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    Home » Dinner

    Chicken and Ham Pie

    By Robyn | Published: May 19, 2021 | Modified: Oct 20, 2022

    TO THE RECIPE
    pin for easy and delicious chicken and ham pie with two images: the top one showing the pie with it's golden crust, and the bottom image shows the juicy and creamy filling

    This creamy chicken and ham pie, with tender chunks of chicken and pieces of ham in a light gravy, topped with crispy golden pastry, is a firm family favourite. Made with a single layer of pastry on the top, it is lighter in calories than a pie with a pastry top and bottom – and there is no danger of a soggy bottom!

    baked chicken and ham pie with golden pastry top, plates next to it ready to serve
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • How to make Ham and Chicken Pie
    • FAQ
    • My Recipe Tips
    • Make Ahead
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More easy pie recipes for you
    • Chicken and Ham Pie

    Chicken and ham pie is a chicken pie I have been making for years, and one my mum made all the time growing up – it is my brother’s favourite dish and he would request it whenever he possibly could! There is something so comforting about a chicken pie, whether it’s made with leftover roast chicken like in my chicken and leek pie, or cubes of fresh chicken thigh, as in this recipe.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Chicken – I often use chicken thigh as I prefer the flavour, but you could use chicken breasts instead. Cook them the same way as the thigh.
    • Pastry – I have included a simple shortcrust pastry in the recipe card, but you can also use store bought shortcrust pastry or puff pastry.
    • Ham – Sliced ham, leftover cooked ham or gammon. If you had bacon, you could use that – slice into bitesize pieces and fry after the chicken. If you have any ham leftover from this recipe, these ham and cheese pinwheels are great for lunchboxes!
    • Mustard – wholegrain or dijon mustard.
    • Onion – As you will see from the images I used a red onion when photographing the ham and chicken pie, but brown onions work just as well.
    • Fresh Thyme – If you don’t have fresh thyme, use ½ – ¾ teaspoon of dried thyme.
    ingredients for chicken and ham pie filling laid out individually

    How to make Ham and Chicken Pie

    (For full recipe please see recipe card below.)

    1. Season the chicken.
    2. Fry until light golden.
    3. Cook the onion.
    4. Add fresh thyme and garlic.
    5. Stir in flour.
    6. Add milk, stock, mustard and return chicken to the pan and cook.
    7. Spoon into baking dish and cool slightly.
    8. Add chopped cooked ham to the pie filling.
    9. Line the edges of the dish with pastry.
    10. Top the pie with pastry, decorate and brush with beaten egg (optional).
    process shots 1-6 of making ham chicken pie pie filling: seasoning chicken, browning, cooking onion, adding garlic and thyme, adding flour, making sauce and adding chicken back to sauce
    process shots for steps 7-10 showing how to make the chicken ham pie: adding chicken sauce to baking dish, adding cooked shopped ham, lining with pastry, topping with pastry and brushing with egg

    FAQ

    Can puff pastry be used for pies?

    Yes it can. You can use bought puff pastry, or make your own (although it’s far easier to buy puff pastry!). It adds a lovely light and flaky topping to your pie.

    How do I thicken my chicken pie filling?

    Adding flour to the sauce and cooking it slightly before adding the stock and milk thickens the filling.

    What does adding egg to pie crust do?

    Adding an egg to the pastry makes it easier to roll out and far less crumbly than pastry made without an egg.

    Can I freeze fresh thyme?

    Yes you can. Wash the sprigs of thyme, dry thoroughly, and then freeze on a tray. Once frozen transfer the sprigs to a bag, or take the leaves off the stems and store these in a bag in the freezer.

    overhead photo of chicken ham pie in baking dish, with fresh thyme scattered around, and a plate of leftover pastry flowers

    My Recipe Tips

    • If making your own shortcrust pastry, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours after you have made it – this helps prevent it from shrinking when you roll it out.
    • Take the pastry out of the fridge 15-30 minutes before you want to use it – this will make the pastry easier to roll.
    • Flour the surface and your rolling pin well when rolling out the pastry to prevent it from sticking.
    • Brushing the pie with beaten egg makes the baked pie lovely and shiny and golden. This step is optional, but will produce a golden crusted pie. You can use milk instead, but it won’t look as golden.
    • If you want to use leftover cooked ham/gammon and leftover chicken or turkey, add to the sauce when the recipes says to add the ham.
    overhead photo of chicken and ham pie with a square of the pastry top removed, to show the creamy chicken and ham filling

    Make Ahead

    Filling: You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead, cool and store, covered in the fridge.

    Pastry: You can make the pastry up to 3 days ahead too. Wrap it well and keep in the fridge.

    Freezer: You can freeze the cooked filling, defrost in the fridge overnight and top with pastry and bake. You can also freeze the pie made with uncooked pastry, and once cooked.

