Kurnik- Russian Chicken Pie

[nverland]

Kurnik: Russian Chicken Pie
Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins Total: 60 mins Servings: 6 to 8 servings


Ingredients

For the Cream Cheese Pastry:
4 ounces butter (cold, cut into chunks)
4 ounces cream cheese (cold, cut into chunks)
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Chicken Pie Filling:
2 cups water (or chicken broth)
1 cup rice (rinsed)
2 large onions (thinly sliced)
8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken meat (diced)
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper (to taste)
4 hard-cooked eggs (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon dill (chopped)
For the Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water (beaten)



Steps to Make It

Make the Pastry
Using the steel blade of a food processor, place all ingredients into the work bowl.
Process until dough forms a ball, 18 to 20 seconds. Chilling isn't necessary.
When ready, roll on a lightly floured surface to the measurements of the pan you are going to cover plus about 2 inches on each side. An ungreased 12x7-inch baking dish works well for this recipe.

Make the Filling
Bring 2 cups water or chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. If using water, add salt.
Stir in rinsed and drained rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender.
Uncover, fluff with a fork and remove from heat.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms, and sauté until onions are tender and somewhat caramelized.
Stir cornstarch into half-and-half and add to onions along with 1 cup chicken broth, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.
Add chicken, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, mix the hard-cooked eggs with the dill, and set aside.

Assemble the Dish
Heat oven to 400 F.
Spread 1/3 of the cooked rice into the bottom of the ungreased pan then layer 1/2 of the chicken mixture and 1/2 of the egg-dill mixture. Spread on another 1/3 of the rice, the rest of the chicken mixture and the rest of the egg-dill mixture. Spread on the remaining rice.
Place rolled-out pastry crust on top. Turn the edges of overhanging pastry to the inside. Brush pastry completely with egg-water wash.
Using the back of a fork, make decorative crisscross marks all over. Cut a slit in the center for an air vent. Alternatively, you can make fancy leaves or bird shapes out of leftover pastry dough to decorate the top.
Place dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips

If using chicken, you can use rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, or canned chicken.
If boiling your own chicken, save the boiling water to cook the rice for added flavor.

Recipe Variations

Kurnik is a lot like Polish kulebiak, which is known as kulebyaka in Russian. So, salmon would be a good substitute for the chicken.
Try sautéed cabbage for a vegetarian version of this recipe.