Tender bites of rooster and slippery objects of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent beneath a golden puff pastry crust. Hen and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!

Hen and Leek Pie

If you happen to like effervescent pies baked beneath deeply golden flaky, buttery puff pastry, then it is a recipe for you. It’s cosy and comforting, and every little issue you dream a pie to be. The filling is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with thyme and delicate white wine flavour that’s wealthy nonetheless not overly so, and the leeks is what fashions this pie other than “merely one totally different rooster pie”.

Not that I’m dissing utterly totally different rooster pies – there’s room for many on this world. Nonetheless Hen and Leek Pie is particular due to the leeks and the flavour it brings to the pie. What flavour, you ask? Assume – sweeter, milder model of onion. And since it’s a fragile flavour, we’re ready to utilize an exquisite quantity of leeks on this recipe. Two complete leeks, in actual reality. On account of if we’re going to place Leek contained in the recipe decide, let’s be certain that we’re ready to truly trend the leek!

Chicken and Leek Pie

Exhausting to stuff up!

Everytime you scroll by the step images and even the climate half, it’d sound barely concerned and fussy due to the quantity of knowledge I’ve included. Nonetheless I promise it’s not. I’m merely being further beneficiant on the tutorial visuals entrance to make sure that leek-first-timers and pie-first-timers can methodology this recipe with confidence!

And really, it’s onerous to stuff up this recipe. The worst which can occur is that the sauce is barely on the skinny aspect since you didn’t simmer it extended sufficient in another case you mis-measured the flour. Hardly a catastrophe on account of the flavour stays to be in there!

Chicken and Leek Pie

Substances in Hen and Leek Pie

Correct proper right here’s what you might want to make this recipe.

pie filling

No surprises correct proper right here. Although bacon is maybe one issue you don’t see in typical recipes. We solely use 3 little strips nonetheless it goes an extended technique to make the filling further delicious. 🙂

  • Leeks! The hero ingredient. The tastier onion! It brings hundreds flavour into this pie, not merely the leek bits themselves nonetheless in addition to flavouring the sauce.

    Having talked about that although, when leeks are out of season / extortionately expensive, you may make this pie with 2 massive frequent onions. We must drop the phrase “Leek” out of the decide, nonetheless it’s nonetheless a darn scrumptious pie!

  • Boneless rooster thighs – I want to make use of boneless, skinless rooster thighs significantly than breast on account of it stays juicier in pies. You actually can’t avoid overcooking rooster breast in a pie like this the place it’s cooked twice (contained in the filling on the differ then contained in the pie contained in the oven). If you happen to essentially want to make use of breast, it’s greatest to shred it. See FAQ and instructions contained in the recipe card notes.

  • Bacon – As well-known above, presents an additional something-something into this pie! Be sure that to utilize streaky bacon (ie the bacon bits streaked with fats) on account of the recipe depends on the fats to sauté the leek. If you happen to utilize lean bacon, you’ll most definitely want an additional dab of butter.

  • Celery – I much like the flavour celery brings into this pie and in addition to that it blends into the filling on account of I intentionally make the filling for this pie with none vivid splashes of shade from peas or carrots. Makes it completely utterly totally different from utterly totally different pies, like Hen Pot Pie!

  • Garlic – Uncommon to see a savoury recipe with out it on my web site, and this pie is not any exception!

  • Thyme and bay – Use updated in case you could, although dried is okay as a alternative. Phrase: in case you utilize dried thyme significantly than updated sprigs, you could get little darkish specks in your sauce. Furthermore, updated thyme sprigs sort of “perfumes” the sauce in a trend that dried leaves don’t. Sort of like utilizing cinnamon sticks significantly than powder in, say, curries, tagines, pilafs and so forth.


creamy sauce for the pie

Correct proper right here’s what you might want to make the creamy sauce for the pie.

  • Butter – The fats of selection for this dish! Unsalted butter is hottest. If utilizing salted butter, begin with lots a lot much less salt than per the recipe parts, then alter on the top.

  • Hen inventory/broth and cream – These are the liquids that we use to make this sauce. Hen inventory has additional flavour than utilizing merely water. And cream is richer and has an extra luscious mouth really actually really feel than utilizing milk, although you presumably can substitute with milk in case you don’t have cream (I’d add a dab of additional butter), or in case you actually need to in the reduction of the vitality on this recipe.

