We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is Chicken Pastel?

By Rachael Cullins
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 9,907
Share

Chicken pastel is a traditional savory casserole dish originating in the Philippines. It includes marinated chicken, sausage, vegetables, and some sort of pastry or pastry-like topping. It may also be referred to as Filipino pie or Filipino chicken pie.

The dish comes from the Philippines and stems from a Spanish version of a chicken pot pie. In Spanish, the dish is known as pastel de pollo and is similar to a pot pie or empanada. The chicken in the pie may be replaced with any kind of meat, including pork or duck.

There are many variations of chicken pastel, and Filipino families often have their own traditional interpretations. In nearly every version of the dish, diced chicken meat is first marinated in a mix of soy sauce and lemon juice for at least one hour, giving it a rich, tangy flavor. The chicken is then browned in a skillet along with sausage. Vienna or chorizo sausages are common, but a hot dog could be substituted for real sausage.

After browning the meats, stock liquid, optional cooking wine or cream, and a variety of vegetables are added to the pan and simmered until tender. Any kind of vegetables can be used in chicken pastel. Mushrooms, peppers, onions, potatoes, and peas are popular additions. Shredded or grated cheese is sometimes added to the meat-and-vegetable mixture to enhance flavor and increase the creaminess of the dish.

Adding crust and baking the dish is the last step to completing chicken pastel. There are several methods for making a crust. After simmering, the chicken and vegetables are transferred to a baking dish, where they can be topped with homemade dough or a store-bought variety. Lining the pan with puff pastry sheets and covering the meat mixture is another option. One could even use crushed-up potato chips to create a crust.

Filipinos often eat the finished chicken pastel with rice. The pie is one of many traditional meals from the Philippines, which often include some sort of meat in a sauce or stew dish. Many Filipino foods have Spanish or Mexican roots and were brought to the Philippines by settlers long ago. The influx of a Chinese population in later years inspired the heavy use of rice in Filipino cooking. Different regions of the Philippines have their own styles and traditions for cooking, one reason why chicken pastel has so many variations and possibilities.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-chicken-pastel.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.