    Serving Suggestions

    • A leafy green salad with crunchy lettuce and cucumber, or this rocket pomegranate salad.
    • Steamed or boiled carrots, peas, broccoli or green beans.
    • Add some potatoes in the form of crunchy roast potatoes, duchess potatoes or mashed potato.
    Portion of chicken and ham pie served on a plate with broccoli, the creamy juicy filling visible

    More easy pie recipes for you

    • Leftover Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
    • Erbazzone (Italian Silverbeet Pie)
    • Easy Banoffee Pie (Without Condensed Milk)

    Chicken and Ham Pie

    Author: Robyn

    This easy creamy chicken and ham pie recipe with crispy golden pastry is a family favourite, and comfort food at it's best!
    4.29 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Pastry resting time 2 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins
    Course dinner
    Cuisine British
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 762 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Shortcrust pastry

    • 250 g plain flour
    • 125 g butter roughly chopped
    • 1 egg beaten
    • 1-2 tablespoons cold water

    Chicken Ham Filling

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 4 chicken thighs
    • 1 tablespoon plain flour
    • 200 ml stock chicken or vegetable
    • 100 ml milk
    • 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
    • 125 g ham roughly chopped
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 1 clove garlic crushed
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • 1 egg beaten, optional – for glazing top of the pie, or milk

    Instructions
     

    To make the pastry:

    • In a food processor, mix the butter with the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
    • Mix the egg with 1 tablespoon of cold water and add to dough.
    • Mix until just starting to form clumps, adding a little more water if it is still very crumbly.
    • Turn the pastry out onto a board or work surface and knead gently to bring it together.
    • Place onto a sheet of cling film/wrap and wrap tightly.
    • Place in fridge for at least 2 hours.

    Chicken Ham Filling:

    • Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.
    • Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken for 5 minutes each side, until golden.
    • Remove from the pan to a plate.
    • Add the other ½ tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cooked the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
    • Add the crushed garlic and fresh thyme and cook for 1 minute.
    • Stir in the flour.
    • Add the stock, milk and mustard and stir.
    • Chop the chicken into bite size pieces. It will still be a little raw in the middle, don't worry, it will finish cooking in the sauce.
    • Add the chopped chicken to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Pour into a 17 x 26cm (6.7" x 10") dish and cool. Once cool, add the chopped ham and stir to combine.
    • Preheat the oven to 200˚C fan /220˚C / 392˚F convection / 428˚F
    • Take the pastry out of the fridge 5 minutes before you want to use it.
    • Dust a board or clean work surface with flour, then roll the pastry out to 3mm – 5mm (0.11" – 0.19") thick.
    • Optional step: cut strips of pastry 1 cm (0.4") wide. Brush the tops of your baking dish sides with egg and cover with pastry strips. Brush these pastry strips with egg and lay the pastry on top.
    • Lay the pastry over the chicken filling and using a sharp knife, cut around the egdes of the dish, leaving a slight overlap.
    • Use any scraps of pastry for decoration, fixing them to the top with a little beaten egg or milk.
    • Cut a couple of slips in the top of the pastry to let the steam out.
    • Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg or a little milk and place into the oven for 30 minutes, until the pie is golden brown on top and bubbling at the edges.

    Notes

    Stock – you can also use ½ a chicken stock cube in 200ml boiling water.
    Mustard – can use the same amount of Dijon mustard instead of wholegrain.
    Chicken – I often use chicken thigh as I prefer the flavour, but you could use chicken breasts instead. Cook them the same way as the thigh.
    Pastry – I have included a simple shortcrust pastry in the recipe card, but you can also use store bought shortcrust pastry or puff pastry.
    Ham – Sliced ham, leftover cooked ham or gammon. If you had bacon, you could use that – slice into bitesize pieces and fry after the chicken.
    Onion – Use red onion or brown onion.
    Fresh Thyme – If you don’t have fresh thyme, use ½ – ¾ teaspoon of dried thyme.
    If onions start to burn, add a splash of water and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bits of chicken or onion that are catching off the bottom of the saucepan.
    Making pastry by hand: rub the butter into the flour using your finger tips, until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and water and mix gently with a blunt knife until it begin to clump, then bring together with your hands. 
    Make ahead: You can pop the chicken filling into the fridge once cool, or freeze and defrost before tipping into a baking dish and topping with the the pastry

    Nutrition

    Calories: 762kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 33gFat: 56gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 282mgSodium: 939mgPotassium: 475mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1160IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword chicken and ham, chicken and ham pie, chicken pie, leftover roast chicken recipe, pie recipe

    HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?

    I’d love to see your creation!

    Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
    Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen

    Or just leave a comment below!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jane says

      October 19, 2022 at 4:48 pm

      Hi, just looking at your recipe for chicken and ham pie. I have not heard of a recipe for short crust pastry using the same amount of flour and butter. Just wondering if this is correct or a typo error.

      Reply
      • Robyn says

        October 20, 2022 at 8:03 pm

        Hi Jane, I am so sorry, it is indeed a typo. The correct amount of flour is 250g to 125g butter. Thank you for contacting me and apologies again. Robyn

        Reply
    2. Dina says

      September 28, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      3 stars
      You forgot to say when to add the ham

      Reply
      • Robyn says

        September 29, 2021 at 8:55 am

        Hi Dina, thanks for pointing this out. You add the ham to the chicken filling once it has cooled, before topping with pastry. The recipe has been corrected. Apologies for this omission.

        Reply

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    Robyn Jones, Recipe Developer & Food Photographer

    Robyn Jones

    Recipe Developer | Food Photographer | Writer

    Hi! I'm Robyn, a toddler mum with a passion for all things food! Having moved internationally 7 times in the past 12 years I have developed a love of making international recipes into family friendly ones you can make in your own home, with local ingredients; wherever you live!

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