Tender bites of chicken and slippery pieces of sweet leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, bubbling under a golden puff pastry crust. Chicken and Leek Pie is comfort food we dream about!
Chicken and Leek Pie
If you like bubbling pies baked under deeply golden flaky, buttery puff pastry, then this is a recipe for you. It’s cosy and comforting, and everything you dream a pie to be. The filling is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with thyme and subtle white wine flavour that’s rich but not overly so, and the leeks is what sets this pie apart from “just another chicken pie”.
Not that I’m dissing other chicken pies – there is room for many in this world. But Chicken and Leek Pie is special because of the leeks and the flavour it brings to the pie. What flavour, you ask? Think – sweeter, milder version of onion. And because it’s a gentle flavour, we can use a good amount of leeks in this recipe. Two whole leeks, in actual fact. Because if we’re going to put Leek in the recipe name, let’s make sure we can actually taste the leek!
Hard to stuff up!
When you scroll through the step photos and even the ingredients section, it might seem a little involved and fussy because of the amount of information I’ve included. But I promise it’s not. I’m just being extra generous on the instructional visuals front to make sure that leek-first-timers and pie-first-timers can approach this recipe with confidence!
And actually, it’s hard to stuff up this recipe. The worst that might happen is that the sauce is a little on the thin side because you didn’t simmer it long enough or you mis-measured the flour. Hardly a disaster because the flavour is still in there!
Ingredients in Chicken and Leek Pie
Here’s what you need to make this recipe.
pie filling
No surprises here. Though bacon is probably something you don’t see in typical recipes. We only use 3 little strips but it goes a long way to make the filling extra scrumptious. 🙂
Leeks! The hero ingredient. The tastier onion! It brings so much flavour into this pie, not just the leek bits themselves but also flavouring the sauce.
Having said that though, when leeks are out of season / extortionately expensive, you can make this pie with 2 big regular onions. We might have to drop the word “Leek” out of the name, but it’s still a darn delicious pie!
Boneless chicken thighs – I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs rather than breast because it stays juicier in pies. You really can’t avoid overcooking chicken breast in a pie like this where it’s cooked twice (in the filling on the stove then in the pie in the oven). If you really prefer to use breast, it’s best to shred it. See FAQ and directions in the recipe card notes.
Bacon – As noted above, adds an extra something-something into this pie! Be sure to use streaky bacon (ie the bacon bits streaked with fat) as the recipe relies on the fat to sauté the leek. If you use lean bacon, you’ll probably need an extra dab of butter.
Celery – I like the flavour celery brings into this pie and also that it blends into the filling because I deliberately make the filling for this pie without any bright splashes of colour from peas or carrots. Makes it different from other pies, like Chicken Pot Pie!
Garlic – Rare to see a savoury recipe without it on my website, and this pie is no exception!
Thyme and bay leaves – Use fresh if you can, though dried is fine as an alternative. Note: if you use dried thyme rather than fresh sprigs, you will get little dark specks in your sauce. Also, fresh thyme sprigs sort of “perfumes” the sauce in a way that dried leaves do not. Kind of like using cinnamon sticks rather than powder in, say, curries, tagines, pilafs etc.
creamy sauce for the pie
Here’s what you need to make the creamy sauce for the pie.
Butter – The fat of choice for this dish! Unsalted butter is preferred. If using salted butter, start with less salt than per the recipe ingredients, then adjust at the end.
Chicken stock/broth and cream – These are the liquids that we use to make this sauce. Chicken stock has more flavour than using just water. And cream is richer and has a more luscious mouth feel than using milk, though you could substitute with milk if you don’t have cream (I’d add a dab of extra butter), or if you really want to reduce the calories in this recipe.
Flour – This is what thickens the sauce. Just use plain / all-purpose flour. Though actually, self raising and wholemeal flour will work fine too.
White wine – I almost always deglaze my pan using wine for sauces. Deglazing simply means using a liquid to a dissolve gold bits stuck on the base of the pan from sautéing things (chicken, leek etc, in this case) into the liquid because it’s free flavour. You could use water or stock, but wine adds more flavour because it has more complexity and depth. We cook out the alcohol so it doesn’t taste winey at all.
