Chicken pie with chestnuts and raisins

A delicious pie to enjoy through all the Winter months. A bit different than the classic chicken pies thanks to the chestnuts and the subtle sweet taste of the raisins but so hearty and filling!

Ingredients (for a 36cm round oven pan):
850gr. of "country style" phyllo sheets (8 thick sheets)
700gr of chicken, cut in small cubes (breast and legs)
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
50gr of butter
180gr strain Greek yoghurt
180gr boiled chestnuts, peeled and finely chopped
60gr of single cream
80gr of blond raisins
70gr of dry white wine
1 egg
3 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt
1 tsp of red pepper
1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 tea-cup of Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated (or other hard/salty cheese)
125ml vegetable oil
125gr of butter
ground nutmeg for sprinkling

Method:
Thaw the pastry sheets out at room temperature.

In a deep frying pan melt the butter in medium heat and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon until soft but not browned.

Add the chicken in the skillet and sauté for a few more minutes until it changes colour. Pour over with the wine and when the alcohol has evaporated take off the heat and leave aside to cool.

When the filling is cool add in the pan the yoghurt, the chestnuts, the raisins, the single cream, the egg, the parsley, the red pepper and season with salt and nutmeg. Stir the filling well with a wooden spoon and leave aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Grease the bottom and the sides of the oven pan well with some of the melted butter.

Lay on the bottom the first phyllo sheet covering only about the 2/3 of the bottom and a part of the sides of the pan so some of the sheet is hanging out of the rim. Brush this sheet with some butter.

Lay the second phyllo sheet in the same way but covering the part of the bottom of the pan that stayed uncovered before. Brush this phyllo too with some butter. Continue with the next two phyllo sheets in the same way but doing it in a cross-way pattern.

Using a spatula evenly spread the filling on top of the phyllo sheets and sprinkle on top with the Kefalotyri cheese. Cover the filling with the last 4 phyllo sheets:  first brushing each one well with some butter and then slightly scrunching each one up before you place it on the filling. Seal the pie by folding and slightly twisting the hanging phyllo sheets inwards in the pan.

Using a sharp and pointy knife score the surface of the pie in diamond shape pieces. Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until the pie is nicely coloured and the pastry quite crunchy.

Take out of the oven, drizzle the surface with a bit of water and cover the pie with clean kitchen towels.

Leave the pie to rest for about 15-20 minutes before you uncover and cut through the pieces to serve.