This Chicken Samosa Pie is an Indian-inspired savory meat pie with a filling similar to chicken samosas - ground chicken, vegetables, and spices.
Something weird about me is that I don't really care for most fruit-based pies, but I do really like meat pies. Chicken pot pie, tourtiere, or even the seafood pie that we get once a year in Nova Scotia? Yes, please! Apple, pumpkin, or blueberry pie? Meh...only if there's no other dessert option.
I got the idea to try making a Samosa Pie a while ago, in which the filling would be similar to a samosa filling - a mixture of vegetables and meat, and lots of spices. I gave it a try last week, and am happy to report that it was a success, and now I'm ready to share the Chicken Samosa Pie recipe with you!
How to make Chicken Samosa Pie
Making the filling for Chicken Samosa Pie
Making this flavorful savory pie starts with making the filling. You will have to do some chopping before you start cooking - dice the potatoes, onions, and chiles. Cook the onions and potatoes with some salt until the onions are softened.
Add the ground chicken (or turkey) and some more salt. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, making sure to break it into pieces with your spoon. Add the chiles and spices, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the peas and cook just until they're thawed. Remove the filling from the heat.
Assembling and baking Chicken Samosa Pie
To put together the pie, you will need two pieces of pie dough. Note that if you plan to use store-bought pie crusts, the pre-rolled crusts that come in sheets (usually two to a box) are better for double-crusted pies than the ones that are already rolled into a disposable pie pan.
Start by rolling one of the pieces of pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Note that the the photos in this post show the pie I made in a tart dish. I did this because I realized too late that my 9" pie plate was in the freezer, holding another pie. While the tart dish worked out fine, I would have preferred using the pie plate.
Once you have the bottom pie crust centred in the pie plate, go ahead and fill the crust with the prepared filling, and spread it evenly over the crust. Lay the top crust over the filling, make sure it's centered, then crimp the two crusts together (for me using a fork is the easiest crimping method).
Right before you're ready to bake the pie, brush the top crust lightly but evenly with an egg wash. Cut several slits into the center of the top pie crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake the pie at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375° and bake for 35-40 more minutes until the top crust is golden brown. Allow the pie to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Chicken Samosa Pie Make-Ahead Tips
Because this pie can take quite a while to make it all at once, using a make-ahead technique may come in handy in certain situations, like for busier evenings.
To make the pie ahead of time, you can cook the filling up to two days before you plan to bake the pie, and keep the filling in the fridge until you plan to bake the pie.
You could also assemble the pie (without applying the egg wash) and keep the whole pie in the fridge. Note that when baking with cold filling, it may extend the baking time slightly (it should only be a few minute difference). Don't forget to add the egg wash right before baking.
You could also plan to make two pies at once, baking one right away, and putting the second pie in the freezer for another occasion. To freeze an unbaked meat pie, don't apply the egg wash until you're ready to bake. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap, then foil before freezing. Let the pie thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours before baking.
Chicken Samosa Pie Ingredients
- Canola oil - or use another neutral-flavored cooking oil like avocado or grapeseed oil
- Onions - I used yellow onions. To save time, you can use frozen diced onions.
- Potatoes - I used yellow potatoes, but russet would work too
- Kosher salt or MSG-salt, divided
- Ground chicken or ground turkey
- Green chiles - like jalapenos, banana peppers, or anaheim peppers
- Fresh ginger - pro tip: always keep a couple pieces of ginger in a zipper bag in the freezer and grate it on a microplane right from frozen.
- Garlic
- Garam masala - find garam masala in the spice aisle of any well-stocked grocery store.
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Ground turmeric
- Frozen peas
- Store-bought or homemade pie dough for two 9" pie crusts
- Egg - size doesn't matter for this recipe. It is just used for mixing up an egg wash. You won't even need all of it.
- Milk or water
Want more Indian-inspired recipes?
Chicken Samosa Pie Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one piece of the pie if the pie is cut into 6 pieces. If you cut your pieces larger or smaller than this, the nutrition info for your serving will vary accordingly.
The filling for this pie is gluten-free and dairy-free. To make this pie gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free pie crust.
To make the pie dairy-free, make sure to use a pie crust that is dairy-free, and use water or dairy-free milk to make the egg wash.
Chicken Samosa Pie
Equipment
- Microplane optional, for grating the ginger
- 12" skillet or saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 medium onions about 12-13 ounces, minced
- 4 medium potatoes about 14-16 ounces, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or MSG-salt, divided
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 2 medium green chiles stems, seeds, and ribs removed, minced
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup frozen peas
- store-bought or homemade pie dough for two 9" pie crusts
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk or water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F and get a 9" pie plate out.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced onions, cubed potatoes, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and the potatoes are beginning to soften, reducing heat to medium if the onions start to brown.
- Add 1 pound ground chicken and the remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook, breaking up the ground chicken with your spoon, until the ground chicken is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the minced chiles, 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger, the minced garlic, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, and ½ teaspoon turmeric. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup frozen peas and cook until they're no longer frozen, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat.
- Carefully unroll one of the pieces of pie dough and place it into your 9" pie plate. Transfer the filling into the pie dough and smooth it so that it's even on top. Roll the second piece of pie dough and place it on top of the filling. Crimp the edges of the two pieces of dough together. Cut several slits in the top of the lid of the pie.
- Whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon milk. Brush the top of the pie dough with a thin layer of the egg mixture (reserve the remaining egg mixture for scrambled eggs or to bake with - use within 2 days). Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until the top of the pie is golden brown. Set the pie on a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply