Chicken and White Wine Pie
A chicken and white wine pie is a French leaning pie whose sauce starts by deglazing the pan with dry white wine and reducing it by half. Reducing before any liquid dairy goes in cooks off the raw alcohol and concentrates the wine into a savoury backbone for the cream and tarragon.
By the chickenpie.net test kitchen · Published 8 September 2026
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
Ingredients
- 600g skinless chicken thighs, diced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 150g button mushrooms, halved
- 30g butter
- 30g plain flour
- 150ml dry white wine
- 300ml chicken stock
- 100ml double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- 320g ready rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Method
Melt the butter in a wide pan, cook the shallots and mushrooms for 5 minutes, then add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes until sealed.
Pour in the wine, scrape the base of the pan, and simmer briskly for 5 minutes until reduced by about half.
Stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute, then gradually add the stock, stirring to a smooth sauce, and simmer for 8 minutes.
Stir in the cream and tarragon, season, then transfer to a 1.5 litre pie dish and cool for 10 minutes.
Top with the puff pastry, trim, press the edge onto the rim, cut a steam vent, and brush with beaten egg.
Bake at 200C (400F) for 30 minutes until risen and golden, then rest for 5 minutes.
Worth knowing
- Use a wine you would drink, an unoaked dry white like Sauvignon Blanc or Picpoul, cooking wine tastes harsh.
- Reduce the wine properly before adding flour, under reduced wine leaves the sauce sour.
Common questions
Does the alcohol cook off?
Most of it. The 5 minute reduction plus the simmer and bake removes the large majority of the alcohol, though trace amounts remain. If you need zero alcohol, replace the wine with stock plus a teaspoon of white wine vinegar.
Can I use dried tarragon?
Yes, use 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon added with the stock rather than at the end, so it has time to soften. Fresh gives a brighter aniseed note, but dried is perfectly acceptable.
What can I use instead of tarragon?
Fresh thyme or parsley both work, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard stirred in with the cream compensates for the lost aniseed edge. The pie becomes closer to a classic chicken and mushroom in flavour.