Kurnik: Russian Chicken Pie

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 02/1/22
Russian Chicken Pie

Jeff Wasserman / Stocksy

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

This recipe for Russian chicken pie or kurnik is made with chicken, rice, hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms, and a flaky crust. It is often served at holidays, especially Easter. Kurnik varies from family to family. It can be made with two crusts or just a top crust; some recipes call for blini-like pancakes to separate the layers of ingredients; it can be round or rectangular in shape; and when it comes to the crust, well, anything goes. It can be made with pie dough, savory pastry dough, or puff pastry.

We chose a food-processor cream cheese pastry crust from Norene Gilletz's The New Food Processor Bible: 30th Anniversary Edition (Whitecap Books, 2011), reprinted here with permission. Her recipe has become a new go-to pastry for kołaczki and hamantaschen, and the dough can be made sweet by adding 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Ingredients

For the Cream Cheese Pastry:

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

  • 4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into chunks

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Chicken Pie Filling:

  • 2 cups water, or chicken broth

  • 1 cup rice, rinsed

  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced

  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 cup half-and-half

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • 3 cups diced cooked chicken

  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 4 large hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 1 tablespoon water

Steps to Make It

Make the Pastry

  1. Using the steel blade of a food processor, place all ingredients into the work bowl.

  2. Process until dough forms a ball, 18 to 20 seconds. Chilling isn't necessary.

  3. When ready, roll on a lightly floured surface to the measurements of the pan you are going to cover plus about 2 inches on each side. An ungreased 12 x 7-inch baking dish works well for this recipe.

Make the Filling

  1. Bring 2 cups water or chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. If using water, add salt.

  2. Stir in rinsed and drained rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender.

  3. Uncover, fluff with a fork and remove from heat.

  4. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms, and sauté until onions are tender and somewhat caramelized.

  5. Stir cornstarch into half-and-half and add to onions along with 1 cup chicken broth, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.

  6. Add chicken, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.

  7. In a medium bowl, mix the hard-cooked eggs with the dill, and set aside.

Assemble the Dish

  1. Heat oven to 400 F.

  2. Spread 1/3 of the cooked rice into the bottom of the ungreased pan then layer 1/2 of the chicken mixture and 1/2 of the egg-dill mixture. Spread on another 1/3 of the rice, the rest of the chicken mixture and the rest of the egg-dill mixture. Spread on the remaining rice.

  3. Place rolled-out pastry crust on top. Turn the edges of overhanging pastry to the inside. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and water and brush the pastry with the egg wash.

  4. Using the back of a fork, make decorative crisscross marks all over. Cut a slit in the center for an air vent. Alternatively, you can make fancy leaves or bird shapes out of leftover pastry dough to decorate the top.

  5. Place dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips

  • If using chicken, you can use rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, or canned chicken.
  • If boiling your own chicken, save the boiling water to cook the rice for added flavor.

Recipe Variations

  • Kurnik is a lot like Polish kulebiak, which is known as kulebyaka in Russian. So, salmon would be a good substitute for the chicken.
  • Try sautéed cabbage for a vegetarian version of this recipe.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
429 Calories
29g Fat
27g Carbs
15g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 429
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 38%
Saturated Fat 16g 79%
Cholesterol 227mg 76%
Sodium 614mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 15g
Vitamin C 5mg 26%
Calcium 95mg 7%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 370mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)