It is a traditional double crusted pie made with flaky shortcrust pastry filled with only chunks of poached chicken meat and a thick broth-based sauce.

The Moravian immigrants who founded Salem in 1766 were familiar with the preparation of meat pies, which are a staple of the cuisine of Central Europe, their ancestral home.

[3] Since colonial times, the recipe for Moravian chicken pie has changed little, and its culinary fame has spread far beyond Winston-Salem so that it has become an iconic North Carolina dish.

[2] Homemade Moravian chicken pies are a perennial staple of local church fundraisers, so much so that pastors are known to estimate the cost of various church projects by the number of chicken pies that must be sold to fund the project.

[5] Fresh and frozen pies are available in restaurants, stores, and specialty food shops throughout the Piedmont region.