Chicken and Leek Pie is comfort food we dream about!
Its cosy and comforting, and everything you dream a pie to be.
Not that Im dissingother chicken pies there is room for many in this world.
A double layer of puff pastry on the rim gives this pie an impressively “fancy bakery” style extra puffed up look!
But Chicken andLeekPie is special because of the leeks and the flavour it brings to the pie.
What flavour, you ask?
Think sweeter, milder version of onion.
And because its a gentle flavour, we can use a good amount of leeks in this recipe.
Two whole leeks, in actual fact.
Hard to stuff up!
But I promise its not.
And actually, its hard to stuff up this recipe.
Hardly a disaster because the flavour is still in there!
Ingredients in Chicken and Leek Pie
Heres what you better make this recipe.
pie filling
No surprises here.
Though bacon is probably something you dont see in typical recipes.
We only use 3 little strips but it goes a long way to make the filling extra scrumptious.
Leeks!The hero ingredient.
If you really prefer to use breast, its best to shred it.
See FAQ and directions in the recipe card notes.
Bacon As noted above, adds an extra something-something into this pie!
If you use lean bacon, youll probably need an extra dab of butter.
A double layer of puff pastry on the rim gives this pie an impressively “fancy bakery” style extra puffed up look!
Makes it different from other pies, likeChicken Pot Pie!
Garlic Rare to see a savoury recipe without it on my website, and this pie is no exception!
Also, fresh thyme sprigs sort of perfumes the sauce in a way that dried leaves do not.
Kind of like using cinnamon sticks rather than powder in, say,curries,tagines,pilafsetc.
creamy sauce for the pie
Heres what you should probably make the creamy sauce for the pie.
Butter The fat of choice for this dish!
Unsalted butter is preferred.
Chicken stock/broth and cream These are the liquids that we use to make this sauce.
Chicken stock has more flavour than using just water.
Flour This is what thickens the sauce.
Just use plain / all-purpose flour.
Though actually, self raising and wholemeal flour will work fine too.
You could use water or stock, but wine adds more flavour because it has more complexity and depth.
We cook out the alcohol so it doesnt taste winey at all.
But any dry white wine will work fine here.
Just avoid anything too sweet or too woody.
Substitutewith non alcoholic white wine or more chicken stock/broth.
Dont worry, the sauce will still be delicious!
You could also substitute with wholegrain mustard (also lovely!).
Butter puff is tastier!
It also puffs up better and bakes more golden.
The packet will be labelled as Butter Puff Pastry and costs a little more than non-butter puff pastry.
Worth it, in my opinion.
You will have a little egg white left over toss it into your morningscrambled eggsoromelette!
But I promise its quite straightforward!
Larger pieces also means you bite into more leek flavour which seems appropriate for a Chicken andLeekPie!
Trimoff the root and the dark green part of the leek.
This part is reedy and not pleasant to eat.
Discard or clean then add to your homemadevegetable stock.
Cutthe leek in half through the middle.
Just to make it shorter which is easier to cut in half lengthways (next step).
Cutthe leek in half lengthways.
Separatethe outer 5 layers or so from the core.
Inner core Cut into 2cm / 0.8 pieces.
Seal chicken Melt half the butter in a large non-stick pan over high heat.
Just seal the surface.
Then removethe chicken using a slotted spoon into a bowl.
Leave the juices and residual butter in the pan, we will use it to cook the filling.
Bacon For the filling, start by cooking the bacon in the same pan for 1 minute.
Dont let them brown, so lower the heat if needed.
Deglazethe pan using the white wine.
Roux Add the remaining butter and stir it in until melted*.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Stir for 30 seconds to cook off the flour.
Creamy sauce While stirring, slowly pour the chicken stock / broth into the pan.
Dont worry if there are still roux-lumps, they will continue dissolving as we simmer the sauce.
Simmerthe sauce for 3 to 5 minutes until it has thickened into quite a thick creamy texture.
Cool Remove the pan from the stove and let the filling cool for an hour.
Shortcut: spread the filling on a tray (30 minutes should do it).
If making individual pies, use 4 to 5 x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.
TIP:Use semi-thawed rather than fully-thawed puff pastry.
It is much easier to handle.
Fully thawed puff can get sloppy and sticky!
Connect puff pastry If needed.
Cutthe pie lid from the puff pastry.
Use your chosen pie baking vessel as the outline.
Linethe rim of the pie dish with these strips.
Been there, done that!).
Fillthe pie pan or baking dish with the cooled filling.
Lid Brush the pastry strips with egg white then place the lid on.
Press to seal the edges.
Pull it out then yay!
Good one to make ahead
Pies like this are excellent for making ahead.
The more times you thaw > freeze > thaw etc, or refrigerate, the less it puffs).
Put it this way.
Nagi x
FAQ
Can you use chicken breast instead?
To make shredded chicken breast, split it in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks.
I dont like leek / cant get leek / its too expensive.
2 big brown / yellow or white onions.
Why do you melt extra butter in the leek mixture just before adding the flour?
I use this technique to reduce the amount of butter needed to make a roux.
The roux ends up dry and crumby which makes it hard to dissolve lump free into the liquids.
I dont always use this method because its an extra step.
I use it only when Im trying to manage the fat in a recipe.
PS I use this method for pan sauteing mushrooms too, and eggplant cubes.
Anything that is a sponge for oil!
Got so caught up cutting strips I just kept cutting.
Can I make individual pies in ramekins?
Can I make this as a round pie with a pastry base and lid?
Actually, I was torn whether to do that version or this one.
I ended up choosing this one because its much more straight forward than an enclosed pie version.
You could also make individual pies using my individual sizeMeat Pierecipe!
Can I make this gluten free?
you’re able to make the filling gluten free by using cornflour instead of flour to thicken it.
but there is still flour in the puff pastry.
Thanks to readers, Ive been made aware there is gluten free puff pastry these days hurrah!
However, I cant comment on the quality as Ive never tried it.
You could also top with mashed potato instead, likeCottage Pie.
Ive done it and its absolutely delicious!
To make the filling gluten free, skip the flour in the recipe.
Mix 1/4 cup cornflour (cornstarch) with 1/4 cup of the chicken stock until lump free.
Proceed with the recipe as written (using the remaining chicken stock).
Simmer the sauce for 3 minutes then, while stirring, slowly pour in the cornflour mixture.
The sauce will thicken very quickly.
Remove from the stove and cool, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Tell me about the recipe testing process for this pie!
It wasnt actually that hard because Ive been making iterations of this pie for years.
The main things were getting the sauce thickness right and getting the salt levels right.
What makes your Chicken and Leek Pie different to typical recipes?
I wondered if I was missing something so I tried it.
The volume of thin stringy leek all throughout the filling really didnt work for me.
And I also like biting into pieces of leek.
Two leeks, not one.Quite a few recipes I scanned call for just one leek.
I figure if we are making a chicken and LEEK pie, lets use enough leek!
One leek doesnt do very much for flavour, to be honest.
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