Chicken & leek pie
- Mary Cadogan
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Serves 6
More effort
Total time: 3 hrs
plus chilling
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.62 ratingsRate
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Make our comforting chicken and leek pie with a flaky puff pastry crust. Bursting with seasonal flavours, this easy pie recipe is perfect for entertaining.
Easily halved
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Test Kitchen tips for the perfect chicken and leek pie:
- One thing we never rush is letting the filling cool before adding the pastry. It helps keep the pastry crisp and flaky, rather than allowing it to soften before baking.
- If you have leftover roast chicken to use up, this is a great recipe. Simply stir it into the sauce at the end of step 4 below, so it warms through gently without drying out.
- If you want to get ahead, you can assemble the pie earlier in the day and keep it chilled until I'm ready to bake. It will keep in the fridge for up to a day, you just need to add a few minutes extra to the baking time. You can give the pastry one final brush of egg wash if you wish, just before baking.
- Our favourite way to serve chicken and leek pie is with buttery mashed potatoes or seasonal greens. Any leftovers reheat well in the oven, so the pastry stays crisp and the filling remains creamy.
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
-
1 ½kg whole corn-fed chicken
-
½ tsp peppercorns
-
2 bay leaves
-
3-4 thyme
sprigs
-
1 onion
halved
-
1 celery
stick
-
4 large or medium eggs
-
25g butter
-
2 tbsp olive oil
-
6 bacon
rashers, cut into large pieces
-
2 leeks
thinly sliced
-
2 tbsp plain flour
thinly sliced
-
2 tbsp grainy mustard
-
4 tbsp crème fraîche
-
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-
squeeze of lemon juice
-
250g bought puff pastry
or home-made rough puff
-
250g beaten egg
for glazing
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Nutrition: per serving
- kcal762
- fat49g
- saturates24g
- carbs27g
- sugars0g
- fibre2g
- protein55g
- salt2.78g
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Method
-
step 1
Put the chicken into a deep pan that is just large enough to hold it quite snugly. Pour in enough water to half-cover the bird, then tip in the peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, onion and celery. Add ½ tsp salt and bring to the boil on the hob, then reduce the heat, cover tightly and simmer for 1 hr-1 hr 15 until tender.
-
step 2
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain 425ml of the stock into a measuring jug (top up with water if you need to). Strip the meat off the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces and put in a 1.7-litre pie dish.
-
step 3
Put the eggs in boiling water and boil for 6 minutes. Drain, cool them under cold water and remove the shells. Quarter the eggs and nestle them in the pie dish among the chicken pieces.
-
step 4
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock a third at a time, stirring continuously and making sure the sauce is thick and smooth before adding the next batch. Stir in the mustard, crème fraîche and parsley, then add a squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper to taste. Add salt if needed. Spoon over the chicken and leave to cool.
-
step 5
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Reserve a quarter of the pastry for decoration and roll out the remainder to a shape about 5cm larger than the top of the pie dish, then cut a 2.5cm strip from all round the edge. Brush the edge of the dish with water and stick the pastry strip to it. Brush the strip with water. Flip the pastry lid over the rolling pin, lift it up and unroll over the pie. Press the edge on to the pastry strip to seal, and trim any excess with a sharp knife.
-
step 6
Tap the blade of a small sharp knife all along the outside edge of the pastry (this helps the edge to rise during cooking), then flute it using the back of the knife. Make a hole in the lid centre with the tip of the knife, to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
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step 7
Roll out the pastry you put aside earlier. Cut 8 long strips each about 1cm wide, and two more strips each about 4cm wide. Cut the wider strips diagonally to make eight diamond leaf shapes. Mark the veins of the leaves with the tip of a sharp knife. Brush the pastry lid with beaten egg, then lay the eight thin strips on top, as in the picture. Brush again with egg and arrange the leaves in the centre, between the strips. Brush with egg.
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step 8
Chill the pie for 15 mins, if you have time, to set the pastry. Will keep in the fridge for one day – just add 4-5 mins to baking time. Bake for 30-35 mins until the pastry is crisp, puffed up and deep golden brown.
Mary Cadogan
Mary is a food writer, stylist and baker with more than 30 years' experience in food media. Formerly Food Director at BBC Good Food magazine, she has also worked as a freelance food writer and stylist since 1993, and taught cookery in France. She is the creator of the food blog Bramble Kitchen and also makes artisan bakes and preserves for her local farmers' market. See more of Mary's recipes
Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2002
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A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.62 ratings
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