Type of wine – Chardonnay is my default white wine these days, for the best flavour and best all-rounder for cooking. But any dry white wine will work fine here. Just avoid anything too sweet or too woody.
Substitute with non alcoholic white wine or more chicken stock/broth. Don’t worry, the sauce will still be delicious!
Dijon mustard – This adds flavour into the sauce but is not a dominant flavour so you can skip it if you have an aversion to mustard. You could also substitute with wholegrain mustard (also lovely!).
puff pastry
Puff pastry – Here in Australia, standard grocery-store puff pastry comes in 20cm/8″ sheets which are just a touch too small for most baking dishes and large pie dishes. So I just connect two sheets using egg whites (the yolks is used to brush the pastry to make it golden in the oven).
If you get a large sheet of puff pastry (eg Careme which is a premium brand), you won’t need to do the sealing.
Butter puff recommended! Butter puff pastry is made with butter whereas just regular puff pastry is made with oil. Butter puff is tastier! It also puffs up better and bakes more golden. The packet will be labelled as “Butter Puff Pastry” and costs a little more than non-butter puff pastry. Worth it, in my opinion.
Egg – As noted above, we use the egg white to connect the puff pastry sheets, and the egg yolk to brush the lid of the pie so it bakes a beautiful golden brown. You will have a little egg white left over – toss it into your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!
How to make Chicken and Leek Pie
I’m providing a fair few step photos to make this a straightforward recipe even for people new to cooking with leek and making creamy pie fillings. But I promise it’s quite straightforward!
1. How I cut the leek
I prefer cutting the leek into small bit size squares rather than slicing rings which I find feels a little too stringy “spaghetti-like” for the amount of leek used in this pie. Larger pieces also means you bite into more leek flavour which seems appropriate for a Chicken and Leek Pie! 😇
Trim off the root and the dark green part of the leek. This part is reedy and not pleasant to eat. Discard or clean then add to your homemade vegetable stock.
Cut the leek in half through the middle. Just to make it shorter which is easier to cut in half lengthways (next step).
Cut the leek in half lengthways.
Separate the outer 5 layers or so from the core. If at this stage you notice dirt between the layers, give it a wash but try to keep the layers intact to make your cutting-life simpler / efficient.
Cut outer layers into squares – Cut the outer layers in half lengthways again, stack, then cut into 1.8 cm/0.75″ pieces to make square / rectangle pieces.
Inner core – Cut into 2cm / 0.8″ pieces.
Leek, cut! Cooking time.
2. How to make the filling
The filling for the pie is a roux-based creamy filling (ie a flour-thickened filling). I’ve used cream to make it extra luxurious and pie-worthy but you can substitute with milk to cut down on the calories.
Seal chicken – Melt half the butter in a large non-stick pan over high heat. (Mine is a 30cm/12″ wide Pyrolux – and no, that is not an affiliate link) Then cook the chicken just until the surface changes from pink to white. We’re not trying to brown the chicken here (it won’t, the pan is too full), nor cook it through because the chicken will cook further in the sauce and in the oven. Just seal the surface.
Then remove the chicken using a slotted spoon into a bowl. Leave the juices and residual butter in the pan, we will use it to cook the filling.
Bacon – For the filling, start by cooking the bacon in the same pan for 1 minute. By giving it a head start, we get the tasty bacon fat melting in the pan which we use to cook everything else.
Sauté – Then add the leek, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until the celery and leek are softened. Don’t let them brown, so lower the heat if needed.
Deglaze the pan using the white wine. By this, I mean add the wine into the pan and stir, scraping the base of the pan so anything stuck to it dissolves into the wine. Then let the wine simmer rapidly until the wine is mostly evaporated (which is the alcohol cooking out, leaving behind just tasty flavour).
