Journey From A Polish Kitchen

• This is my 500th post – so I thought I would do a variation on a classic!
• I have been trying out new fillings for pierogi – all with chicken – here is the first.
• The fillings are made with cooked chicken as usual but I have found the chicken thighs make a tastier dish than chicken breast.
• I cooked the chicken as for  rosȯł – chicken soup.
• 5 – 6 carrots were in with the chicken.
• You can mince the chicken and carrots but I used a mini-chopper, which gave a great smooth filling.

Ingredients

• 200g of cooked chicken thighs – without bones or skin
• 5-6 carrots boiled with the thighs
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

• Mince or use a mini-chopper to get a smooth mixture of chicken and carrots.
• Mix in the melted butter and egg yolk.
• Season to taste.
• Use the filling to make pierogi in the usual way.
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• Serve with melted butter.
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• I have added how to make pierogi – below the photographs.

• How to make pierogi

• Ingredients – Dough

  • 250g pasta flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
  • 150ml water
  • 1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg yolk

  Method – Dough

  • In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and the yolk.
  • Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
  • Pour in the liquid from the jug and initially use a knife to mix this into the flour and then use your hands to mix the liquid and flour to get a ball of dough.
  • Turn this out onto a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until you have a smooth ball.
  • Cover and leave to rest for about ½ an hour.
  • *
  • Cut the dough into half.
  • Prepare a large tray and cover it with a clean cotton or linen tea towel and sprinkle this with flour.
  • On a floured board roll out the dough a half at a time until you have a sheet of thinly rolled dough.
  • Cut out circles using a 7 cm diameter cutter.
  • The excess dough can be re-mixed and rolled out again.
  • Around a half tablespoon of filling is put on  each circle and then they are folded over and the edges pinched together to make a good seal.
  • You learn from experience how much filling to put in as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling.  Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens – even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
  • Place the sealed pierogi on prepared tray until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
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  • To cook the pierogi

  • Use a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a drizzle of oil.
  • Drop the pierogi in one by one and allow them to boil.  I usually do about 5 to 6 at a time.
  • As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 minutes and then remove them with a slotted or perforated spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain and serve with melted butter.
  • Continue boiling batches in the same water.
  • If you want to make all the pierogi to serve together then you need to get a large oven proof dish.
  • Melt lots of butter in the dish.
  • Keep the dish warm in a low oven.
  • As you take out the cooked pierogi add them to the dish and coat them with the melted butter.
  • Keep on adding more as they cook.