A great chicken and leek pie is the perfect dish for an autumn or winter evening. It’s an easy and quick dish to make with limited use of equipment so it also cuts down on the washing-up. Leeks are the perfect accompaniment here and with a rich creamy and oozy sauce will have you asking for seconds. This recipe comes from two very old books on post-war cooking when some of the foods were just starting to become available.
Serve with a portion of boiled or steamed fine green beans, broccoli and carrots.
Serves 6; Preparation time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 onion, sliced then diced
- 500g-600g chicken thigh fillets, deboned and cut into equal size pieces – choose
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 1 heaped tbsp cornflower or flour in a small amount of water for dispersing (optional for thickening the sauce)
- 300 ml roast chicken or roast vegetable stock
- 80ml white wine (optional)
- 300 ml Crème Fraîche or West Country cream or soured cream
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 1 tbsp milk
Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, gently fry the onion and garlic together until the onion has softened, becomes slightly translucent and produces its aroma.
2. Add the chicken to the skillet/frying pan, and stir until all the pieces are browned slightly and sealed. They should not have gained too much colour.
3. Add the leeks and stir to combine to get additional flavour.
4. Carefully add the flour and stir well for around two minutes. The flour is optional, but adding it will create a thicker, more indulgent sauce.
5. Next, pour in the crème fraîche, wine and once mixed in, add the stock. This creates the delicious creamy sauce which encases the chicken. Some chefs will add chili flakes, black pepper, dill seed etc. to generate a certain flavour.
6. Once the sauce has simmered and bubbled for about two minutes, pour the mixture into a baking tray and spread evenly.
7. Work quickly so the pastry does not begin to melt. Unroll the puff pastry and gently press it on top of the chicken filling. Glaze with a splash of milk.
8. Bake for 40 minutes at 200ºC until the chicken is cooked through and the pastry is both golden and crispy.
9. Once the chicken and leek pie is out of the oven, leave it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with whatever sides you like such as as green beans, peas, broccoli etc.
I love this one. I added a couple of teaspoons of mustard powder to get a slightly hotter taste and that has worked for me with this recipe. Really like the style of this cooking as well because it reminds me of home.