DonChef's Original Chicken Pie

If you only ever eat one Don pie, it should be this one. The Original Chicken Pie is the recipe the whole business is built on, and the one the menu calls “the true Raffles Place original”.

What is in the Original Chicken Pie?

The brand describes it as tender chunks of chicken, potatoes and vegetables in a secret spice blend, enclosed in a golden flaky pastry, with its “signature egg”. In practice that means:

• Chicken in chunks, not shreds. One reviewer identified it as boneless leg meat.
• Potato, in soft cubes that thicken the filling.
• Vegetables: reviewers mention carrots, peas and, in one account, corn.
• Half a hard-boiled egg, the detail that marks it as an old-school Hainanese-style pie.
• A spice blend the brand keeps to itself.

The filling is creamy rather than runny, which matters: the pie holds together when you bite into it on the move. The kitchen’s own part-by-part tour is Anatomy of the Original Don Chicken Pie.

How big is it?

The personal pie is meant to feed one, and it does. One reviewer described the pies as larger than usual, and another thought $6.80 was good value for the size. The whole pie feeds four to six and is the one to take to a potluck.

What does it taste like? Our notes

This section is our opinion.

The first thing you notice is weight. This is not a delicate pastry; it is a pie you hold with both hands. The crust is golden and flaky on top and sturdy underneath, so the base does not collapse. The filling tastes of chicken first and pepper second, with the egg adding richness rather than flavour. It is savoury and comforting rather than spicy.

What it is not: a buttery French-style pastry. One respected reviewer said exactly that, that the crust was not as buttery as they would like. We understand the point, and we think the sturdier crust is the right call for a pie that has to travel from a kiosk to an office or a void deck.

Where did the recipe come from?

By the brand’s account, Chef Don Lim created it in 1983 while baking for a staff cafeteria at a large technology company, and has refined it ever since. The product page calls it “the same recipe since the China Square days”, meaning the Don Pie restaurant at China Square Central in the 2000s. “Singapore’s original Chicken Pie, since 1983” is the brand’s own tagline for it. More on Chef Don Lim.

How is it made?

The brand says the pastry dough is made in-house, the pies are baked in small batches in deck ovens at 39 Tyrwhitt Road, and it runs a “zero overnight pies” policy. We have not inspected the kitchen; those are the brand’s own statements, and DonChef’s team sets out why same-day baking matters to the kitchen on its own site.

How does it compare with the other chicken pies on the menu?

The table below covers the chicken pies; the Don Pie menu and prices guide has the beef and apple pies and the cakes too.

Where can I buy one?

All five outlets sell the Original Chicken Pie: Tyrwhitt Road, AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands and Tiong Bahru Plaza. You can also order ahead. The kiosks may close early when they sell out.

Is it halal?

No pork, no lard; not Halal-certified. The brand’s allergen note says its products contain nuts, eggs, dairy and gluten. See is Don Pie halal for the detail.

How long does it keep?

The brand’s current FAQ says pies are best eaten within four hours of purchase and can be chilled for up to three days. For reheating, it suggests an air fryer at 150C for 5 minutes, then 200C for 5 minutes. Always heat until piping hot in the centre. For oven, air fryer and microwave times side by side, see donchickenpie.com’s guide on how to reheat chicken pie.