Roux – Add the remaining butter and stir it in until melted*. Then scatter the flour across the surface of the pan rather than dumping it in one place (makes it easier to mix in). Stir for 30 seconds to cook off the flour. The pasty flour mixture stuck on the leek is called a “roux” and this is what thickens our pie filling to make it beautifully creamy.
Creamy sauce – While stirring, slowly pour the chicken stock / broth into the pan. Then keep mixing to dissolve the roux into the liquid so the mixture in the pan thickens into a thick creamy sauce. Don’t worry if there are still roux-lumps, they will continue dissolving as we simmer the sauce.
* See FAQ for why I do this butter melting step just before adding the flour to make the roux for this recipe.
Finish sauce – Then add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper, bay leaves and thyme, and stir it in. Return the chicken into the pan along with all the juices that collected in the bowl (free flavour!).
Simmer the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes until it has thickened into quite a thick creamy texture.
Goal sauce thickness – The sauce thickness at this stage is pretty much what it it will be when the pie comes out of the oven, so make it the thickness you want.
Cool – Remove the pan from the stove and let the filling cool for an hour. It needs to be cool else the heat will melt the butter in the puff pastry on contact and won’t puff up as much in the oven. Shortcut: spread the filling on a tray (30 minutes should do it). You can also keep the filling for 3 – 4 days in the fridge and finish the pie on another day.
Filling done. Let’s assemble!
3. Assembling the pie
You can bake this pie in one large dish (any shape – rectangle, round, oval) or ramekins. I use a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking dish which is the right size for the amount of filling this recipe makes. If making individual pies, use 4 to 5 x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.
TIP: Use semi-thawed rather than fully-thawed puff pastry. It is much easier to handle. Fully thawed puff can get sloppy and sticky!
Connect puff pastry – If needed. Standard frozen puff pastry in Australia are 20cm / 8″ squares which is a little short for most casserole pans and pie dishes suitable for baking chicken and leek pie in.
To connect the sheets, brush the edge of a semi-thawed sheet with egg white, connect the two sheets then use the back of a spoon to “smear” the sheets together so there is no visible seam.
Cut the pie lid from the puff pastry. Use your chosen pie baking vessel as the outline.
Strips (optional) – You can only do this if the rim of your pie dish is wide enough, to use up leftover puff pastry to make an impressive extra thick pie edge! Just cut four strips from the remaining puff pastry, wide enough to sit on the rim of your dish.
Line the rim of the pie dish with these strips. Just place them on, no need to brush with egg (it adheres too strongly, nightmare to serve. Been there, done that!).
Fill the pie pan or baking dish with the cooled filling.
Lid – Brush the pastry strips with egg white then place the lid on. Press to seal the edges.
Note: If you are not using pastry strips along the rim, don’t brush the rim with egg whites as the lid will adhere too strongly to the baking dish.
Brush the lid with egg yolk, cut a cross in the middle of the lid to be the steam vent..
Bake for 45 minutes until it’s deep golden all across the surface of the pie. Pull it out then yay! Time to eat!
Good one to make ahead
Pies like this are excellent for making ahead. You can make the filling and refrigerate it for 3 – 4 days, then assemble the pie when you’re ready.
Or you can assemble the pie with the puff pastry then refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, though be mindful that it will take up to 48 hours to fully thaw in the fridge (it’s a formidable block of ice!). The puff pastry will puff a little less than assembling and baking it straight away, but it’s a very small compromise for the convenience (puff pastry puffs the best with minimal handling, when thawed once, assembled then baked straight away. The more times you thaw > freeze > thaw etc, or refrigerate, the less it puffs).
Put it this way. If I were to make this pie for company, I’d make the filling the day before and assemble and bake on the day of. For any other purpose, I wouldn’t hesitate to assemble ahead, puff pastry and all, then bake on demand.
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
FAQ
For chicken breast (if that’s all you’ve got or really prefer to use that instead), it would be much better to shred it instead. Using it in bite size pieces isn’t ideal because you cannot avoid overcooking it in a recipe like this where it is twice cook (first on the stove in the filling then in the oven).
