Easy Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe with Puff Pastry Lid
Table of Contents
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OK, my Foodie Friends, autumn is knocking on the door and that means one thing in this house: pie. Not a fiddly, faffy pie, mind. A proper chicken and leek pie recipe with a puff pastry lid, the sort of thing that fills the kitchen with that gorgeous savoury smell.
Some cooks may be wondering whether I make my own puff pastry. “Steve, you’re not making your own puff pastry?” No. No I am not. And I’ll happily defend that decision to anyone who asks. Shop-bought puff pastry is a useful shortcut for the home cook, especially on a chilly Tuesday when you want comfort food on the table without a full day’s work. The filling is where the flavour lives, and that’s where we’re putting our effort.
Why This Is the Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe You Need
Leeks and chicken are one of those pairings that just work. The leeks go sweet and silky when you sweat them off, the chicken thighs stay juicy and tender, and a splash of white wine with cream creates a rich sauce. Chicken thighs suit this filling.
The whole filling is made in one pan. One pot and one wooden spoon lead to a golden-topped pie.
A pie is really just a good stew with a lid on. Get the filling right and the pastry’s just along for the ride.
What You’ll Need
Nothing exotic here.
A quick word about a few bits:
- Chicken thighs — 900g, boneless and skinless.
- Leeks — three medium ones.
- Butter and olive oil — 40g butter, a tablespoon of oil, for sweating the leeks.
- Garlic — three cloves.
- Plain flour — 40g, to thicken the sauce.
- White wine — 150ml, a dry one you’d actually drink.
- Chicken stock — 400ml.
- Double cream — 150ml, yes, proper double cream. This is comfort food, not a diet plan.
- Dijon mustard — just a teaspoon. It doesn’t shout, it just wakes everything else up.
- Thyme and parsley — a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, a handful of chopped parsley.
- Puff pastry — 320g of shop-bought puff pastry. Ready-rolled is easiest.
- Egg and sesame seeds — one egg for the wash, a tablespoon of sesame seeds for the top.
1. Get the Ingredients Together
I like to get everything measured out before I start. There’s nothing worse than flour going in while you’re still hunting for the wine. Oven on at 200C, that’s 180C fan, gas mark 6.
2. Sweat the Leeks Off
Melt 40g of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep pan over a medium heat. In go the sliced leeks with a good pinch of salt.
If you’re unsure what “sweat off” means, it’s simply cooking the leeks gently in fat until soft and translucent without letting them colour. Eight to ten minutes should do it. Then the garlic and thyme go in for a final minute.
3. Brown the Chicken
Turn the heat up and add the chicken. You’re not cooking it through, just sealing the outside, five or six minutes. It’ll finish in the oven, so don’t fret.
4. Flour, Then Wine
Sprinkle the plain flour over and stir so everything gets a coating. Cook it out for a minute, then pour in the wine. Be a little careful here because when the wine hits that hot pan it can spit. Let it bubble down by half and scrape up all those sticky brown bits, that’s pure flavour.
5. Stock, Cream and Season
In with the stock. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Then add the cream, Dijon and parsley, and season to taste. Take it off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. This cooling step keeps the pastry crisp instead of soggy, so don’t skip it.
6. Lid On and Into the Oven
Tip the filling into a 1.5-2 litre pie dish. Lay the puff pastry over the top, press it onto the rim, trim to a 1cm lip and crimp with a fork. Two little slits in the middle for steam, brush with beaten egg, and scatter sesame seeds if you like a bit of crunch.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until it’s puffed and deep golden. If it’s catching, foil over the top.
7. Rest and Serve
Rest it 5 minutes, then serve with buttery mash and some greens. Look good, right?
Tips for a Perfect Pie
- Cool the filling. Warm filling equals soggy bottom. Ten minutes makes all the difference.
- Trim the pastry. Leave a 1cm lip and crimp it with a fork.
- Egg wash properly. Right to the edges. It’s what gives you that glossy, golden finish.
- Season the sauce well before it goes in the dish. Once the lid is on, you can’t taste it.
Before Serving
Let the pie rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Can I make this ahead, or freeze it?
Yes to both. Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, it actually improves overnight. To freeze, cool the filling completely, freeze it in a dish without the pastry lid, then top with fresh pastry and bake from frozen, giving it another 15-20 minutes in the oven and checking the middle’s piping hot before you serve it.
Nutrition Information
Each serving contains about 690 calories, 42g of protein, 38g of carbohydrates and 40g of fat. Nutrition information is an estimate based on the ingredients listed. Your numbers will shift a bit depending on your pastry, your cream and how generous you are with the mash on the side.
OK, my Foodie Friends, that’s it for now. Get this chicken and leek pie recipe on the table this weekend and let me know how you get on. Many thanks for reading and until next time…Steve.
- 900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized chunks
- 3 medium leeks trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 40 g plain flour
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 400 ml chicken stock from a cube is fine
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 320 g shop-bought puff pastry ready-rolled is easiest
- 1 egg beaten, for glazing
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, gas mark 6). Get all your ingredients measured out and lined up on the worktop. This is a one-pot filling, so once you start, it’s plain sailing.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or casserole over a medium heat. Tip in the sliced leeks with a good pinch of salt. Sweat them gently for 8-10 minutes until soft and sweet, not coloured. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute until it smells like heaven.
Turn the heat up, add the chicken thighs and fry for 5-6 minutes until the outside is opaque all over. Don’t worry about cooking them through here, they’ll finish in the oven.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir well so every piece gets coated. Cook for a minute, then pour in the white wine. Let it bubble and reduce by about half, scraping up all the lovely sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour in the stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the cream, Dijon mustard and parsley, then season to taste. Take it off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes, this stops the pastry going soggy.
Tip the filling into a 1.5-2 litre pie dish. Lay the puff pastry over the top and press it onto the rim to seal. Trim the overhang, leaving a 1cm lip, and crimp it with a fork. Cut a couple of small slits in the middle for steam, then brush all over with beaten egg and scatter with sesame seeds if you fancy.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and deep golden brown. If it’s browning too fast, cover loosely with foil. Rest for 5 minutes before serving, then dish it up with buttery mash and greens. Yum!
