Parmigiano Reggiano Chicken (or Turkey) Filo Pie

I'm all for a shortcut when it comes to cooking. If Delia can write a whole book about cheats and Mary 'fesses up on Bake Off that she doesn't make her own Filo Pastry I reckon I'm in good company. Personally I'd prefer to use a pre-prepared product that helps me short circuit cooking times and techniques than resort to a ready meal. I'm not saying they don't have their place but there is definitely room for a halfway house between cooking everything from scratch and popping a ping meal in the microwave. In today's recipe I've been working with Giovanni Rana and their new Italian Indulgence Parmigiano-Reggiano Sauce. It's an instant time saver that will allow you to create fabulous food without a faff.

The fresh chilled sauce is made with authentic PDO Parmigiano-Reggiano blended with cream. Whilst it's undoubtedly great served traditionally with pasta it also makes a wonderfully versatile ingredient. A second new addition to their Italian Indulgence range is a Basil Pesto with Pine Nuts & Garlic. Giovanni Rana’s authentic pesto is vibrant and rustic and lends itself to countless dishes, from simple spaghetti through to pesto topped salmon fillets and stuffed chicken breasts. In my recipe today I've used the wonderfully silky and creamy Parmigiano Reggiano sauce to help make the filling for a showstopping Chicken Pie. 

The timing of publishing this recipe is particularly apt with the festive season approaching. My Parmigiano Reggiano Pie would be the perfect way to use up leftover turkey and you could easily add in some ham, cranberry sauce or even leftover sprouts! Filo pastry is a fantastic shortcut and makes an impressive finished product for very little effort. Pop a pack of filo and a tub of Italian Indulgence Parmigiano-Reggiano Sauce in your trolley when you do the Christmas Shop and you'll be sorted for an effortless twixtmas meal. To make it year round with chicken, my top tip would be to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. Pop it in with nothing else and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I promise it will work and you'll have fantastically succulent chicken just falling off the bone. The by-product will be a wonderfully rich chicken stock which will be perfect to use in the pie instead of a cube. Win win! 

Parmigiano Reggiano Chicken (or Turkey) Filo Pie

500g Cooked Chicken or Turkey, shredded

200ml Chicken Stock

1 Tub/180g Giovanni Rana Parmigiano Reggiano Sauce

2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt & Pepper

50g Butter, melted

8 Sheets Filo Pastry

20g Parmigiano Reggiano, Grated

Preheat your oven to 180c
In a large bowl mix together the shredded cooked chicken/turkey, chicken stock, Parmigiano Reggiano Sauce, chopped parsley and smoked paprika. Combine well and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
Brush a 25cm loose bottomed quiche tin with melted butter.
Lay out the filo pastry sheets and lightly brush the top one with butter. Carefully place it in the quiche tin to line the base with an overhang at each side. The pastry doesn’t have to fit in smoothly – a few wrinkles and folds in it are fine.
Brush the second pastry sheet with melted butter and this time lay it down into the tin the other way round, so it drapes over and lines the base. Repeat the criss-cross layering with 6 out of the 8 butter brushed filo sheets.
Spoon the cheesy chicken mixture into the pastry lined tin. Crumple the final 2 buttered sheets of filo to cover the top then fold in all of the other pastry to form a parcel.
Brush the top with the last of the butter and sprinkle over the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and some more Smoked Paprika.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Remove the tin and transfer the Parmigiano Reggiano Filo Pie to a serving plate.

Disclosure : This is a commissioned post for Giovanni Rana. As always, all views expressed are my own.
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