  • Flour – That is what thickens the sauce. Merely use plain / all-purpose flour. Although really, self elevating and wholemeal flour will work high-quality too.

  • White wine – I nearly frequently deglaze my pan utilizing wine for sauces. Deglazing merely means utilizing a liquid to a dissolve gold bits caught on the underside of the pan from sautéing factors (rooster, leek and so forth, on this case) into the liquid on account of it’s free flavour. You presumably can use water or inventory, nonetheless wine presents additional flavour on account of it has additional complexity and depth. We prepare dinner dinner dinner out the alcohol so it doesn’t trend winey in the least.

    Sort of wine – Chardonnay is my default white wine instantly, for the right flavour and greatest all-rounder for cooking. Nonetheless any dry white wine will work high-quality correct proper right here. Merely avoid one factor too candy or too woody.

    Substitute with non alcoholic white wine or additional rooster inventory/broth. Don’t fear, the sauce will nonetheless be scrumptious!

  • Dijon mustard – This presents flavour into the sauce nonetheless is just not a dominant flavour so that you may skip it once you might need an aversion to mustard. You presumably can furthermore substitute with wholegrain mustard (furthermore pretty!).

puff pastry

  • Puff pastry – Correct proper right here in Australia, customary grocery-store puff pastry is on the market in 20cm/8″ sheets that are solely a contact too small for lots of baking dishes and enormous pie dishes. So I merely be a part of two sheets utilizing egg whites (the yolks is used to brush the pastry to make it golden contained in the oven).

    If you happen to get an enormous sheet of puff pastry (eg Careme which is a premium model), you gained’t ought to do the sealing.

    Butter puff useful! Butter puff pastry is made with butter whereas merely frequent puff pastry is made with . Butter puff is tastier! It furthermore puffs up bigger and bakes additional golden. The packet will most likely be labelled as “Butter Puff Pastry” and prices barely greater than non-butter puff pastry. Price it, for my part.

  • Egg – As well-known above, we use the egg white to attach the puff pastry sheets, and the egg yolk to brush the lid of the pie so it bakes an beautiful golden brown. You have to have barely egg white left over – toss it into your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!

Chicken and Leek Pie
A double layer of puff pastry on the rim presents this pie an impressively “fancy bakery” model further overvalued look!

Study the best way to make Hen and Leek Pie

I’m offering an incredible few step images to make this a straightforward recipe even for folks new to cooking with leek and making creamy pie fillings. Nonetheless I promise it’s fairly straightforward!

1. How I lower the leek

I want slicing the leek into small bit dimension squares significantly than slicing rings which I uncover feels barely too stringy “spaghetti-like” for the quantity of leek used on this pie. Larger objects furthermore means you chew into additional leek flavour which appears acceptable for a Hen and Leek Pie! 😇

  1. Trim off the muse and the darkish inexperienced a part of the leek. This half is reedy and under no circumstances good to eat. Discard or clear then add to your selfmade vegetable inventory.

  2. Reduce the leek in half by the center. Merely to make it shorter which is less complicated to in half lengthways (subsequent step).

  1. Reduce the leek in half lengthways.

  2. Separate the outer 5 layers or so from the core. If at this stage you uncover grime between the layers, give it a wash nonetheless attempt to sustain the layers intact to make your cutting-life less complicated / environment nice.

  1. Reduce outer layers into squares – Reduce the outer layers in half lengthways as quickly as further, stack, then lower into 1.8 cm/0.75″ objects to make sq. / rectangle objects.

  2. Inside core – Reduce into 2cm / 0.8″ objects.

Leek, lower! Cooking time.


2. Study the best way to make the filling

The filling for the pie is a roux- creamy filling (ie a flour-thickened filling). I’ve used cream to make it further luxurious and pie-worthy nonetheless you may substitute with milk to chop down on the vitality.

  1. Seal rooster – Soften half the butter in an enormous non-stick pan over excessive warmth. (Mine is a 30cm/12″ intensive Pyrolux – and no, that’s not an affiliate hyperlink) Then prepare dinner dinner dinner the rooster merely till the bottom modifications from pink to white. We’re not attempting to brown the rooster correct proper right here (it gained’t, the pan is just too full), nor prepare dinner dinner dinner it by on account of the rooster will prepare dinner dinner dinner further contained in the sauce and contained in the oven. Merely seal the bottom.

