Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks

Check out my recipe for a puff pastry chicken pot pie with leeks. Chicken and leek in a creamy béchamel with a bit of Parmesan, under a golden puff pastry lid that stays crunchy. In the UK it is a chicken and leek pie, and I like a nice one now and then.

How I make it: I fry the chicken, soften the leek and make a simple béchamel with milk, finished with Parmesan and a little nutmeg. The filling is cooked and cooled before the pastry goes on, so the oven only has to bake the lid.

The useful bit: make the filling ahead. It thickens as it cools, and the pastry goes on cold. I make one large pie or eight small ones, and I serve it with a good mash.

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Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks

About an hour of cooking, plus time for the filling to cool. It makes one large pie for 4, or 8 small pies.

Equipment You’ll Need

One big pan for the filling and the dishes you want to bake in.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

A short list. The béchamel is just butter, flour and milk.

• Chicken breast What I use, because I like the milder flavour. Instead: boneless thighs (there is a switch on the recipe card), or leftover roast chicken.
• Leek One large leek, about 170 g once trimmed. Leeks hold grit between their layers.
• Milk Whole milk, and nothing else in the sauce. No stock and no cream.
• Butter and flour Equal weights, the base of the béchamel.
• Parmesan Just a bit. It works nicely with the leek.
• Nutmeg Always freshly grated, and only a little.
• Puff pastry Shop-bought. One 320 g sheet covers a large pie, and you need two for 8 small ones. Instead: a shortcrust lid, recipe below.
• Egg For the egg wash. I always do it, with black pepper on top.

How to Make Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry, Step by Step

Full quantities are in the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the Leek. Trim the root and the dark green tops, halve the leek lengthways and slice it about 1 cm thick. Put the slices in a colander and wash them well, then pour over a kettle of boiling water, drain, and leave them to dry.I cut it first and wash it after, because the grit hides between the layers. Let it dry properly, so it fries in the butter instead of stewing in its own water.
2. Fry the Chicken. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, turning it, until golden and cooked through, then lift it out onto a plate.I fry it for the flavour. If you want the filling to stay nice and white, poach the chicken instead until it is cooked through.Leftover chicken: skip this step and stir about 500 g of cooked chicken in at step 5.
3. Soften the Leek. Turn the heat down, add the butter to the same pan and add the leek. Cook it gently for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft but not coloured.Keep the heat low. You want the leek soft and sweet, not browned, the same way I soften onions.
4. Make the Béchamel. Stir the flour into the buttery leeks and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the milk a splash at a time, stirring all the time, and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until thick.Give the flour a minute or two before any milk goes in. Add the first of the milk slowly and keep stirring, and the sauce stays smooth.Lumps: a quick whisk sorts them out.
5. Finish and Cool the Filling. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and a little freshly grated nutmeg, put the chicken back with any juices, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave the filling to cool completely.Season at the end, once the Parmesan is in, because it brings its own salt. I make the filling ahead: it thickens as it cools, and the pastry goes on a cold filling.Potato: if you want it in the pie, stir in some diced cooked potato now. I prefer good mash on the side.
6. Fill and Top. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spoon the cold filling into one large pie dish or 8 small ones. Lay the pastry over, press it onto the rim and trim it with a sharp knife. Brush it with the beaten egg, grind over some black pepper, and make one small poke in the middle.Poke it once, after the egg wash, not before. The steam lifts the lid and keeps it crunchy, and with one small hole it still rises, just not as much. Use a sharp knife for the edges, because a blunt one presses the layers together and they will not rise.
7. Bake. Bake a large pie for 30 to 35 minutes, or small pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.The filling is already cooked, so the oven only has to bake the pastry and heat the filling through. Go by the colour of the lid.
8. Rest and Serve. Leave the pie to rest for 5 minutes, then serve it with mashed potatoes.The filling under the lid is very hot, so give it those 5 minutes before you dig in.

Recipe Card for Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks

Recipe Card

Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks

My chicken and leek pie: chicken and leek in a milk béchamel with a bit of Parmesan and nutmeg, under a crunchy puff pastry lid. One large pie or 8 small ones.

