These apricot chicken pies turn Mum’s favourite dinner into a dish everyone likes

There’s something deeply comforting about apricot chicken. For many of us, that sweet-savoury aroma instantly transports us back to our childhoods. The beauty of the classic? Just chicken, a can of apricot nectar and French onion soup mix.

Here, I’ve taken that nostalgic favourite and paired it with another winter staple – the humble pie. Storebought pastry keeps things weeknight-friendly, although you will need to blind bake the shells first so they hold up to the filling.

The flavour stays true to the original, with a little flour added to thicken the sauce just enough so it sits neatly inside the pastry. Smaller pieces of chicken and vegies ensure you get a little bit of everything in every bite, while a handful of chopped parsley adds freshness.

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, simply pop them in the air fryer for 6–7 minutes at 180°C and lunch is sorted.

What to serve with apricot chicken pie

Apricot chicken pie does well just on its own. But, if you’re looking for extra vegies, or a simple side dish to complement them, here’s what we would make:

Mixed salad leaves: Add a bit of green to your plate.
Steamed greens: Including broccoli, spinach or anything in season.
Mashed potato: Turn this recipe into a pseudo shepherd’s pie!

sarah murphy laughing holding her apricot chicken pies with pies in front of her on wooden chopping board

Apricot chicken recipe by Matt Moran with chef Matt Moran's portrait inset

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Ingredients

5 sheets shortcrust pastry, thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 carrot, cut into 1cm dice

500g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces

40g packet French onion soup mix

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

400g can apricot nectar

1 tablespoon plain flour

Freshly ground black pepper, to season (see tip)

2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley

3 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Mixed salad leaves, to serve

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Grease 10 holes of two six-hole (3/4-cup/180ml capacity) Texas muffin pans.

Step 2

Using a 13cm cutter, cut two rounds from each pastry sheet to make 10 pastry circles. Place in pan, pressing into the hole bases and sides. Line each with baking paper and fill with uncooked rice. Bake for 10–12 minutes. Remove paper and rice. Bake pie shells for a further 5 minutes, until golden and crisp. Leave pastry cases in the pan.

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and carrot for 4–5 minutes, until softened. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken browns. Add soup mix, apricots and nectar and stir. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken cooks through.

Step 4

Spoon 2 tablespoons cooking liquid into a bowl and stir in the flour. Add back into the pan and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove frying pan from heat. Season with pepper and stir in parsley. Let cool slightly.

Step 5

Increase oven temperature to 240°C/220°C fan-forced. Fill cases with apricot chicken mixture. Using a 10cm round cutter, cut rounds from the puff pastry. Brush edges of pastry shells with a little beaten egg. Place puff pastry rounds over the filling, pinching edges to seal. Brush tops with more beaten egg, pierce two small nicks in the middle of pastry top with a knife and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Step 6

Bake 10–15 minutes, until pastry is puffed and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove pies from pan. Serve with salad leaves.