The Best Chicken And Sweet Leek Pie With Flaky Pastry Recipes

THE BEST CHICKEN AND SWEET LEEK PIE WITH FLAKY PASTRY

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Take a large casserole pot and add your olive oil and butter.
• Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery, and thyme and cook slowly on the stove for 15 minutes. Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water, and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it's a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. (At this point you can let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to - it can also be eaten as a stew.)
• Assemble the pie: Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.
• Roll out your pastry to about 1/4 inch thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges (there's no need to do this, but I like to as my mum always does it and it makes it look pretty). I use the back of a knife to lightly crisscross the top - this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky. Cook the pie in the center of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden on top. I like to serve this with corn off the cob and mashed potato.

LEEK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F and place a flat baking sheet on the middle shelf. Remove the pastry from its plastic wrapping (set this aside), cut it into 2 equal parts, then gently roll into slightly thinner 10in squares. Put one onto a lightly buttered baking sheet, cover with the plastic wrapping and put the other pastry sheet on top. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan, add the leeks and cook for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft. Mix together the cream cheese, cream, nutmeg and chives in a small bowl. Mix in the leeks and leave to cool.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge and set aside the top sheet on the plastic wrapping. Spread the cooled leeks over the pastry base, leaving a 3/4in edge uncovered. Scatter with the Parmesan and paint the edge with the egg yolk. Form a lid with the other square of pastry and allow the edge of this to flop down onto the bottom layer. Press together lightly. Brush the top with more beaten egg and press the edges together with a fork; trim the sides to neaten.
• Make a few small cuts in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape. Decorate with the point of a knife, in a criss-cross pattern. Slide the pie on the baking sheet into the oven on top of the pre-heated tray. Bake for around 35-40 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and crisp. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

HEARTY CHICKEN AND LEEK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sweat gently for about 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
• Meanwhile heat a wide frypan or saute pan over medium heat and add a splash of oil. Fry the chicken seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs until the chicken is browned.
• Add the leeks, then stir in corn flour. Pour in the stock and add the apple cider vinegar. Adjust the amount of stock depending on how much sauce you like. You can also add a bit more cornflour if the sauce looks a bit too thin.
• Simmer gently for around 15 minutes.
• Spoon the chicken mixture into a 1.2L - 1.9L (1.5-2 Quart) pie dish.
• Cut a piece of defrosted puff pastry big enough to make a lid over pie dish plus a 2cm border to place around the rim.
• Line the rim of the pie dish with a 2cm border of pastry, brush with a little water and then top with the pastry lid. Crimp the edges together with a fork. If you can't be bothered with the extra border just fit the pastry lid. Make a little slit in the middle of the pastry to let the steam escape.
• Beat the egg with a splash of milk. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pastry with the egg mixture. This will help the pastry brown and crisp nicely.
• Bake the pie for around 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.