Polvorosa de pollo
Polvorosa de pollo: Caracas chicken pie in a crumbly, slightly sweet crust
Polvorosa is the pie that comes out for family birthdays and Sunday gatherings in Caracas: a melt-in-the-mouth, slightly sweet shortcrust (polvorosa means 'crumbly') around chicken stewed with leek, peppers, olives, capers and raisins, so each bite is salty, sweet and savoury at once. Serve it warm with a green salad. The common mistake is filling the pastry with hot stew, which melts the butter and makes a soggy, torn crust. Chef's tip: make the filling the day before and fill the pie straight from the fridge.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 ¾ lb boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 leekfinely sliced
- 1 red pepperfinely chopped
- 3 ají dulce (sweet chilli peppers)chopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tomatoesgrated
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olivessliced
- 1 tbsp capersrinsed
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 1 tbsp panela or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
For the crust
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz cold butterdiced
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolkfor glazing
- 3 tbsp iced water
- 1 tbsp sugarfor sprinkling
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan and brown 1 ¾ lb boneless chicken thighs for 3 minutes a side. Add 1 onion, 1 leek, 1 red pepper, 3 ají dulce (sweet chilli peppers) and 3 cloves garlic and cook for 8 minutes, until soft.
15 minStep 2: Add 2 tomatoes, 1 ¼ cups chicken stock and 1 tsp salt, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F in the thickest part.
25 minStep 3: Lift out the chicken, shred it and return it with 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olives, 1 tbsp capers, 1 ¾ oz raisins and 1 tbsp panela or brown sugar. Stir in 1 tbsp cornflour and simmer for 3 minutes until thick. Cool completely, ideally in the fridge overnight.
15 minStep 4: For the crust, rub 8 oz cold butter into 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 2 ⅞ oz sugar and ½ tsp salt until sandy. Mix in 1 egg and just enough 3 tbsp iced water to bring it together. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and line a 24 cm pie tin. The pastry is fragile: patch any tears by pressing pieces together.
10 minStep 7: Bake for 45 minutes, until deep golden. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
45 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does polvorosa de pollo take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of boneless chicken thighs?
- Chicken breast, same weight (cook a few minutes less so it stays juicy).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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