There is true comfort in sitting down to a homemade chicken and leek pie, fresh out of the oven, especially once you realise how simple it is to make. With beautifully flaky pastry and a hint of mustard in the creamy filling, this chicken leek pie recipe is hearty, delicious and only takes 50 minutes including cooking time. Serve it with mashed potato and steamed green beans, or with a salad in the warmer months, and it’s destined to be a family favourite.
Ingredients
Method
Bring stock to the boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add chicken; return to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken and chop coarsely. Reserve 1 cup of the poaching liquid.
In a medium saucepan, heat butter; cook leek and celery, stirring, until leek softens. Add flour and thyme; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually stir in reserved poaching liquid, milk and cream; cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in chicken and mustard; season. Cool.
Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Grease a 1-litre (4-cup) pie dish with rim. From one sheet pastry, cut 4 strips slightly wider than dish rim; arrange strips on rim, pressing firmly until rim is covered. Brush with a little egg yolk.
Spoon filling into dish; roll out remaining pastry sheet slightly to fit pie dish. Place over filling. Press edges to seal; trim. Brush pastry with egg yolk; cut two small slits in top. Bake 25 minutes or until puffed and browned. Sprinkle with extra thyme.
Test Kitchen tips:
- Stirring the leek and celery mix as you gradually add the poaching liquid, milk and cream helps ensure it is incorporated for a smooth, creamy consistency. Remember to keep stirring as it boils and allow it to thicken before adding the chicken.
- Allowing the chicken and leek filling time to cool to around room temperature before adding the puff pastry ensures it’s crispy and flaky. If the filling is too hot, the pastry may not puff up and could be soggy.
- Remember to preheat the oven for about 10 minutes to get the best results.
You’ll need these …
How do I thicken my chicken pie filling?
The two tablespoons of flour help thicken the filling for this chicken and leek pie, as does bringing the creamy filling to a boil before adding the chicken and mustard. For other pies, you’ll typically find that too much liquid or ingredients with a high water content can affect the consistency. But if you follow the recipe, you should end up with a delicious pie.
Can I put puff pastry at the bottom of a pie?
You can use puff pastry as the bottom layer of an enclosed pie, like we have in this chicken pie recipe. But this particular chicken and leek pie recipe is all about the creamy filling of tender chicken, sweet leeks and hints of celery and thyme, topped off with a crispy crust.
