A delicious and simple chicken and leek pie - a perfect way to use up your leftovers from a Sunday roast.
Ingredients
- 250 g8¾ oz chicken legs/thighs/breast left over from Sunday roast, cut into large chunks
- 2 medium leeks, washed and diced into 2.5cm pieces
- 100 g3½ oz cooked gammon (leftover as well if you have or you could fry up some rashers of bacon and chop them)
- Good handful of chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
- Sprig of thyme
- Sprig of rosemary
- ½ pint good quality chicken stock, approximately
- 50 ml1¾ fl oz white wine
- 25 g1 oz butter
- 25 g1 oz flour
- 10 g¼ oz grated parmesan
- 20 g¾ oz grated mature cheddar
- 25 ml1 fl oz double cream
- 1 tbsp grain mustard
- 250 g8¾ oz puff pastry, for the topping
Method: How to make Chicken and leek pie
Melt the butter in a thick bottom pan on a low heat, stir in the flour until all butter is soaked up, and gradually add the warmed chicken stock a little at a time so as not to have any lumps. Once all the stock has been mixed in, turn down the heat and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, if it starts to get to thick add a little more stock.
Add the double cream, and cheese, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Preheat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, add the leeks, rosemary and thyme and cook 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms and wine and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. (The mixture should be moist not wet).
Mix the sauce, mustard, chicken and gammon ham together in a bowl (adding a little sauce at a time so as not to be too wet).
Season and place into a pie dish.
Roll out the puff pastry to 1cm thickness, place into the fridge to rest. Remove after 15-20 minutes, egg wash the edges of the pie dish and place the puff pastry on top, cut away any excess pastry from the edges, crimp the edges and egg wash the top of the pie (using only free range egg yolks) once the egg has set, repeat this process so you have a ‘double’ egg wash on top, decorate as you wish (puff pastry leaves, etc).
Place into a preheated oven (200C/Gas 6) for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the centre is hot.
Serve with smooth creamy mashed potatoes.
