Cinema snacks: recreating recipes from the screen
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SKIP TO: RECIPE
Welcome back to Bite Club, where we bring iconic screen eats to life so you can munch your way through the movies, one lovingly recreated recipe at a time. Today, we’re heading to Tweedy’s Farm for a dish that is both iconic and controversial in equal measure, the villainous Mrs Tweedy’s Chicken Pie from Chicken Run. Yes, we know. Please don’t report us to the chickens...
With food being the driving force of the plot, Chicken Run might be the most food-centric film we’ve ever tackled, with the threat of being turned into pie looming over every scene. Mrs Tweedy’s chicken pie isn’t just a recipe, it’s the threat, the motivation, and the ticking clock all rolled into one flaky pastry lid. Which is why we spent a long time debating whether we should even make this dish… because by recreating it, we’ve arguably made ourselves the bad guys. We guess 2026 is the year our villain era is unlocked. Sorry chickens.
Our version of Mrs Tweedy’s chicken pie is unapologetically indulgent. Think rich, comforting filling, golden flaky pastry, and just enough drama to keep any chicken nervous. If 2026 is the year you are entering your pie era, we highly recommend picking up a pie funnel, as they’re cheap, hella cute, and do wonders for preventing soggy pastry lids by letting steam escape during baking. No soggy bottoms here, thank you. If you want to recreate our version to the letter, and lean into our post-modern pie aesthetic, you can recreate the look using alphabet pastry stamps, because of course nothing says 'menacing poultry-based enterprise' like bespoke typography. Duh.
You’ll find the full recipe below, but don’t forget to check out the video for step-by-step guidance, extra tips, and a healthy dose of stop-motion admiration. And if you’re hungry for more movie-inspired food, head over to our YouTube channel, give us an encouraging like and a subscribe, and let us know which film we should cook from next, preferably one where the main characters aren’t being eaten.
So without further ado… ovens on, chickens on the run.
🥧🐔
MRS TWEEDY'S CHICKEN PIE
Features in Chicken Run at 50 minutes and 45 seconds
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
PASTRY
300g plain flour
200g cold unsalted butter, cubed
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg (for egg wash)
FILLING
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
150g mushrooms, chopped
500g cooked chicken, diced
Small handful of frozen peas, optional
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ ground black pepper
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter
400ml chicken stock
Small handful of parsley, chopped
METHOD: DOUGH
Place the flour and salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Alternatively, use a pastry blender, but avoid handling the pastry or the butter will melt.
Place into a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of ice cold water, mixing to combine. Add additional water one tablespoon at a time, until it comes together into a ball.
Place the dough onto a worktop and bring together, handling as little as possible. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
METHOD: FILLING
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pan on a medium-high heat, add in a drizzle of oil to increase the heat tolerance of the butter.
Once hot, add the chopped onion to pan, and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Then, add the carrots and mushrooms, and cook for 5-8 minutes until the carrots are fork tender.
Season with the dried thyme, ground black pepper, and add salt to taste. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter to the vegetables, along with the plain flour, and cook out the flour for a couple of minutes.
Trickle in the chicken stock, stirring as you go to prevent lumps. Bring up to a simmer, and then let it bubble away for 5 mins until thickened.
Add in the parsley, and the cooked chopped chicken, along with an optional (and movie unfaithful) small handful of frozen peas.
Leave the filling to cool completely before assembling the pie.
ASSEMBLING THE PIE
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.
Roll out the chilled pastry into a round shape about 2 mm thick. Transfer to a 24 cm pie dish. No need to grease the pie dish as the dough contains so much butter.
Trim off the excess pastry, and bring all the offcuts together in a ball, to later form the lid.
Transfer the chilled filling into the pie dish, and add a pie funnel if you have one, this will help the steam escape and keep top crisp.
To form the lid, roll the remaining pastry to about 2 mm thick. Place the lid on top of the pie, cutting a small slit in the top to allow steam to escape.
Using a fork, crimp the edges of the pastry together, and trim and discard the excess. Brush the lid of the pie with a thin and even layer of egg wash.
Bake for 40-45 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
