chicken, ham & leek pie
There are few things better, on a cold winters night, than a rich and warming pie. The flaky pastry, the steaming filling, the thick sauce, it’s just one of those wintery things that brings me pure pleasure. This recipe is no different. It fills the house with the smells of roast chicken, then of cooked leeks, then of buttery pastry. Cutting away the lid reveals a delightful combination of fillings, all snuggled up under a blanket of creamy béchamel.
This recipe is great if you roast the chicken fresh on the day, however, it is also the perfect way to use up leftover chicken from the Sunday roast. You can also substitute the chicken for turkey and have this pie in that period between Christmas and New Year when you need to get creative to use up all the leftover turkey.
If you can, do try to make the pastry fresh. It really does makes a difference. Serve alongside mashed potatoes and some simply cooked greens.
for the filling
1 whole chicken (approx 1.5kg)
100ml chicken stock
250g cooked ham
2 leeks
1-2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
25g butter
a handful of fresh parsley
salt & pepper
for the béchamel sauce
50g butter
125g plain flour
300ml chicken stock
200ml whole milk
100ml double cream
salt & pepper
for the pastry
150g cold butter (diced)
250g plain flour
1 egg
a pinch of salt
+ 1 egg (pastry wash)
method
Start by making your pastry. Make sure your butter is very cold, then add it to a bowl with the flour and salt.
Using your fingers and thumbs, rub the flour and butter together until all the big chunks are gone and the mixture resembles a loose breadcrumb.
Add the egg and mix everything into a dough. You may need to add a splash or two of cold water if your dough is feeling too dry.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Next, start roasting your chicken. Preheat your oven to 180c and place your chicken in a deep dish (as it will produce a lot of liquid).
You can roast the chicken simply, with drizzle of olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper, if you like, but I like to add a little extra to the dish. I roughly chop an onion and a couple of garlic cloves, before scattering these around the chicken and topping with 100ml of chicken stock. I then cover the dish with a lid or with silver foil and bake it for about 1.5-2 hours. No matter which route you go down, cook the chicken until the juices run clear when you pierce the meat.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the liquid in the tray and try to take all the meat off the bones, shredding roughly as you go. Add the meat back into the juices (and onion/garlic if you aded it) and mix it all together. (tip: the carcass is great for stock, so keep it if you can)
Next, chop the ends off your leek and slice into half moons of around 2-3cm width. Peel your onion and slice in half, then slice into half moons as well. Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic and add all three of these to a pan with a touch of olive oil and cook until it all softens.
Add the ham and mix it all together.
Add the chicken and all the juices (and onion/garlic if you added them) to the leek mixture and stir to combine it all.
Start to preheat your oven back to 180c.
Next, make the béchamel. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan being sure not to burn it.
Once melted, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until it all comes together.
Mix the milk, cream and stock together in a jug, then pour a quarter into the butter/flour mix.
Stir this until all the chunks are gone and the sauce begins to thicken. Repeat, a quarter at a time, for the rest of the liquid.
Once you have a nice creamy béchamel, season to taste and add to the chicken, ham and leek mixture.
Stir this all together, then ladle it into the bottom of your pie dish.
Take your pastry out of the fridge and roll on a lightly floured surface until it is just slightly bigger than the size of your pie dish.
Place the pastry on top of your mix, gently push out any air pockets, then press down around the whole edge to seal it to the dish.
Decorate however you fancy, then pierce it a number of times to create air holes.
Whisk your egg, then brush over all the pastry.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling away.
Serve alongside mashed potatoes, greens, salad, or whatever you fancy.