    Then take away the rooster utilizing a slotted spoon correct proper right into a bowl. Go away the juices and residual butter contained in the pan, we’ll use it to prepare dinner dinner dinner the filling.

  2. Bacon – For the filling, begin by cooking the bacon inside the same pan for 1 minute. By giving it a head begin, we get the bacon fats melting contained in the pan which we use to prepare dinner dinner dinner every little issue else.

  1. Sauté – Then add the leek, celery and garlic and prepare dinner dinner dinner for five minutes or till the celery and leek are softened. Don’t allow them to brown, so decrease the warmth if wished.

  2. Deglaze the pan utilizing the white wine. By this, I point out add the wine into the pan and stir, scraping the underside of the pan so one factor caught to it dissolves into the wine. Then let the wine simmer quickly till the wine is normally evaporated (which is the alcohol cooking out, abandoning merely tasty flavour).

  1. Roux – Add the remaining butter and stir it in till melted*. Then scatter the flour all by the bottom of the pan significantly than dumping it in a single place (makes it simpler to combine in). Stir for 30 seconds to prepare dinner dinner dinner off the flour. The pasty flour combination caught on the leek is named a “roux” and that is what thickens our pie filling to make it fantastically creamy.

  2. Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the rooster inventory / broth into the pan. Then protect mixing to dissolve the roux into the liquid so the combination contained in the pan thickens correct proper right into a thick creamy sauce. Don’t fear if there are nonetheless roux-lumps, they are going to proceed dissolving as we simmer the sauce.

* See FAQ for why I do this butter melting step merely before along with the flour to make the roux for this recipe.

  1. End sauce – Then add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper, bay leaves and thyme, and stir it in. Return the rooster into the pan together with your entire juices that collected contained in the bowl (free flavour!).

  2. Simmer the sauce for 3 to five minutes till it has thickened into fairly a thick creamy texture.

    Purpose sauce thickness – The sauce thickness at this stage is sort of what it it will be when the pie comes out of the oven, so make it the thickness you need.

    Cool – Take away the pan from the differ and let the filling cool for an hour. It must be cool else the warmth will soften the butter contained in the puff pastry on contact and gained’t puff up as hundreds contained in the oven. Shortcut: unfold the filling on a tray (half-hour should do it). You’ll even protect the filling for 3 – 4 days contained in the fridge and end the pie on one totally different day.

Filling executed. Let’s assemble!


3. Assembling the pie

You possibly can bake this pie in a single large dish (any form – rectangle, spherical, oval) or ramekins. I exploit a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking dish which is the right dimension for the quantity of filling this recipe makes. If making particular specific particular person pies, use 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

TIP: Use semi-thawed significantly than fully-thawed puff pastry. It’s hundreds simpler to deal with. Utterly thawed puff can get sloppy and !

  1. Be a part of puff pastry – If wished. Commonplace frozen puff pastry in Australia are 20cm / 8″ squares which is barely transient for lots of casserole pans and pie dishes acceptable for baking rooster and leek pie in.

    To attach the sheets, brush the sting of a semi-thawed sheet with egg white, be a part of the 2 sheets then use the as soon as extra of a spoon to “smear” the sheets collectively so there is not a such issue as a seen seam.

  2. Reduce the pie lid from the puff pastry. Use your chosen pie baking vessel on account of the define.

  1. Strips (non-obligatory) – You possibly can solely do this if the rim of your pie dish is intensive sufficient, to make the most of up leftover puff pastry to make a powerful further thick pie edge! Merely lower 4 strips from the remaining puff pastry, intensive sufficient to sit down down on the rim of your dish.

  2. Line the rim of the pie dish with these strips. Merely place them on, no ought to brush with egg (it adheres too strongly, nightmare to serve. Been there, executed that!).

  1. Fill the pie pan or baking dish with the cooled filling.

  2. Lid – Brush the pastry strips with egg white then place the lid on. Press to seal the perimeters.

    Phrase: In case you are not utilizing pastry strips alongside the rim, don’t brush the rim with egg whites on account of the lid will adhere too strongly to the baking dish.

  1. Brush the lid with egg yolk, lower a cross in the course of the lid to be the steam vent..

  2. Bake for 45 minutes till it’s deep golden all all by the bottom of the pie. it out then yay! Time to eat!

Chicken and Leek Pie
Chicken and Leek Pie

Good one to make forward

Pies like this are unbelievable for making forward. You might also make the filling and refrigerate it for 3 – 4 days, then assemble the pie in case you’re prepared.

