Chicken and Leek Pie

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Hearty, comforting and an absolute joy to eat – the famed Chicken and Leek Pie is a show stopping slow cooked dish that’s perfect for a wintery weekend dinner with the family. Personally, one of our favorite dishes because of how resourceful it is; this recipe creates so much flavor by literally creating it’s own stock during the cooking process. Oh, it’s also really, really tasty too which is why we love it!

What is perhaps a little unique about this Chicken and Leek Pie is how simple the pastry application is. Simply buy some puff pastry from your local supermarket and that’s all you need to create a completely encased pie that is crispy, golden, and delicious. Sure, you could make the puff pastry from scratch but in our travels we’ve found the frozen stuff from the supermarkets are brilliant and more than suitable for a winning pie dish

It’s a Self-Saucing Chicken and Leek Pie

For so many recipes, good quality stock (or broth) is a vital ingredient to extract as much flavor from the dish as possible. A good quality Chicken and Leek Pie is no different. However, this recipe is quite unique. Throughout the cooking process you essentially create your own stock as you’re making the sauce!

The method to do this is simple: The dish requires a pretty significant amount of Bone-In Chicken. About 4 lbs. of Bone In Chicken Legs and Thighs in fact, preferably with the skin on. We then slow poach this Chicken with some beautiful vegetables and aromatics in water

Once the Chicken is cooked and is starting to melt away from the Bones, you strain and discard all the Bone and Skin. What you are left with in addition to that succulently tender Chicken meat is a wonderfully flavored Chicken Broth. We then reduce the broth to form the sauce which forms the base for this amazing Pie

It’s such a fun recipe to make as you see the Chicken Stock begin to develop as you’re cooking it. There is no wastage of ingredients which is always a good thing when cooking as well

Use Chicken Thighs for more flavor in your Chicken and Leek Pie

We here at Dinnertime Somewhere are huge fans of the Chicken Thighs. All Chicken is great, don’t get us wrong! However, Chicken Thighs are packed with so much more flavor than the Breasts. They are also a lot easier to cook and more forgiving. If you overcook the Chicken Breast there is a very good chance the Chicken will be really dry and stringy. Overcooking the Chicken Thigh will still leave it lovely and moist. So it’s a lot easier to use, especially in pie dishes such as this one

Add Caramelized Onions when layering the Pie in the Puff Pastry

This is a lovely little trick that we developed. Perhaps it is a little unique to a Chicken and Leek Pie, however we have found that it is an essential step that creates so much more flavor out of this dish. The step is to add a layer of Caramelized Onions to the pie as you are assembling it in the Puff Pastry

The Caramelized Onions create a wonderful sweetness to the dish. It is a prominently flavor in the dish, but it is still subtle enough to not overpower the dish. You will still be enjoying that creamy Chicken flavor first and foremost, however in the background there is a beautiful sweetness to the dish that the Caramelized Onions bring to the table

We have the full breakdown in the recipe below on how to make perfectly Caramelized Onions. We also have a separate recipe that is completely dedicated to this wonderful ingredient here. So, if you want to dive deep into how to perfect the best Caramelized Onions, we highly recommend you check that link out

Puff Pastry is a criminally underrated Pastry for Pie

Usually when you think of Pies, the pastry used is not Puff Pastry. Typically, a pastry such as Short Crust is used as it’s perceived strength in maintaining the structural integrity of the pie as it is cooked. That may very well be the case if you are looking to create a pie in the traditional sense. However, for our Chicken and Leek Pie recipe, we are creating the pie shaped like one giant Empanada. As such, Puff Pastry works exceptionally well

To assemble the Pie, you will need two large Puff Pastry sheets. No need to make your own, we would never ask that of anyone to make your own Puff Pastry! Store bought Puff Pastry is more than suitable. Layer one sheet of Puff Pastry onto some non-stick foil or parchment paper. Place the filling in the middle, then layer the second sheet on top. Crimp the edges and cover with egg wash to seal and then bake!

The Pie will remain intact, and the Pastry will bake to a beautiful, flaky, golden-brown color. To serve you can simply cut slices of Pie straight off the Sheet Pan and onto individual plates. It holds its structure exceptionally well, and the lightness of the Puff Pastry is the perfect casing for this amazing pie

Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 4lbs of Skin on, Bone in Chicken Legs & Thighs
• 2 large Carrots, diced
• 2 large Leeks, halved and diced
• 2 Potatoes, peeled and finely diced
• 2 sticks of Celery, diced
• 4 rashers of Bacon, chopped
• 1 cup of White Wine
• 6 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 2 sprigs of Thyme
• 2 sprigs of Rosemary
• 10 oz. Cremini or Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large sheets of Puff Pastry
• 6-8 Red Onions
• 1 egg, whisked
• Salt and Pepper
  
  

Instructions

1. Place a large pot on the stovetop on medium heat with about a tsp. of vegetable oil. Add the Bacon and cook until the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the Carrots, Leeks, Celery, Mushrooms, Potatoes and Butter and cook for 10 minutes. Add White Wine and reduce the liquid by half, about another 5 minutes
2. With cooking twine tie together your Thyme and Rosemary then add into the pot along with the Chicken. Add 4 tbsp. of Salt, then add 2-3 cups of water to cover the mixture so that everything is submerged. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1.5 hours
3. Once the Chicken begins to completely fall away from the bone, remove the Chicken pieces from the pot and set aside, discarding the skin and bones. By now the vegetables are cooked however we still want to reduce the liquid to get a thicker consistency. To do so, strain the liquid to retain the vegetables and set them aside then pour the liquid back into the pot. Discard the herb bundle.
4. Continue to cook the liquid for 1 – 1.5 hours on medium / high with the lid off to reduce the broth to a lovely thick consistency. The fat and bones from the chicken will thicken the liquid.
5. While your broth is reducing, prepare a batch of Caramelized Onions using our recipe found here
   
   

Chicken and Leek Pie Instructions Continued

6. Remove broth from heat, mix in the cream then cool to room temperature. Add the chicken and vegetables back to the mixture. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Our next step will be to assemble the pie, so the mixture must be cool before assembly. The cooler the mixture gets the thicker it will become. Time permitting it’s best to refrigerate the mixture overnight before assembly
7. You can always add a cornstarch slurry to the dish to thicken further if required. Simply mix 2 tsp. of cornstarch with 4 tbsp. of water. Once combined, add to the liquid. This is an optional step
8. Roll out one sheet of Puff Pastry on a large baking tray lined with non-stick aluminum foil into a large rectangle shape, approximately 14” x 10” and place the Chicken mixture in the middle, allowing about 1 inch of space around the diameter of the pastry. Add a thin layer of the caramelized onions over the top of the chicken
9. Brush your egg wash around the sides of the pastry and lay your second rolled out piece of Puff Pastry on top of the mixture. Fold the edges of the bottom layer of pastry over the top layer to form a seal. If you’re feeling creative you can make some fancy crimping patterns. Finally cover the top of the pie with egg wash, poke some holes in the pastry then bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes
10. Once baked the pie will look a beautiful golden color. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Given the amount of butter in the puff pastry and the non-stick foil the pie should easily come off the foil. Either present family style as a whole pie on the table or cut into individual portions for serving!
    
    

This pie is delicious by itself or can be served with some buttery Mashed Potatoes or a fresh Salad. Either way, you’re in for a tasty treat!

If you have enjoyed this Chicken and Leek Pie then we’d love for you to check out some of these Epic Pie and Pastry dishes, some of our all-time favorites:

• Beef and Guinness Pie
• Meat Hand Pies
• Smoked Trout Pie
• Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls
  
  

Happy Cooking!