Chicken Pie

To bake a Chickin Pie–To bake a Chickin Pie after you have trust your
Chickins, broken their legges and breast bones, and raised your crust
of the best past, you shall lay them in the coffin close together
with their bodies full of butter: Then lay upon them and underneath
them currants, great raysons, prunes, cinamon, suger, whole mace and
salt: then cover all with great store of butter and so bake it. After
powre into it the same liquor you did in your marrow bone Pie* with
the yelkes of 2 or 3 egges beaten amongst it: And so serve it forth.
~-Gervase Markham, The English Hous-wife *In the preceding recipe,
for marrow-bone pie, Markham calls for a “liquor” of white wine, rose
water, sugar, cinnamon, and vinegar mixed together.

In addition to preparing a pie, this recipe suggests the possibility
of roasting a chicken and using the dried fruit, spices, butter and
brown sugar as a stuffing. I’ve tried it both ways, and would be
hard put to tell you which I liked better.

9-inch unbaked pie pastry (see instructions below) 1/2 cup dry white
wine 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon mace 1/4 cup currants 1/4 cup
raisins 1/2 cup pitted prunes 1 2 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 12-15
pieces, bones intact 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter, cut into
small pieces 1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Line the bottom of a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish with pie
pastry, and bake at 425F for 10 minutes. Let cool. 2. In a large
bowl, mix wine and spices. 3. Add dried fruits, stir, and let stand
about 15 minutes. 4. Toss chicken pieces in wine and fruits,
sprinkling with salt as you mix. 5. Place mixture in pie shell. Dot
with butter. 6. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350F. 7. Uncover and
sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 15
minutes or until chicken is done. 8. To serve, scoop out chicken with
serving spoon, scraping up a section of pie crust with each portion.