To make shredded chicken breast, split it in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, pan sear to cook in the butter (be really careful not to overcook it, if anything, undercook it). Cool a bit, shred, then mix it through the filling right at the end (ie don’t simmer in the sauce).
Use onion instead! 2 big brown / yellow or white onions.
I use this technique to reduce the amount of butter needed to make a roux. Basically, if you put all the butter in at the beginning of the recipe (we use (50 g/3.5 tbsp), there is not enough fat to make a pasty roux when we add the flour, because it’s so thoroughly mixed through all the leek, bacon etc. The roux ends up dry and crumby which makes it hard to dissolve lump free into the liquids.
So instead, I hold back half the butter (we have enough fat for sautéing because of the bacon) then melt it in the pan just before adding the flour, which provides enough fat to make a good pasty roux. Works a treat!
I don’t always use this method because it’s an extra step. I use it only when I’m trying to manage the fat in a recipe. For this recipe, you need 50% more butter if you add it all at the start to sauté the leek etc.
PS I use this method for pan sautéing mushrooms too, and eggplant cubes. Anything that is a sponge for oil!
Mistake! Got so caught up cutting strips I just kept cutting. 😂 I spritzed those leftover strips with olive oil, sprinkled with parmesan and cracked black pepper, baked until golden and got to munch on them for afternoon tea.
You sure can! This recipe makes enough for 4 very large ramekins (think – hearty male appetite size) or 5 standard-meal-size ramekins.
Absolutely. Actually, I was torn whether to do that version or this one. I ended up choosing this one because it’s much more straight forward than an enclosed pie version.
To make this as a pie with a pastry base, assemble the pie using my Family Meat Pie but just switch the meat pie filling with this Chicken and Leek filling. The meat pie recipe also includes the recipe for shortcrust pastry for the base (which is blind baked so it doesn’t go soggy once filled).
You could also make individual pies using my individual size Meat Pie recipe!
Not really. You can make the filling gluten free by using cornflour instead of flour to thicken it. but there is still flour in the puff pastry. Sorry!
Thanks to readers, I’ve been made aware there is gluten free puff pastry these days – hurrah! However, I can’t comment on the quality as I’ve never tried it. You could also top with mashed potato instead, like Cottage Pie. I’ve done it and it’s absolutely delicious!
To make the filling gluten free, skip the flour in the recipe. Mix 1/4 cup cornflour (cornstarch) with 1/4 cup of the chicken stock until lump free. Proceed with the recipe as written (using the remaining chicken stock). Simmer the sauce for 3 minutes then, while stirring, slowly pour in the cornflour mixture. The sauce will thicken very quickly. If it’s not thick enough for your taste, add extra cornflour slurry (equal parts cornflour mixed with water or chicken stock). Remove from the stove and cool, then proceed with the recipe as written.
It wasn’t actually that hard because I’ve been making iterations of this pie for years. It was just one of those recipes I was dabbling with all through Winter, making it every now and then – individual ramekins one day, then a fully pastry enclosed pie the next, tried it with mash like Cottage Pie (it was actually really nice!).
Then when I committed to publishing it, I made it a few times just to refine the recipe and “finalise it”. The main things were getting the sauce thickness right and getting the salt levels right.
I’d say the main things are:
Leek cut into larger pieces. It was instinct to do this though in the course of looking at other recipes to compare to mine, I noticed that most cut the leeks into thin rounds. I wondered if I was missing something so I tried it. The volume of thin stringy leek all throughout the filling really didn’t work for me. And I also like biting into pieces of leek.
Two leeks, not one. Quite a few recipes I scanned call for just one leek. I figure if we are making a chicken and LEEK pie, let’s use enough leek! One leek doesn’t do very much for flavour, to be honest.
