Mexican Chicken Broccoli Quiche Tart

When is it ok to have pie for brunch?

Ok, that's a trick question...it's always ok to have pie at brunch. But it's more acceptable if that pie is savory, like a quiche.

Now quiche can have a crust or be crustless (especially if you're following a gluten-free diet), but it's got to have that egg custard to bind all those yummy fillings. And those fillings are a great way to use leftover meats and vegetables.

For example, I had some cooked chicken in the fridge, and lots of broccoli. Plus an interesting Elote seasoning in my pantry (I'll explain what this is below). And since this is a savory quiche, why not use some sourdough starter discard as well?

Ok, looks like I'm making a Mexican Chicken Broccoli Quiche Tart with a sourdough shortcrust pastry.

Quiche is a savory custard

At its core, quiche is just a free-standing egg custard. The crust is merely a holding vessel. Most people might think of egg custard as a dessert, but really the only difference is how the custard is flavored. Is it sweetened or filled with savory ingredients?

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If it's the latter, it's quiche, simple as that.

If it's going to be a dairy quiche, you can use milk, half and half, heavy cream, or a combination. Just decide how much milk vs. cream you'd like. The more cream, the richer the custard will be. You can even use a milk substitute or a savory broth if you'd prefer. It's the combination of liquid and eggs that makes it a custard.

I keep saying free-standing custard which can hold its shape, like flan. It's a cousin to pastry cream, which contains the same base of eggs and cream but has a 4 to 1 liquid to egg recipe ratio, so it can't stand up on its own.

Also, a free-standing custard is baked to set rather than thickened on the stove with cornstarch, like pudding. I love when things are related like that.

What you need

So if savory custard makes it a quiche, how do quiches differ from one another? That's where the fillings become important, and choosing seasonings and cheeses that complement said fillings. I start with a protein (pre-cooked chicken) and some vegetables (broccoli and red onions), then work from there.

For my Mexican Chicken Broccoli Quiche Tart, I start with the flavors of Mexican street corn, then chose appropriate cheeses. Usually street corn is served with cotija cheese, a semi-firm white crumbly cheese (similar to feta cheese in texture). I add a Mexican cheese blend (a pre-made blend of shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Queso Blanco) to round out the quiche. You can use your own preferred combinations.

For the street corn flavors, I used Trader Joes' Everything but the Elote seasoning blend. It's made up of chile pepper, Parmesan cheese, chipotle powder, cumin, dried cilantro, sea salt, plus some cane sugar and corn flour. You can substitute a good chili powder or taco seasonings if you prefer.

How to make a chicken quiche

Step 1: Make a shortcrust pastry

Unless you're making a crustless quiche, you'll want a sturdy crust. Pie crust for quiche works when it's served in a pie pan. Use a basic pie crust recipe or get a store-bought crust. Shortcrust pastry works great for quiches that will be served free-standing, like a tart. Since this quiche recipe will be savory, a sourdough shortcrust pastry fits the bill nicely.

Prepare a blind baked sourdough shortcrust pastry using a 10-inch tart pan (photo 1). Blind baking the pastry shell helps to ensure it doesn't get soggy while the custard bakes later.

Step 2: Cook the filling ingredients

Start by cooking any desired vegetables, which brings body and texture to the dish. Add a cooked protein, like bacon, sausage, or cooked chicken, which elevates the quiche to something substantial.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the red onions and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the onions until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until heated, another 2 to 3 mixtures (photo 2). Remove from heat.

Step 3: Make the custard

Mix the custard ingredients together until frothy, either by hand or using a hand mixer (photo 3).

Making sure the custard has some bubbles helps to hold the mix-ins in suspension. That's especially important in a taller quiche or quiche made in a pie pan. This quiche tart isn't that tall so the suspension aspect isn't as crucial.

Step 4: Assemble the quiche

The crust is there to protect the custard from baking too quickly and getting rubbery (like the job of a water bath for a crème brûlée). Adding the filling components in layers helps to keep everything from settling to the bottom, especially for taller quiches.

Fill the shortcrust pastry shell with the cooked chicken filling. Sprinkle the cheeses on top (photo 4).

Step 5: Bake the quiche

Pour the custard over the filling as much as you can without overflowing. Place the pan on a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper to catch drips.

Bake the quiche at 375˚F for 28 to 30 minutes or until the filling is mostly set (photo 5). It will be slightly jiggly in the middle, like with a pumpkin or pecan pie.

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: How to blind bake your shortcrust pastry without pie weights

Here's a trick I learned from Smitten Kitchen to successfully blind bake pie dough and shortcrust pastry. Freeze the crust in its pan tightly covered in foil. You don't need to use pie weights or dried beans using this frozen-foil method.

1. Ease the dough into a pie or tart pan and dock with a fork.
2. Tear off a piece of foil that fits over the entire pan with overhang (or add extra foil as needed).
3. Spray the foil with baking spray to keep it from sticking to the dough.
4. Press the foil into the pan and tightly up against the sides. Bring the foil up over the rim and mold it to the sides of the pan.
5. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes.
6. Bake the crust with the foil at 375°F for 20 minutes. At this point the crust is par-baked.
7. Carefully remove the foil from the crust. If the crust has puffed up, gently press it back down. Any tears or cracks in the crust can be repaired with dough scraps.
8. Return the crust to the oven and bake the crust until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.

There you have it. No more slumping sides or messing around with dried beans. I'm all in for that!

Pie for brunch, lunch, or dinner

Savory, spicy (but not too much), salty, and substantial, this Mexican Chicken Quiche recipe produces a dish with lots of flavor. It's perfect for brunch or lunch. Paired with a Caesar salad (with homemade Caesar salad dressing, of course!), a chicken quiche makes a nice, light dinner.

Have a hankering for pie? You can turn eggs, your dairy of choice, and some leftovers into a meal. Make yourself a quiche (with a crust or crustless) using whatever filings and seasonings you'd like.

Of course, remember to save room for pie for dessert!

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