A rich and flavourful chicken and leek filling is topped with flaky puff pastry to create an easy family dinner ready in under an hour, that kids love!
7-10ozleftover cooked chicken cut into bitesize pieces * see note below
1sheetpuff pastryapprox 6 oz pastry
milk or a beaten egg for glazing the pie, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan/ 392˚F
Prepare And Cook The Leeks
Clean the leeks by putting in a colander and putting under a cold tap, moving them around with your hand to seperate the layers and get all the grit out.
Tip them into a medium saucepan with the cold water, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and boil gently for 5-7 minutes until just tender.
Set a colander or sieve over a heatproof bowl and pour the leeks into it, so the leek stock goes into the bowl.
Save 250ml / 1 c of the stock for the sauce for the pie.
Make The Sauce
Melt the butter over a medium heat and then add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the milk a little at a time, stirring in between then add the stock. (If the sauce is lumpy then beat with a balloon whisk.)
Add the wholegrain mustard, fresh thyme, salt and black pepper, and Worcester sauce, if using, and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened slightly.
Stir in the cooked chicken and leeks. Heat gently for 5 minutes.
Assemble The Pie
Pour the sauce into a 25 x 16 cm (10 x 6") oven proof dish and leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Top the chicken and leek filling with the sheet of puff pastry. Trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife and use it to decorate the pie.
If you want a shiny golden crust then mix some egg and brush over the top; otherwise use a little milk and then sprinkle over sesame seeds.
Using a small sharp knife, cut 2-3 holes in the top of the pastry to let out steam.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Chicken - If you only have 200g chicken, or want to make your roast chicken go further then you won't miss the extra chicken. Leftover roast chicken or poached chicken. I often make it with cooked chicken marylands that I roast in the oven with the previous nights dinner.Leek - weighing approx 150g / 5 oz Puff Pastry – store bought puff pastry. In Australia I use a 24cm x 24cm frozen puff pastry sheet, weighing about 160g, but if you are in the UK you can use half a block of puff pastry, or half a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry. You can make your own shortcrust pastry if you prefer.Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter and then add a pinch of salt to the sauce so I can easily control the salt levels.Flour – plain flour or all-purpose flour. I have also made this pie using whole meal flour, which is still tasty but the sauce isn’t as smooth as when made with plain flour.Milk – whole milk / full cream milk creates a richer sauce which I prefer, however use semi skimmed / skim milk instead if you prefer.Thyme – fresh thyme is such a classic herb to use with chicken, and is delicious with leeks too.Worcestershire sauce – this adds a sweet, salty, unami flavour to the sauce.Mustard – mustard adds to the background flavour of the sauce. I love wholegrain mustard, I think it goes particularly well with the leeks; however you can substitute with Dijon mustard if you prefer.