Chicken, bacon and cider pie
This is a deep-dish chicken pie in the West Country style, where dry cider replaces some of the stock and smoked bacon seasons the gravy. The cider reduces to a sharp, savory base that cuts through the richness of the pastry.
By the chickenpie.net test kitchen · Published 7 July 2026
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Yield
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 200g smoked bacon lardons
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 30g butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 330ml dry cider
- 300ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
- 500g shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Method
Fry the lardons in a dry casserole until the fat renders and they crisp. Remove, then brown the chicken in the bacon fat. Remove.
Soften the onion and carrots in the butter for 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
Stir in the flour, then pour in the cider. Let it bubble and reduce by half before adding the stock, mustard, and thyme.
Return the chicken and bacon and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick. Cool completely.
Fill a deep 24cm pie dish, top with the pastry lid, crimp, cut two slashes, and glaze with egg.
Bake at 200C (400F) for 35 minutes until deep golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Worth knowing
- Use dry cider, not sweet. The sugar in sweet cider turns the gravy cloying once reduced.
- Render the bacon slowly and keep the fat. It carries the smoke through the whole filling.
Common questions
What kind of cider should I use in a chicken pie?
A dry, still or lightly sparkling cider works best. Reduce it by half before adding stock, which cooks off the alcohol and concentrates the apple sharpness without sweetness.
Can I make this pie without alcohol?
Yes. Replace the cider with the same volume of chicken stock plus 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar added at the end, which restores the sharpness the cider would have provided.
Does this pie need a pastry base?
No. It is a deep-dish pie with a lid only, which suits the wet, gravy-rich filling. If you want a fully enclosed version, blind-bake a base first and reduce the filling further so it does not flood the crust.