A comfort food classic, this is a hearty, warming recipe that's perfect served with a pile of greens. With a creamy filling of chicken, buttery leeks, mushrooms and thyme with a touch of wholegrain mustard, this is a one-pot recipe topped with a golden brown flakey puff pastry. It's really simple to make and can make one large pie or smaller individual pot pies. Even better, this can be made ahead or frozen so that you have something delicious and homemade ready to go anytime.
Time to prep : 25 minutes
Time to cook : 25 minutes
Serves : 4 - 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless, diced
2 leeks, sliced
200g mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
300ml chicken stock
100ml double cream
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Salt and pepper, to season
1 x 320g puff pastry sheet*
1 egg
Method
In a large frying pan add the olive oil over a high heat. Once it's warm add in the diced chicken thighs and fry for 3 - 4 minutes until golden on the outside, then tip them onto a plate and set to one side.
Add the sliced leeks to the frying pan with a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add in the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes until golden. Add in the garlic and thyme and return the chicken to the pan, give everything a good stir to mix.
Pour in the chicken stock and double cream and add in the mustard. Let this simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then let the filling cool. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Pre-heat a fan oven to 200ºC.
Once the filling has slightly cooled, pour it into your pie dish*. Use your finger and a splash of water to wipe round the rim of the pie dish, this will help the pastry stick down. Unroll the puff pastry to cover your dish and use a sharp knife to trim off any excess pastry. Crimp the sides of the dish with a fork and pierce a small 'x' in the centre of the pastry lid to allow steam to escape when baking. Use any excess pastry as decoration for the pie lid, such as leaves or letters.
Whisk an egg in a small bowl to create an egg wash and brush this all over the top of the pastry, then bake for 25 - 30 minutes until puffed up and golden.
Remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information
(per serve)
445 calories
30g fat, 20g carbs, 21g protein
Good to know:
You can buy puff pastry sheets in the chilled supermarket aisles, usually next to the desserts, or the freezer section. If you're using frozen puff pastry, make sure that you let it defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for 2-3 hours before using.
You can use any size or shaped dish for this. For one large pie use a dish that's at least 2 inches deep, common sizes are 8, 9 or 10" circles, ovals, rectangles or squares. You can also use 4 large or 6 regular sized ramekins for individual pies.
Make sure the filling isn't hot (warm or completely cooled is best) before topping with the pastry as this will steam the pastry before it's in the oven, stop it from rising and cause it to go soggy.
You can add in 4 rashers of diced bacon if you like, cook along with the chicken until golden and crisp.
Make this gluten free by using GF puff pastry (I like the brand Jus-Roll).
Make this dairy free by using a plant based cream (I like the brand Elmlea).
To make this ahead you can make it up until stage 5 and chill in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Egg wash before baking. If cooking from frozen, allow the pie to defrost overnight in the fridge before baking.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and reheat in a pre-heated oven at 180ºC for 15 minutes to keep the pastry nice and crisp.