Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pie with Clotted Cream (and the Creamiest Mash)

There’s nothing quite like a proper chicken and mushroom pie on a chilly evening. Golden, flaky pastry, tender chicken and earthy mushrooms, all wrapped up in a velvety sauce. Our secret for this classic recipe? A generous spoonful of Cornish Dairy Co Cornish clotted cream. Pure creamy deliciousness in every forkful. 

A pie this good deserves a proper yummy sidekick, so we’ve paired it with the creamiest clotted cream mash to create a comforting dish perfect for family dinners. Let us know what you pair with yours!

Why Clotted Cream Makes the Best Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Most chicken pie recipes use milk or stock for the sauce. They’re tasty, but clotted cream gives the filling a deep, buttery richness that makes every bite that little bit more indulgent. 

Our clotted cream carries PDO status, so it’s made right here using milk from Cornish herds, just as it has been for generations.

Clotted Cream vs Double Cream vs Milk

The Secret to a Sauce That Never Splits

Low-fat dairy is the usual culprit when a sauce splits, as its proteins curdle in the heat. High-fat clotted cream is far more forgiving. The trick is to stir it in at the end over low heat, rather than boiling it hard, for a thick velvety sauce every time.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie Ingredients

Chicken Thighs, Breast or Leftover Roast Chicken?

We use boneless chicken thighs. They stay juicy and tender, and tend to have more flavour than breast. Chicken breast works too, just take care not to overcook it.

Got leftovers from a Sunday roast? Shredded roast chicken is perfect for our chicken and mushroom pie recipe. Simply skip Step 1 and stir it in with the sauce. Try it after our Roast Chicken with Cider & Cornish Clotted Cream Gravy.

The Best Mushrooms for Pie

Chestnut mushrooms are our favourite. They’re meaty, nutty and hold their shape well. For extra depth, add a handful of wild mushrooms or a few rehydrated dried porcini.

Puff or Shortcrust Pastry?

Both work beautifully. Puff pastry gives you a light, golden, flaky lid and is the quickest option. Shortcrust is sturdier and better if you want a full pastry case with a base. Ready-made is absolutely fine, and all-butter pastry gives the best flavour.

How to Make Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Step 1: Brown the Chicken

Heat a little oil in a large pan and fry the chicken in batches until golden brown. Don’t crowd the pan, or it will steam rather than brown. Set aside.

Step 2: Soften the Mushrooms and Onion

Melt a knob of Golden Salted Butter in the same pan. Soften the onion, then add the mushrooms and cook until golden and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the garlic and thyme for the final minute.

Step 3: Make the Clotted Cream Sauce

Return the chicken to the pan and sprinkle over the flour. Stir for a minute, then gradually add the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Turn the heat to low and stir through the clotted cream and mustard until velvety. Season well.

Step 4: Cool the Filling Completely

Spoon the filling into your pie dish and leave it to cool completely. This is the most important step for a crisp pastry. Hot filling melts the butter in the pastry before it reaches the oven, leading to a soggy lid.

Step 5: Top, Glaze and Bake

Lay the pastry over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, then brush the top with beaten egg. Cut a small slit in the middle to let steam escape. Bake at 200C (fan 180C), Gas 6, for 30 minutes until golden and piping hot throughout.

How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom (and Other Pie Problems)

My Filling Is Too Runny

Cook the mushrooms until all their liquid has evaporated, and let the sauce simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. The filling will also thicken as it cools.

The Pastry Is Browning Too Fast

Bake on the middle shelf. If the top darkens before the filling is hot, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining time.

How to Get a Crisp Base With a Full Pastry Case

Use shortcrust for the base and blind bake it first. Line the dish, fill with baking paper and baking beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans, bake for 5 more minutes, then fill with cold filling. Baking the pie on a preheated baking tray helps too.

The Creamiest Clotted Cream Mash

The Best Potatoes for Mash

Choose floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward. They break down into a light, fluffy mash, while waxy potatoes can turn gluey.

How to Make Clotted Cream Mash

Serves 4 to 6

• 1.2kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
• 50g Golden Salted Butter
• 100g Cornish Dairy Co Cornish clotted cream
• 75ml warm Cornish Whole Milk
• Sea salt, white pepper and a grating of nutmeg

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
2. Drain well and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Mash or push through a ricer until smooth.
4. Beat in the butter, clotted cream and warm milk until silky. Season to taste.

Making Mash Ahead

Make your mash up to a day ahead, cool it quickly and keep it covered in the fridge. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of milk and an extra spoonful of clotted cream, stirring until steaming hot.

What to Serve with Chicken Pie

Chicken and mushroom pie is best served with creamy mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce, plus a green vegetable like buttered peas, tenderstem broccoli or green beans. Honey-roasted carrots or extra gravy make it heartier.

Prefer something crispy? Our Ultimate Roast Potatoes are a brilliant alternative.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie Variations

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie

Swap half the mushrooms for two sliced leeks. Soften them with the onion in Step 2 until sweet and tender. Leeks and clotted cream are a match made in heaven.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Pie

Fry 150g smoked bacon lardons until crisp before browning the chicken, then follow the recipe as normal.

Individual Pies

Divide the filling between four individual pie dishes and top each with pastry. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and piping hot.

Gluten-Free Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Use gluten-free flour (or cornflour) to thicken the sauce, plus gluten-free stock, mustard and pastry. Our clotted cream is naturally gluten-free.

Make Ahead Chicken Pie, Freezing and Reheating

Can You Freeze Chicken and Mushroom Pie?

Yes. Assemble the pie with completely cold filling, but don’t bake it. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bake as normal, adding 5 to 10 minutes and checking it’s piping hot in the middle. Find out more about freezing clotted cream here.

How to Reheat Chicken Pie

Cover the pie loosely with foil and reheat in the oven at 180C (fan 160C), Gas 4, for 20 to 25 minutes until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp the pastry. Only reheat it once.

How Long Does It Keep in the Fridge?

Once cooled, cover and refrigerate leftovers and eat them within 2 days, in line with Food Standards Agency advice.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe

Serves: 6 | Prep time: 25 mins, plus cooling | Cook time: 1 hr | Total time: 1 hr 25 mins, plus cooling

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 800g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 25g Cornish Dairy Co Golden Salted Butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 400g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 400ml hot chicken stock
• 150g Cornish Dairy Co Cornish clotted cream
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• Small handful of parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 320g sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken and fry in batches for 5 to 6 minutes until golden. Set aside.
2. Add the butter and onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
3. Return the chicken to the pan, sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the clotted cream, mustard and parsley until velvety, then season to taste.
5. Spoon into a 1.5 litre pie dish and leave to cool completely.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C), Gas 6. Lay the pastry over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, brush the edges of the pie with egg and cut a small steam vent.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and piping hot. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with clotted cream mash.

Find Cornish Dairy Co clotted cream near you

Hungry for more? Discover the traditional Cornish foods we’re proud to call our own.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie FAQs