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Creamy Chicken and Leek Pie with a Puff Pastry Lid

A British comfort-food classic: chicken thighs and leeks in a creamy white wine sauce, topped with shop-bought puff pastry.
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine British
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 690 kcal

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 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

For the lid

  • 320 g shop-bought puff pastry ready-rolled is easiest
  • 1 egg beaten, for glazing
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional

Instructions

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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!