Chicken Pastel

It's another ordinary day! But who says you can't prepare a special meal when there's no special occasion? Here's another hearty dish that is served during fiestas and special occasions in the Philippines. It’s easy to prepare and you you can cook this any day you want.

Chicken Pastel or Pastel De Pollo in Spanish, is the Filipino version of Chicken Pot Pie. The main difference is that chicken pastel doesn’t have a bottom crust, only top crust.

My mother used to cook chicken pastel often but not with the pie crust on top because we didn’t have an oven then. It is a very creamy dish that my brother and I love when we were growing up.

I’m going to share with you the original version of this dish wherein the chicken stew is topped with a pie crust and then baked. It is more elegant to serve chicken pastel during special occasions with the crust on top. But I know that we, Filipinos love to eat everything with rice. So let me tell you that you can omit the crust part and just serve the chicken stew with rice.

If you are looking for a scrumptious chicken dish, this is a must-try!

Prep Time: 30 mins          Cook Time: ~1hour           Servings: 4-6                                

Ingredients:

• 2 big boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 pc lemon
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 pcs Chinese chorizo, bias sliced
• 2 pcs beef franks, bias sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, minced,
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 big potato, cubed
• 1 regular sized carrot, cubed
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup button mushrooms, cut in half
• 6 to 10 pcs green olives
• ¼ cup grated  cheddar cheese
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/8 cup water