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roast chicken, smoked ham hock & cider pies
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5 from 1 vote

Roast Chicken, Smoked Ham Hock & Cider Pies

These roast chicken & smoked ham hock pies feature a rich cider & chicken sauce, tender chunks of meat & two types of pastry!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time40 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, English
Servings: 10 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Pie Dishes (See Notes)
  • Digital Food Probe
  • Saucepans
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Rolling Pin
  • Large Circular Cutter
  • Baking Tray

Ingredients

Roast Chicken

  • 1.5 kg Whole Chicken (Untrussed)
  • 1 Bulb Of Garlic
  • 1 Lemon
  • 10 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
  • 10 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Pie Filling

  • 500 ml Cider (See Notes)
  • 500 ml Chicken Stock
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 10 Black Peppercorns
  • 100 g Butter
  • 100 g Plain Flour
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 600 g Smoked Ham Hocks (See Notes)
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Tarragon

Hot Water Crust Pastry

  • 750 g Plain Flour (Sifted)
  • 1 tsp Table Salt
  • 2 Large Eggs (Beaten)
  • 125 g Unsalted Butter
  • 125 g Lard
  • 310 g Water

To Assemble

  • 640 g Puff Pastry (See Notes)
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 2 tsp Whole Milk
  • A Pinch Of Table Salt

Instructions

Roast Chicken

  • Preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (340°f/300°f).
  • Whilst your oven is preheating, place your chicken onto a rack set inside a roasting tin then dry the skin with kitchen paper.
  • Next, cut the bulb of garlic in half & the lemon into thick slices. Stuff into the chicken's cavity along with the fresh herbs.
  • Drizzle the veg oil over the chicken then use your hands (or a pastry brush) to massage into the skin then season generously with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Roast the chicken 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the internal temperature reaches 65°c/150°f then increase the oven temperature to 220°c/428°f & continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 73°c/163°f & the skin is crisp & golden.
    Take the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thighs & breasts.To be fully cooked, chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 75°c/165°f. The chicken's temperature will continue rising after it is removed from the oven which is why we take it out at 73°c.
  • Once cooked, loosely cover the chicken with foil & leave to rest whilst you make the pie filling.

Pie Filling

  • Add the cider, chicken stock, bay leaf & peppercorns into a saucepan then set over a low heat & leave to get steaming hot. But no boiling!
  • Place the butter into a large saucepan, set over a medium heat then cook until melted.
  • Stir the flour into the butter then cook out for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Next, pour in half of the warm stock then whisk until smooth. Cook out until thick, whisking/stirring regularly. This will take 2-3 minutes over a medium heat.
    Pour the stock into the butter through a sieve! The peppercorns & bay leaf can be discarded.
  • Once thick, pour half of the remaining stock into the sauce then continue cooking until it has thickened up again, whisking regularly.
  • Add in the remaining stock then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring/whisking regularly until the sauce has thickened back up for a final time. This step will take around 5 minutes. The sauce should be the consistency of a thick bechamel/cheese sauce (think mac & cheese!).
  • Take the sauce off the heat & stir in the Dijon mustard. Season lightly with salt & pepper then set to one side.
    Ham hocks tend to be fairly salty (if they've been cured!), so the sauce won't need too much seasoning.
  • Next, carve the roast chicken then chop the meat into bitesize chunks, mix with any resting juices then add into the sauce along with the ham hock & chopped herbs.
    I like to use the skin in my pies as well but this is optional! The bones can be kept for homemade stock/gravy!
  • Gently mix the meat & sauce together then give it a taste, to check the seasoning, adding more salt & pepper as needed.
  • Transfer the pie filling to a shallow dish, leave to cool slightly then chill until completely cold. Cover the surface with a piece of clingfilm before refrigerating, to prevent a skin forming on top.
    The filling can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days before being used.