Bacon. Goes a good way to add flavour into the sauce, and nobody complains when they bite into a piece! 🙂
Watch how to make it
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Chicken and Leek Pie
Ingredients
- 50g/ 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , divided
- 750g/ 1.5lb chicken thighs , skinless, boneless, cut into 1.8 cm / 3/4″ bite size pieces (Note 1)
- 1/4 tsp each black pepper and cooking salt (kosher salt)
Pie filling:
- 80g / 3 oz streaky bacon , chopped into 1cm / 0.4″ squares (Note 2)
- 2 leeks (Note 3)
- 2 celery stems , sliced 4 mm / 0.2″ thick (cut thick end in half lengthways first)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/3 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup flour (plain / all-purpose)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard (Note 5)
- 2 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, else dried)
- 1 cup chicken stock / broth , low sodium
- 1 cup thickened / heavy cream (or any full-fat cream, or sub milk for lower fat)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Pie:
- 2 x 20cm / 8" frozen butter puff pastry sheets , or single sheet large enough to cover baking dish, 360g / 12 oz (Note 6)
- 1 egg , yolk and whites separated, lightly whisked
Instructions
ABBREVIATED:
- Sear surface of chicken in half butter, remove. Cook bacon 1 minute, then leek, celery and garlic 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, melt remaining butter, then cook flour 1 minute. Add stock, then remaining Filling ingredients. Add chicken, thicken sauce (~5 minutes).
- Cool filling 1 hour, assemble pie with double layer puff on rim, brush lid with yolk, bake 45 minutes 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).
FULL RECIPE:
Cut leek (step photos above helpful):
- Trim the reedy dark green ends and root off, then cut in half. Cut each piece in half lengthways. Remove the outer 5 to 6 layers (keep them together), lay them flat, cut in half lengthways then into 1.8cm / 3/4" squares. Cut the inner core into 2cm / 0.8" pieces.
Filling:
- Chicken – Melt half the butter in a large pan over high heat. Add the chicken, salt and pepper. Cook until the surface changes from pink to white (inside still raw), then remove into a bowl using a slotted spoon. Leave residual butter and chicken juices in the pan.
- Sauté – In the same pan, cook the bacon for 1 minute. Add the leek, celery and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the celery is softened. Don't let the leek brown – lower the heat if needed.
- Deglaze – Add the wine and simmer rapidly on high heat, stirring, until it is mostly evaporated.
- Roux – Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter. Once it melts, sprinkle the flour across the surface (don't dump in one place) and stir for 1 minute.
- Creamy sauce – While stirring, slowly pour the stock in. The mixture will thicken into a thick sauce once combined. Then add the mustard, cream, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the chicken including all the juices accumulated in the bowl.
- Simmer – Increase the heat, stir to combine. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium high. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the sauce is a thick creamy consistency you want in the finished pie (ie sauce thickness now = thickness in the baked pie, see Note 7).
- Cool – Remove the pan from the stove and cool for 1 hour. (You can also store in fridge for 3 – 4 days).
Assembling and baking:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/375°F (180°C fan-forced). Use a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking pan (Note 9) or 4 to 5 x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.
- Connect puff pastry sheets (if needed) – Semi-thaw the puff pastry (Note 6). Brush the edge of one sheet with egg white, then overlap 0.5cm / 0.2" with the other sheet to connect them. Use the back of a spoon to "smear" the pastry to hide the seam and firmly connect.
- Cut out the pie lid (I use the dish as a cutting guide).
- Optional strips for extra puffy edges (Note 8): Cut strips using the residual pastry to line the rim of the dish (if your dish has a thick rim, like mine) and place on the rim of the dish.
- Fill the pie dish with the cooled filling and smooth the surface. Brush the pastry strips on the rim with egg white (if not using strips, don't do this step) then cover with the puff pastry lid.
- Brush the lid with egg yolk. Cut a small X in the middle.
- Bake 45 minutes or until the surface is a deep golden brown. Rest 5 minutes then serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Standard grocery store puff pastry in Australia comes in 20cm/8″ squares so we need to connect 2 pieces so it’s large enough to cover the baking dish. If you get a premium brand like Careme which is larger sheets, you won’t need to do this.
- BUTTER puff pastry (labelled as such on the packet) is tastier and puffs better. It’s a little pricier than non-butter puff.