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Prep

20 min

Cook

1 hr

Total

1 hr 20 min

Serves

4

Per serving

888 kcal

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4 portions

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The rest of the recipe follows

Breast Thighs

Equipment I Use

Large Frying PanPie DishSmall Baking DishesWhiskPastry Brush

Ingredients

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For the Filling

500 g Chicken Breast, in 2 to 3 cm chunks 1 tbsp Oil 1 large Leek, about 170 g trimmed 40 g Butter 40 g Plain Flour 600 ml Whole Milk 30 g Parmesan, finely grated Nutmeg, a little, freshly grated Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

For the Lid

1 sheet Puff Pastry, 320 g, or 2 sheets for 8 small pies 1 Egg, beaten, for the egg wash

Instructions

Tap a step to tick it off as you cook.

1

Prepare the Leek

Trim the leek, halve it lengthways and slice it about 1 cm thick. Wash the slices in a colander, pour over a kettle of boiling water, drain and leave to dry.

2

Fry the Chicken

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden and cooked through, then lift it out.

3

Soften the Leek

Turn the heat down, add the butter and the leek and cook gently for 5 minutes, until soft but not coloured.

4

Make the Béchamel

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk a splash at a time, stirring all the time, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until thick.

5

Finish and Cool the Filling

Stir in the Parmesan and a little grated nutmeg, put the chicken back and season to taste. Leave the filling to cool completely. It thickens as it cools.

6

Fill and Top

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spoon the cold filling into one large pie dish or 8 small ones. Lay the pastry over, press it to the rim and trim. Brush with the egg, grind over black pepper and make one small poke in the middle.

7

Bake

Bake a large pie for 30 to 35 minutes, or small pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

8

Rest and Serve

Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with mashed potatoes.

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Chef’s notes＋

• Make the filling ahead. It thickens as it cools, and it should be cold before the pastry goes on.
• Leftover cooked chicken works: skip step 2 and stir it in at step 5.
• Small pies freeze well unbaked.
• Reheat small pies in the air fryer from the fridge at 160°C for 12 to 15 minutes, or reheat in the microwave. Check it is piping hot in the middle.

Nutrition per serving＋

888 kcalProtein 43.4 gCarbs 58 gFat 53.1 gSat fat 18.2 gFibre 2.2 gSugar 9.9 gSodium 825 mgServing 397 g

Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks · https://chefsbinge.com/puff-pastry-chicken-pot-pie-leeks/

Check out my other Recipes:

My Chicken and Leek Pie: One Large or Eight Small

The same filling makes one large pie or 8 small ones, and I like the small ones. You get more pastry with every portion, they are already portioned, they freeze well unbaked, and they fit in the air fryer to reheat. A large pie is the one to put in the middle of the table.

Shortcrust Lid Instead of Puff Pastry

If you prefer a pie crust lid, rub 95 g of cold butter into 200 g of plain flour with a pinch of salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water, a little at a time, until it comes together. Rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes, roll it out about 3 mm thick and use it exactly like the puff pastry: egg wash, black pepper, one poke, and bake until golden.

What to Serve With Chicken Pot Pie

I serve it with a good mash, recipe below. If you like pies, try my steak and ale pie or my shepherd’s pie.

My Mash for the Side

My mash is just potatoes, butter and salt. I use Vivaldi or Maris Piper; in the US, use russets.

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
• 75 g butter
• Salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft, drain them well and let them steam dry for a minute. Mash them, then stir in the butter and season. Mix gently, because floury potatoes go gluey if you work them too hard.

Storing, Freezing and Reheating

Leftover pie keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. Small pies freeze well unbaked; wrap them well. To reheat a small pie from the fridge, put it in the air fryer at 160°C for 12 to 15 minutes and check it. Otherwise use the microwave. Either way, make sure it is piping hot in the middle.

FAQ for Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

A Few Words from the Chef

Make the filling the day before, and the pie is just a pastry lid and a short bake.