Hot Water Crust Pastry

  • Place the flour & salt into a large mixing bowl then stir to combine. Add in the beaten eggs, then stir to distribute the egg through the flour. Set aside for now.
  • Next, add the butter, lard & water into a large saucepan then set over a medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly until the fats have melted then bring to the boil.
  • As soon as the water & fats are boiling, pour them into the flour, stirring constantly as you do.
  • Keep stirring for a couple of minutes, until a smooth dough forms then cover the bowl & leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Assembly

  • Grease your pie dishes with butter then set aside.
  • Transfer the pastry to a lightly floured surface then divide into portions. If you're making individual pies you'll need 10 equally sized pieces. If you're making larger pies there will be enough pastry to line 2 nine inch pie dishes.
    You'll need 10 portions of pastry if you're using a deep muffin tin. If you're using a regular muffin tin, you'll need 12 pieces of pastry.
  • Take a portion of pastry & roll out into a 4mm thick circle. Line a pie dish with the pastry then repeat with the remaining portions.
    Make sure to leave a cm or two of pastry overhanging each pie dish.
  • Divide the chilled pie filling between each pie. The filling should sit slightly above the top of the tins/dishes.
  • Next, cut circles out of the puff pastry that are large enough to completely cover the top of each pie. You can do this with a circular cutter or by cutting round a plate/bowl.
    If you're using a block of puff pastry, roll it out so that it's 3-4 mm thick.
  • Brush a small amount of cold water around the edge of each pie then top each with the discs of puff pastry, pressing down lightly on the edges to seal & to thin the pastries out slightly.
  • Crimp around the edge of each pie with a fork then use a small knife to trim the pastry level with the edge of the tins/dishes.
    See the post above for a visual guide to doing this!
  • Cut a small steam hole in the top of each pie then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Baking

  • Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f). Place a baking tray in the oven at the same time.
  • In the meantime, make an egg wash by whisking the yolks, milk & salt together then brush a light layer over the top of each pie. Return them to the fridge, to chill whilst your oven heats up (for 20 minutes or so).
  • Brush another light layer of egg wash onto each pie then top with a light sprinkle of sea salt.
  • Place the pie tins onto the hot baking tray in the oven then bake the pies for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is a deep, golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
    A digital food probe inserted into the filling should read at least 75°c/167°f. If the pies start to brown too much, cover them loosely with foil.
  • One baked, let the pies sit for 15 minutes then carefully lift them out of the tins. Serve immediately or leave to cool then store in the fridge.
    You might need to cook the pies in batches, depending on how many you've made!

Notes

1. To Cook In An Aga - To roast the chicken, follow my aga roast chicken recipe! Use the simmering plate to make the filling then bake the pies in the roasting oven, on a baking tray placed on the floor.
2. Roast Chicken - You'll need a medium chicken for roasting, weighing around 1.5 kg. Alternatively, you could roast 1kg of chicken thighs instead.
3. Smoked Ham Hocks - If you'd like to make your own smoked ham hocks, you can find a full guide to doing this here. You can buy cooked ham hocks from most supermarkets. These pies will work with both smoked & unsmoked ham hocks. For 600 grams of meat, you'll need to cook 2 ham hocks.
4. Puff Pastry - We're topping these pies with puff pastry (like a chicken pot pie!). To make 10 individual pies, you'll need 640 grams of puff pastry (2 packs of Jus Rol puff pastry sheets). If you'd like to make your own pastry, take a look at our seriously flaky rough puff pastry!
5. Storage - Once made, the pie filling is best used within 2-3 days & should be stored in the fridge. Alternatively it can be stored in the freezer for several months. The baked pies are best eaten warm but will keep for a day or two in the fridge. To reheat, bake the pies at 180°c/356°f until the filling is piping hot. You might need to cover the pies with foil if the pastry starts to brown too much.
6. Pie Tins - I used a deep, 6 hole muffin tin for my pies (I've linked this in the post above) but a regular muffin tin will work (you'll get more pies!). You could also make a large, sharing pie instead. 
7. Amount Of Pies - This recipe makes enough filling for at least 10 individual pies or 2 larger ones (in a 9" pie dish). If you'd prefer to make less pies, the filling freezes well & the hot water crust pastry recipe can be scaled down.
8. Chicken Stock (For Filling) - For the filling, you can either use homemade chicken stock or a stock pot/cube dissolved in hot water.
9. Cider - Pretty much any apple cider can be used for the filling. I used Thatchers Gold. To make the filling without cider, use extra chicken stock.