CHICKEN AND LEEK PIE

print
Chicken and leek Pie Chicken and Leek pie 2

I discovered a roll of ready-made puff pastry in the fridge this afternoon. The addition of a couple of organic leeks, and some chicken breasts was all I needed to throw this handy little pie together.

This recipe will feed 4-6 people, so there was far too much for just us two. However, I made the full recipe and will use the remainder as the base for a chicken cottage pie during the week.

EQUIPMENT:

  • A large deep frying pan.
  • A medium saucepan
  • a pie dish – this can be something like a lasagne dish if you’re feeding a crowd, or the smallish oval dish that I used today
  • a measuring jug, or some other method of telling you how much is a pint!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3-4 uncooked chicken breasts
  • 2 large leeks
  • 1 medium onion
  • 100g chopped bacon, or lardons of pancetta
  • dessert-spoon of butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons of plain flour
  • 500mls of hot chicken stock
  •  a splash of white wine (optional)
  • a couple of bay leaves
  • A grating of fresh nutmeg (optional)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of cream
  • pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
  • an egg, lightly beaten.

METHOD:

  • Chop and carefully wash the leeks, then finely chop the onion
  • Heat a tablespoonful of oil in the pan, add the bacon pieces and cook until crispy. Add the onions and leeks. Give it a good stir, then reduce the heat to medium, cover,  and allow to soften but not colour. Stir occasionally.

 

p1180997

  • While this is happening, put the trimmed chicken breasts, stock, white wine, bay leaves, and nutmeg into a saucepan and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

p1180994

  • Remove the chicken from the stock, and leave to one side to cool slightly. Drain the liquid into a jug.
  • Increase the heat slightly under the Leek mixture.

p1190003-2

  • Sprinkle over the flour, and reduce the heat again.
  • Make sure that the flour is well combined with the leeks, and allow it to cook gently for a minute or so.
  • Add 1/3rd of the reserved stock, and stir in; add the remainder and continue to stir – it will all start to thicken very nicely into a lump-free white wine sauce.
  • Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the leek mixture in the pan.
  • Mix everything together well, and cook until the chicken has been reheated.
  • Remove from the heat, allow to rest for a few minutes, then add the cream.
  • Put your chosen pie-dish onto a baking tray and pour in the creamy chicken mixture.
  • Paint the edge of the pie dish with some of the beaten egg.
  • Unroll the puff pastry, and place over the dish. Press down gently onto the edge of the dish -(or if the edge of the dish is very thin, just tuck it neatly into the dish).
  • Trim the excess, paint with the beaten egg.
  • Do fancy and artistic  things with pastry cutters. Or be like me – just stab it a couple of times and shove it into the oven (the sooner it’s cooked, the sooner I can have my dinner, right?)

p1190012

  • Cook it for 25 – 30 minutes at 180, or until the pastry is a lovely golden colour, and the filling is bubbling away merrily..

p1190013-2NOTES:

  • We like it served with creamy champ and petit pois :)
  • If you haven’t any leeks, virtually any vegetable will do – think Mushrooms or peas or French beans, but probably not Turnip or Parsnip – they’d take far too long to cook – unless you want to pre-cook them of course..
  •  Anything with a pastry lid is always going to be a treat – it makes even a midweek dinner a special occasion!

 

About

I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx

Posted in