Otherwise you may assemble the pie with the puff pastry then refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for as lots as 3 months, although keep in mind that it’ll take as lots as 48 hours to utterly thaw contained in the fridge (it’s a formidable block of ice!). The puff pastry will puff barely decrease than assembling and baking it immediately, nonetheless it’s a extraordinarily small compromise for the comfort (puff pastry puffs the right with minimal dealing with, when thawed as rapidly as, assembled then baked immediately. The extra conditions you thaw > freeze > thaw and so forth, or refrigerate, the lots a lot much less it puffs).

Put it this trend. If I have been to make this pie for company, I’d make the filling the day before and assemble and bake on the day of. For every totally different carry out, I wouldn’t hesitate to assemble forward, puff pastry and all, then bake on demand.

Hope you profit from! – Nagi x

FAQ


Watch easy to make it

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Chicken and Leek Pie

Hen and Leek Pie

Servings5

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. Tender bites of rooster and slippery objects of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent beneath a golden puff pastry crust. Hen and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!I lower my leeks in a selected technique. I like bigger objects significantly than thinly sliced rings which get too soggy-stringy for my trend. Furthermore, in case you don’t love / can’t get puff pastry, cowl this pie in mash (like Cottage Pie!) or use a selfmade shortcrust pastry.Make one massive pie like I’ve executed, or ramekins (makes 4 large, 5 frequent). For a pie with a base, change the filling in my Household Meat Pie (there’ll most likely be leftover filling) or particular specific particular person meat pies. See the FAQ above for the gluten-free choice.

Directions

ABBREVIATED:

  • Sear floor of rooster in half butter, take away. Put collectively dinner bacon 1 minute, then leek, celery and garlic 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, soften remaining butter, then prepare dinner dinner dinner flour 1 minute. Add inventory, then remaining Filling parts. Add rooster, thicken sauce (~5 minutes).

  • Cool filling 1 hour, assemble pie with double layer puff on rim, brush lid with yolk, bake 45 minutes 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).

Reduce leek (step images above useful):

  • Trim the reedy darkish inexperienced ends and root off, then lower in half. Reduce each bit in half lengthways. Take away the outer 5 to six layers (protect them collectively), lay them , lower in half lengthways then into 1.8cm / 3/4″ squares. Reduce the within core into 2cm / 0.8″ objects.

Filling:

  • Hen – Soften half the butter in an enormous pan over excessive warmth. Add the rooster, salt and pepper. Put collectively dinner till the bottom modifications from pink to white (inside nonetheless uncooked), then take away correct proper right into a bowl utilizing a slotted spoon. Go away residual butter and rooster juices contained in the pan.

  • Sauté – Inside the same pan, prepare dinner dinner dinner the bacon for 1 minute. Add the leek, celery and garlic. Put collectively dinner for five minutes till the celery is softened. Do not let the leek brown – decrease the warmth if wished.

  • Deglaze – Add the wine and simmer quickly on excessive warmth, stirring, till it’s principally evaporated.

  • Roux – Decrease the warmth to medium. Add the remaining butter. As rapidly as a result of it melts, sprinkle the flour all by the bottom (do not dump in a single place) and stir for 1 minute.

  • Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the inventory in. The combination will thicken correct proper right into a thick sauce as rapidly as mixed. Then add the mustard, cream, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to mix, then add the rooster together with your entire juices amassed contained in the bowl.

  • Simmer – Improve the warmth, stir to mix. As rapidly as a result of it features a simmer, in the reduction of the warmth to medium excessive. Simmer for five minutes, stirring usually, or till the sauce is a thick creamy consistency you need contained in the completed pie (ie sauce thickness now = thickness contained in the baked pie, see Phrase 7).

  • Cool – Take away the pan from the differ and funky for 1 hour. (You’ll even retailer in fridge for 3 – 4 days).

Assembling and baking:

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/375°F (180°C fan-forced). Use a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking pan (Phrase 9) or 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

  • Be a part of puff pastry sheets (if wished)Semi-thaw the puff pastry (Phrase 6). Brush the sting of 1 sheet with egg white, then overlap 0.5cm / 0.2″ with the opposite sheet to attach them. Use the as soon as extra of a spoon to “smear” the pastry to cowl the seam and firmly be a part of.

