked chips!

Ingredient Notes

• Butter Chicken – I’d recommend making our homemade butter chicken! For 6 pies, you’ll need a single batch of this recipe. Alternatively, you can use a different curry (as long as the sauce is quite thick!).
• Bombay Potatoes – For 6 pies, you’ll need a half batch of our bombay new potatoes. I’d recommend cutting the potatoes slightly smaller for the pies, so that you can get more in each pie!
• Garlic Butter – We’re finishing these curry pies with garlic butter (like naan!), to glaze them once they are baked. I used my homemade garlic butter.
• Puff Pastry – We’re using puff pastry for our pie lids. For 6 pies, you’ll need 320 grams of puff pastry, which is one pack of pre rolled Jus-Rol puff pastry.
• Peshwari Filling – We’re stuffing the puff pastry lids with peshwari naan filling! For this, you’ll need flaked almonds, desiccated coconut, caster sugar & butter.
• Hot Water Crust Pastry – We’re making our own hot water crust pastry. For this you’ll need plain flour, an egg, butter, lard, water & table salt. You’ll also need eggs for an egg wash.

Curry Pie Components

These are the ultimate curry pies! There’s a rich, homemade butter chicken, lightly spiced bombay potatoes, a peshwari naan inspired pie lid & a garlic butter glaze. It’s a curry, side dish & naan, all in a homemade pie!

Butter Chicken

We’re using our homemade butter chicken as our pie filling. To make 6 pies, you’ll need a single batch of our butter chicken recipe.

Butter chicken is a rich, creamy & mildly spiced curry that’s thick enough to make pies with, meaning that it won’t leak out of the pastry as it cooks! Feel free to use a different style of curry, if you’d prefer though! Just make sure to use one with a thick sauce.

Bombay Potatoes

Bombay potatoes (bombay aloo), are a classic Indian potato curry that tend to be served as a side to curry. Not only will they compliment our butter chicken but they bulk out our pie filling, making our pies hearty & filling. For 6 pies, you’ll need a half batch of our bombay new potatoes.

Peshwari Puff Pastry Lids

The peshwari puff pastry lids is what makes these pies really special! These pie lids are based on a classic peshwari naan but instead of naan dough, we’re using puff pastry. These pie lids are stuffed with coconut, almonds, butter & a small amount of sugar.

Hot Water Crust Pastry

We’re making our own hot water crust pastry from scratch! Don’t worry if you’ve not made this before, it’s super easy.

This style of pastry is what is used to make pork pies & isn’t made like other pastries. It basically breaks all the rules of making pastry! Instead of cold fats, hot water crust pastry uses boiling hot water & melted butter and/or lard. This gives it a crisp, sturdy texture unlike shortcrust which is delicate & crumbly.

How To Make Hot Water Crust Pastry

1. Add plain flour, salt & egg into a mixing bowl, mix to distribute the egg then set aside.
2. Next, add water, butter & lard into a saucepan, set over a medium heat & bring to the boil, stirring to melt the fats.
3. As soon as the liquid is boiling, pour it into the flour, stirring constantly as you do so.
4. Keep stirring until a dough forms then cover the bowl & let the pastry sit for 20 minutes.
5. Next, divide the dough into portions (whilst it’s a bit warm still!), roll out then use to line your pie dishes.

Garlic Butter

We’re going to be finishing these curry pies with garlic butter, like you would with naan. Brushing the pies with butter adds extra flavour & gives them a glossy finish! I used my homemade garlic butter for this but I’ve also included a quick alternative in the recipe card below…

How To Make Peshwari Stuffed Puff Pastry Lids

These butter chicken pies are topped with puff pastry (like a chicken pot pie) that’s stuffed with a peshwari naan filling. This might sound complicated but after some experimenting, I’ve found a way to make peshwari pie lids that’s super quick & easy. Here’s how…

1. First, make the peshwari filling by mixing crushed flaked almonds with desiccated coconut, sugar & melted butter, to make a thick paste. Let this cool slightly before using!
2. Next, roll puff pastry out to a thickness of 2mm.
3. Use a circular pastry cutter to cut out 12 circles of pastry (for 6 pies). The circles of pastry should be slightly smaller than the top of the pies, at this point (we’ll be rolling them out slightly bigger once they’ve been filled).
4. Add a teaspoon of peshwari filling to the middle of half of the pastry discs.
5. Brush a small amount of cold water around the edge of these discs.
6. Top each disc of peshwari pastry with another disc of puff pastry then lightly press the edges together, to seal.
7. Gently roll each piece of stuffed pastry out to distribute the filling & to make the pastry circles big enough to top the pies. The thickness of the pastry should be around 4 mm.

How To Assemble Individual Curry Pies

This method also works when making larger pies! Make sure to grease your pie tins/dishes with butter before lining with pastry. I used a deep, 6 hole Yorkshire pudding tin for my pies…

1. Divide the hot water crust pastry into equal portions then roll each into 4mm thick circles.
2. Line the inside of each tin with a disc of pastry then fill each pie with a generous amount of filling. Make sure to leave a small amount of pastry overhanging the edge of each tin/muffin tin hole.
3. Cut circles out of puff pastry that are large enough to completely cover the top of each pie (or prep the peshwari pastry lids as shown above).
4. Brush a small amount of cold water around the edge of each pie then top each with a disc of puff pastry, pressing down lightly on the edges to seal & to thin the pastries out slightly.
5. Crimp around the edge of each pie with a fork then use a circular pastry cutter to trim the pastry level with the edge of the tins/dishes.
6. Cut a small steam hole in the top of each pie then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
7. Before baking, brush two light layers of egg wash over the pies, leaving 20 minutes between each layer. Return the pies to the fridge between each layer.

Curry Pie Tips & Tricks

• Grease Your Pie Dishes – Do this with butter, to stop the pies sticking & to make the pastry extra crisp.
• Chill before baking – Pie crusts that are baked straight from the fridge are crisper & flakier. I’d recommend chilling your assembled pies for at least an hour before baking.
• Egg Wash – Brushing the pastry with egg wash gives the pies a deep, golden finish once baked. I’d recommend applying 2 coats of egg wash, 20 minutes apart for the best finish.
• Preheat A Baking Tray – This is an easy way to ensure that the bottom of our pies will be cooked fully. Simply put a large baking tray in the oven at the same time as you preheat it then cook the pies on the hot tray!
• Leave To Sit – Letting your pies sit for 20 minutes once baked, makes it easier to remove them from the tin.
• Brush With Garlic Butter – The peshwari stuffed pie lids are based on a naan. Brushing them with garlic butter adds extra flavour & gives the pies a glossy finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Bake Curry Pies In An Aga

With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…

Bake the pies in the roasting oven, on a baking tray placed on the floor. Turn the tray every 10 minutes or so, to cook the pies evenly. Keep an eye on the pies after 20 minutes, in case they need to be covered with foil, to stop them browning.

Equipment Used

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• Thermapen Food Probe
• Muffin/Yorkshire Pudding Tin
• Pastry Cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Baking Tray

More Dinner Recipes To Try!

• Butter Chicken
• Goose Fat Jacket Potatoes
• Roast Chicken, Smoked Ham Hock & Cider Pies
• Chicken Tikka Masala Pies
• Nduja Stuffed Porchetta
• Black Garlic Hanger Steaks

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