Chicken Bacon Mushroom And Leek Pie Recipes

CHICKEN PIE WITH BACON, LEEKS & MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Shred all the meat off the chicken carcass removing all bones and gristle. You can include some of the crispy parts of the skin if you prefer. Preheat the oven to 180C /350F.
• Heat a frying pan to medium and melt the butter. Add the leeks and bay leaf and sauté for about 3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the bacon and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until softened.
• Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a minute. Or 2 and the mixture thickens. Add the wine and allow this to bubble until the liquid has cooked over stirring constantly. Then add the stock and cook over a gentle heat for another 2 - 3 minutes. Add the cream and cook for a minute or two. Add the parsley and check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Depending on how strong the stock is you may not need to add much salt as the bacon adds salt too.
• Fold the shredded chicken through the mix and stir to thoroughly coat then remove from the heat. Decant the mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish and place the sheet of puff pastry over the pie. Add decorations as you like. It is not necessary to brush the all-butter puff pastry with an egg wash.
• Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a large pan with the bay, half the thyme sprigs, the parsley stalks, onions, garlic, stock and seasoning. Pour the milk over the chicken and, if you need to, top up with water to make sure the chicken is covered. Bring the chicken to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 mins. Lift from the liquid and leave to cool.
• Drain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a large jug - you need 650ml to make the sauce for your pie.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the leeks and the mushrooms, and cook for 5-10 mins until soft, then season well. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Slowly add the poaching liquid, stirring until you have a thick sauce.
• Using two forks, pull the chicken apart into thumb-sized chunks rather than chopping it - I feel you get a far better pie this way. Chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the leeks with the thyme leaves, crème frâiche and chicken. Check the seasoning, then spoon the mixture into your pie dish (or dishes) to cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly dusted work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut thin strips from the edges and use a little water to stick these around the lip of the pie dish, then wet the top of the pastry strip. Lift the pastry on top of the pie, trim the edges and crimp them with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top with milk and cut a steam hole in the middle.
• Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is risen and golden. Some of the filling will have bubbled up through the steam hole. Have a bottle of tomato ketchup on hand to serve, if you like - and be careful, the pie will be hot.

CHICKEN & LEEK FILO PIE

Steps:

• Heat a third of the butter in a large saucepan, cook the leeks for 10 mins or until softened, then tip onto a plate and repeat with another third of the butter and the mushrooms. Heat the remaining butter in the same saucepan and, once melted, stir in the flour and cook the sandy paste for 1 min, then stir in the chicken stock a ladleful at a time. Leave on a low heat to simmer for 5 mins, then stir the chicken, leek, mushrooms, cream and mustard into the sauce, add the parsley and season with salt and cracked black pepper. Spoon into a 20cm pie dish and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lay a sheet of filo on a chopping board and brush with olive oil, then place on top of the pie with the corners resting on the sides of the dish, then repeat the process, placing the next sheet slightly off-centre - the idea is to fan the sheets of filo. Brush every layer with oil, and on the last layer sprinkle over salt, thyme leaves and nigella seeds. Press the pastry gently into the edge of the dish. Bake for about 1 hr until the pastry is deep golden, then remove from the oven and serve with buttered cabbage and mashed potato, if you like.