- Semi-thawed puff pastry is easier to handle than full thawed, and puffs better because it won’t accidentally stretch when handled. I let it thaw just enough so I can cut it.
Nutrition Information:
I love a good pie.
Here are some of my favourites!
Life of Dozer
Remember that photo of Dozer on toy washing day, staring at the washing machine as his toys tumbled around and around? Here’s the video!
I made this pie and it was a sensational hit. Full of flavour and very easy to make.
I made the filling the day before then assembled and cooked the following evening for dinner.
I made a couple of tweets adding 1 cup of thawed frozen corn, peas and carrots and I put scrunched filo pastry on the top.
What a winner. 🥇
Thank you Nagi xoxo
Made this for dinner tonight and friends loved it. Thanks to another post by Ngai I learnt about a chefs pan which made the cooking of the filling so much easier. A chefs pan is a game changer for me. The 1 cup of thicken cream makes the filling so uncious and takes it to next level. I picked the thyme from my garden, added some chopped button mushrooms and some cubes of frozen spinach . Thankyou Ngai for all the effort you put into making a recipe as close to perfection as it can be. I’m a home cook who likes fresh produce, concerned about nutrition of a meal but also love food and want to uber ebnoy it. Yay to another well crafted recipe. Cheers.
Wow absolutely amazing , best chicken pie in the world.
I go a little more liberal with the aromatics and add Worcester sauce
I made this tonight for the family as per recipe, handsdown delicious!
This is really yum! I used a cooked barbecued chicken and Tuscan seasoning instead of bay leaves and thyme. Quick and easy and enjoyed by everyone.
Really really good. The recipe is very informative. My little girl followed the steps and it’s really delicious.
Well done Nagi! My dad always makes a stunning chicken and leek pie and this recipe is even better than his. In our family we would make extra sauce and use it as gravy and serve with mashed potato and steamed veg for a hearty family meal.
A-mazingly delicious. My dad always makes a stunning chicken and leek pie and this recipe is even better than his. In our family we would make extra sauce and use it as gravy and serve with mashed potato and steamed veg for a hearty family meal.
This is yum and super easy. I used a cooked shredded chicken and no other changes.
I love this recipe and have cooked it multiple times. It’s perfect as is but I often add a finely chopped head of broccoli and some chopped cavelo Nero to add some extra veg and a little lemon zest too. Thanks Nagi!
Delicious pie- only had 1 leek, so added onion and carrot for a great result!
So good!! To work with all my intolerances I used GF puff pastry, cornflour, LF cream, only one leek, and cooked some mushrooms in some garlic infused oil to use instead of the garlic and to replace some of the chicken. Was some yum and easy!!
Delicious! So super glad we tried this. It was so yummy! Another winner! Everyone loved dinner! Thank you Nagi and team and of course Dozer! 🤗🙏❤️
Absolutely beautiful! Easy to make and so, so tasty.
I had a seniors moment and bought chicken breast fillets which I then poached in chicken stock for 10 mins and when cooled, shredded the meat. The pie was sensational- thank-you for such a fab recipe- loved it all.
Another fabulous recipe. Easy and so tasty. As there are only two of us I froze meal size portions which are so handy. So far have done pot pies and potato top pies. Yum yum
I made this yesterday, refrigerated the dish overnight and baked today for lunch. It is very tasty and perfect warm pie for this time of year. I did cheat and used a BBq chicken , skin and bones removed then diced the meat. This was done for convenience. I followed the recipe as described, read the supplied notes before launching into the recipe and just adjusted seasoning to our taste after the filling was cooked.
Easy to make and very tasty. I have made it from scratch and also the cheat version using cooked chicken. Both brilliant. I also substituted scrunched filo pastry for puff pastry because that is what I had on hand. The look was impressive and certainly adds the crunch!
I always use this recipe when I’ve got leftover roast chicken; cut up into small pieces and then just added before putting the pastry lid on. Always a winner, thanks Nagi!
Another super dish. I did mine as individual pies, made a dozen & froze some. This recipe is now a regular at our house!!