Homemade Greek chicken pie (Kotopita) was a frequent crowd pleaser at my grandomother’s household on Sundays. This delicious rustic chicken pie with phyllo pastry is an even more frequent attender in my weekend dinners as it is my son-in-law’s favourite pie!
How do I make this homemade Greek chicken pie?
This delicous chicken pie (kotopita) is easy to make and now you will be able to bake it to perfection. Start this pie by boiling half the chicken. Remember that bone-in-chicken takes longer to boil than boneless chicken and chicken pieces.
Pour 1 liter water, just enough to cover the chicken. Add a small onion and a carrot to the pan and season with salt. The onion and the carrot will give the chicken a delicious taste. When the chicken is ready, remove the bones and skin and cut it into small pieces. Strain the delicious homemade chicken broth aside as you will require it later.
Pour some oil in a pan and sauttee the diced onion and garlic with seasoning (salt, black pepper and nutmeg) for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken pieces to the pan for approximately 5 minutes. Place the onion-garlic-chicken mix in a bowl and add grated hard cheese, single cream and melted butter. Place this chicken mix to a bowl and add cream , melted butter and hard cheese.
Grease a tin and lay two phyllo pastry sheets on the bottom of the pan side by side. Lay so with bits of the phyllo pastry sheet overhanging from the tin. Set aside a phyllo pastry sheet for the top layer of the pie. Pour a couple of tablespoons worth of the chicken filling to the bottom phyllo pastry sheets.
Place a phyllo pastry sheet on top and add some of the chicken filling. Do so until you have run out of chicken filling. Cover the pie with the last phyllo patry sheet and brush with egg wash. Pierce the pie sparsely and lay diced butter on the top phyllo sheet.
Bake in the middle shelf of the over at 180C or 356F for 45 minutes.
What is the secret to this homemade Greek chicken pie (kotopita) recipe?
There is more than one secret to this homemade rustic Greek chicken pie (Kotopita)!
- The first and foremost is the chicken. Boiled bone-in chicken has a richer, meatier taste.
- Secondly, adding parts of the homemade chicken broth to the pie will make it super tasty! Yes you heard right! Pour two laddles’ worth of the homemade chicken broth over a hot baked pie and enjoy.
- Thirdly, placing small amounts of butter on the top phyllo pastry sheets will create a superbly crunchy pie.
Can I make this chicken pie (kotopita) with chicken thighs or breast?
This rustic Greek chicken pie can be made with all parts of chicken. I use half a chicken (bone-in) thus combining all parts and cuts of chicken. Chicken thighs are juicy with rather soft meat whislt chicken breast is little bit firmer. I prefer combing all parts of chicken, ie thighs, breast, wings and thus I use half a chicken. Naturally you an still bake a perfectly delciious pie with just chicken thighs and breast cuts.
If you love homemade Greek pies, then look no furter:
- Zucchini and Feta cheese pie (Kolokithopita)
- Spinach leek and Feta pie
- Greek Feta cheese pie (Tiropita) with phyllo
- Mini tiropitakia (Greek baked Feta cheese triangles)
- Milinoudia (Greek mini pan fried Feta cheese pies)
- Greek ground meat phyllo pie (Kimadopita)
- Greek sweet pumpkin pie with phyllo pastry
