Kurnik is the grand Russian festive pie, a dome-shaped pie of chicken, rice, mushrooms and eggs, traditionally served at weddings. Its name comes from kuritsa, chicken, and the pie was the centrepiece of the Russian wedding table from pre-Petrine times. The construction is layered: a pastry shell is lined in a bowl, then filled in alternating layers with cooked rice, chicken pieces, sauteed mushrooms, chopped boiled eggs, and dill, each layer separated by a thin pancake (blinchik) to keep the layers distinct. The dome is sealed with a pastry lid, decorated with pastry ornament, a hole left for steam to escape, and baked at 180 degrees C for about 90 minutes. Brought to the table whole and sliced into wedges, it is one of the most impressive dishes of Russian cookery.
A tall, golden pastry dome sliced open to reveal distinct layers of tender chicken, buttered rice, savoury mushrooms and egg, the dill bright throughout. Each wedge is a complete meal in pastry, the flavours melding within the dome.
The technique is layered assembly in a pastry shell. Shortcrust or puff pastry is rolled and lined in a deep round bowl, leaving overhang. The filling is built in layers: cooked rice mixed with butter, chicken pieces (poached and cut), sauteed mushrooms with onions, chopped boiled eggs with dill, each layer separated by a thin crepe (blinchik) which prevents the layers from merging during baking. The bowl is covered with a pastry lid, sealed, decorated, and a small hole pierced at the top for steam. Baked at 180 degrees C for 80 to 90 minutes, the pastry becomes golden and the filling cooks through, the steam from the chicken and mushrooms keeping everything moist. The blinchiki between layers are the traditional technique, ensuring each layer retains its identity when sliced.
Variations
Some add buckwheat instead of rice. A version with multiple meats is grander.
On the Palate
Where Kurnik sits in the Russian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
5 steps · 1 hour
- 18 min
Make a shortcrust: 500g flour, 200g butter, 1 egg, salt, enough cold water to bind; rest 30 minutes.
- 28 min
Prepare fillings: 300g poached chicken in pieces, 200g cooked buttered rice, 200g sauteed mushrooms, 3 chopped boiled eggs with dill.
- 38 min
Line a greased bowl with pastry; layer rice, a blinchik, chicken, blinchik, mushrooms, blinchik, eggs, blinchik, rice.
Watch outSlip a thin crepe between each filling layer as you build it — the crepes keep the rice, chicken, mushroom and egg from bleeding into each other during the long bake.
- 45 min
Cover with a pastry lid; seal, decorate, and pierce a steam hole.
Watch outPierce a steam hole in the pastry lid before baking — it vents the steam so the shell doesn't split or turn soggy underneath.
- 58 min
Bake at 180 degrees C for 80 to 90 minutes until deep golden; rest 10 minutes and slice.
Watch outBake at 180°C the full eighty to ninety minutes until deep golden — the tall pie needs the long, even heat for the pastry to cook through to the center.
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