Chicken and Leek Pie
Nothing screams comfort food more than a hearty pot pie! Make this impressive-looking creamy chicken and leek pie any day of the week because it's super simple! Skip making the pie crust, just use the frozen puff pastries for an easy dinner fix. Use double layers of puff pastry for double the fun!
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Servings: 4 people
Calories: 464kcal
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry just thawed
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 egg whisked
Chicken and leek pie filling
- 700 g /1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless, diced, about 4 large
- 500 g /1 lb potatoes peeled, diced, about 3
- 1 leek quartered lengthways then thickly sliced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup thickened cream or heavy cream (note 1)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F.
- In a large pan, brown chicken on high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. (note 2)
- In the same pan, add leeks and garlic. Cook on medium-low heat until soft. About 5 minutes.
- Keeping the heat at medium-low, add potatoes and flour. Mix well.
- Pour chicken stock into the pan, roughly ⅓ at a time, mixing well with a spatula after each pour. This will help the sauce thicken smoothly without lumps.
- Add dijon mustard, thyme and browned chicken, mix and reduce the heat down to low. Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on then further 5 minutes with the lid off to evaporate excess liquids. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, take the puff pastry out of the freezer to thaw just in time for pie assembly.
- After 10 minutes of simmering, pour heavy cream into the pan and mix well. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Transfer chicken pie filling into a pie dish (or a small oven-proof pan like the pictures in this post). Brush the rims of the pie dish with a little oil.
- Lay puff pastry over the pie dish, trim edges, brush with egg wash and generously season with sesame seeds. Make a little 'X' incision with a sharp knife in the middle of the pie to allow steam to escape whilst baking.
- Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes or until puff pastry is flaky and deep golden.
Notes
Note 1. Let the cream come closer to room temperature before pouring it into the hot pot. Sudden temperature change can split the cream so take it out of the fridge during the preparation phase. This will give it at least 20 minutes at room temperature.
Note 2. Pan sear the chicken on high heat till golden for extra flavour. The best practice for golden seared chicken is not moving it much. Lay it out in a single layer onto a hot pan then only turn once the pan side has turned lightly golden. Otherwise, the chicken will release too many juices and we end up boiling it.
How to clean leeks. To begin, starting from the root end, quarter the leek lengthways (half and half again), leaving the root part attached. Now wash the leek under a tap, root side up, slightly tilted. All the dirt is hiding in the layers (green parts). So by holding the leek root side up we're not washing the dirt into the clean, white parts!
Making in advance. You can make the pie filling the day or two before. Just follow instructions up to step #8 (of course, skip step #7). Store in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to bake, simply continue where you've left off.
Leftovers. Lasts up to 4 days in the fridge. This is how long cooked chicken can safely stay in the fridge for. If you made the filling a day in advance, they can be stored in the fridge for an additional 3 days. So 4 days all up.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!
Nutrition
Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.5g | Protein: 36.8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 4.1g | Sugar: 3.6g | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg