Greece | Poultry | Chicken | Filo

Kotopita Recipe

Kotopita

(Greek chicken pie)

Yield: 6-8 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Water or stock 3 cups
Chicken breasts boneless, skinless 2 lbs
 
Butter, olive oil, or a mixture 1/3 cup
Scallions chopped 1 bunch
Flour 1/3 cup
 
Feta cheese crumbled 1 1/2 cups
Dill, fresh chopped 1/4 cup
Parsley chopped 1/4 cup
Mint chopped 2 Tbsp
Nutmeg   1 tsp
Salt & pepper   to taste
     
Eggs beaten 3 each
     
Filo dough   12-14 sheets
Butter or olive oil   1/2 cup

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Poach → Sauté → Thicken → Mix → Form bottom → Fill → Form top → Bake
  1. Put the stock or water and the chicken in a large saucepan. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set the chicken and the broth aside to cool. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred.
  2. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the butter or oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and sauté quickly, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir in well. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.
  3. Pour the poaching broth all at once into the skillet and whisk together well to avoid lumps. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time. Remove from heat and cool.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the feta, dill, mint, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and the thickened broth. Stir together well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the eggs.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9"x9" baking dish or a deep-dish pie tin. Lay a layer of filo over the dish and brush with oil or butter. Add 5 or six more sheets of filo, each at a different angle to cover the dish well. Brush each with oil before adding the next. Press the filo well into all corners of the dish.
  6. Add the chicken-cheese filling to the dish and spread out evenly.
  7. Repeat process with the remaining filo to form a top to the dish. Trim the edges of filo that are hanging over the edge to about 1 1/2". Roll them together toward the center to form an edge.
  8. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake anywhere from 45-75 minutes, or until center is bubbly and crust is nicely browned.
  9. Remove from the oven, let cool about 15 minutes and serve with a salad.

VARIATIONS

  • Add a little lemon juice or some capers to the filling if you like.
  • It is not necessary to use all the herbs listed here, but they do add to the flavor. Substitute a little chopped spinach for some of the herbs if you like.
  • If the thought of working with filo fills you with horror (it shouldn't), just use a traditional double pie crust or your favorite pot pie topping. It won't be quite so Greek that way though.

NOTES

  • The mixture of butter or oil and flour is called a roux. Roux acts as a thickener for the sauce. A roux should have the consistency of wet sand at the beach. If it is too thick, add a little more oil or butter. Too thin, add a little more flour.