  • Reduce out the pie lid (I exploit the dish as a slicing information).

  • Elective strips for added puffy edges (Phrase 8): Reduce strips utilizing the residual pastry to line the rim of the dish (in case your dish has a thick rim, like mine) and place on the rim of the dish.

  • Fill the pie dish with the cooled filling and simple the bottom. Brush the pastry strips on the rim with egg white (if not utilizing strips, do not do this step) then cowl with the puff pastry lid.

  • Brush the lid with egg yolk. Reduce a small X inside the center.

  • Bake 45 minutes or till the bottom is a deep golden brown. Relaxation 5 minutes then serve!

Recipe Notes:

1. Hen – Thighs are greatest as they proceed to be juicy after the double-cook time for pie.
For rooster breast, it’s bigger to shred as you may’t avoid overcooking it on this recipe as written and no specific particular person needs dry, miserably chunks of rooster of their pie! Break up in half horizontally to sort 2 skinny steaks. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, sear contained in the butter being cautious to not overcook (even beneath cooked is okay). Cool barely, shred. Proceed with recipe nonetheless solely stir the shredded rooster in on the very finish as rapidly as sauce is simmered and thickened.
2. Bacon – Use bacon streaked with fats as we want the fats for sautéing. If utilizing lean bacon, add an additional dab of butter.
3. Leek – Leek brings a selected flavour into this pie (and it’s the namesake!) nonetheless you may completely make this utilizing onions as an alternative. Use 2 large onions (frequent brown / yellow ones, or white onions).
4. Wine – Substitute with non alcoholic white wine, or rooster inventory/broth.
5. Mustard – Brings a contact of flavour into the sauce nonetheless it may very well be omitted or substituted with wholegrain mustard (ie seeded).
6. Puff pastry ideas:

  • Commonplace grocery retailer puff pastry in Australia is on the market in 20cm/8″ squares so we’ve now to hitch 2 objects so it’s large sufficient to cowl the baking dish. If you happen to get a premium model like Careme which is bigger sheets, you gained’t want to do this.
  • BUTTER puff pastry (labelled as such on the packet) is tastier and puffs bigger. It’s barely pricier than non-butter puff.
  • Semi-thawed puff pastry is less complicated to deal with than full thawed, and puffs bigger on account of it gained’t unintentionally stretch when dealt with. I let it thaw merely sufficient so I can lower it.

7. Sauce thickness – Make it the thickness you need contained in the pie when it comes out of the oven on account of it won’t thicken any further contained in the oven. I like mine oozy-thick.
8. Strips – This presents the pie an additional thick flaky edge! Nonetheless you may solely do it in case your baking dish has a rim like mine.
9. Baking pan dimension – Use a pan that’s spherical 1.5L / 1.5 Qt (filling will virtually attain the bottom which is true). My pan is a Falcon enamel which is 26 x 20 x 4 cm (inside extreme rim) and 16 x 22cm base (pan has sloping edges so base is smaller). The filling will slot in a 4cm / 1.6″ deep 20cm/8″ sq. pan. Else, use a a lot greater pan and drape the pastry down the partitions into the pan, then onto the filling floor. Appears to be like dramatic and likewise you get hundreds pastry which all of us loves!
Leftovers will protect for 3 – 4 days contained in the fridge nonetheless the lid will go tender. To resurrect, reheat in lid contained in the oven on a tray and the filling contained in the microwave.
Make forward – Assemble pie per recipe and refrigerate in a single day or freeze (uncover it would take 48 hours to thaw contained in the fridge). Filling might also be made forward 3 – 4 days. Phrase: Puff pastry puffs greatest when cooked instantly upon thawing, nonetheless nonetheless puffs fairly efficiently if thawed > frozen > thawed as quickly as further and baked. 
Vitamin per serving assuming 5 servings.

Vitamin Information:

Energy: 662cal (33%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fats: 47g (72%)Saturated Fats: 26g (163%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 4gMonounsaturated Fats: 12gTrans Fats: 0.4gLdl ldl ldl cholesterol: 248mg (83%)Sodium: 888mg (39%)Potassium: 575mg (16%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1726IU (35%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 95mg (10%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

I really like an exquisite pie.

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