Chicken and leek pie is just what you need now the nights are drawing in and the temperature dipping. It’s that comfort food time of year again already. These mini pies use up left over chicken and are suitable as either a casual midweek supper or substantial weekend lunch.
There’s a secret guilty pleasure ingredient used in them, I wonder if you can guess what it is?
Individual chicken and leek pies are perfect to use up leftover chicken
I could roast a chicken every week although with so many meals gained from it we’d eat nothing else. Every two or three weeks stops us getting fed up.
Enjoy a juicy roast first time round; slices of cold meat in sandwiches later. Chunks of meat for curries or pasta the next day, a risotto (baked speltotto even) or spicy noodle soup later in the week. It feels a familiar ritual like Christmas but one I’m happy to repeat many times throughout the year.
The joy of pre-rolled puff pastry
Lightning fast bakes using pre-rolled puff pastry are becoming a speciality of mine over there – I should probably make it clear that I do not have a special deal with Jusrol!
If you prefer the traditional route there are plenty of books I could point you at. Today let’s just feel smug that with a roll of puff pastry at our disposal, a hearty meal of golden chicken pot pies is moments away.
Nostalgia for chicken pot pie
I first discovered the chicken pot pie when I worked near a branch of EAT and they used to sell them on a particular day of the week. Come Friday I would do a detour to buy a hot chicken and leek pie served in a waxed paper cup! They were the highlight of my working week.
Pot pies are so easy I am looking forward to a winter season of slow cooker meat recipes I can use up as pie fillings and soups. The classic combination of chicken and leek pie seemed an obvious place to start.
Pros and cons using a Chicken Brick
My husband and I have a long term disagreement about the status of our chicken brick – he loves it, I hate it. I much prefer using our Crock pot.
My dislike of using the chicken brick to make roast chicken is that the chicken falls apart, the chicken brick gets full of juices and it’s all rather messy to clean up afterwards. Does anyone know whether you can clean a chicken brick in the dishwasher? I suspect not….
Instant sauce mix – my guilty pleasure ingredient
It’s a cheat but some instant parsley sauce makes thickening pie fillings a cinch. You can use it in white sauce chicken pies or fish pie. Drums of dried sauces have a permanent spot in my cupboard. I know how to make gravy and sauces from scratch but when the smallest tummies are making the loudest noises, I need meals ready inside 30 minutes with barely any washing up.
I use them all the time and reckon a lot of mums keep them as a store cupboard essential even if they’re not very cool in foodie circles. Will you think any the worst of me for it?
Mini Chicken and Leek Pie
Equipment
- 4 small pie dishes or ramekins
- 1 flat baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 whole leek cleaned and diced
- 15 g butter
- 200 g cooked chicken diced (from a leftover roast is perfect)
- 4 bacon slices cooked, chopped into small chunks
- 150 ml water boiling, from the kettle
- 2 tbsp parsley sauce granules
- 150 g puff pastry pre-made roll
- 1 tbsp olive oil for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c / Gas 6. Remove the pre-rolled pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before you need to use it.
- In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter and fry the onion until it goes golden but not brown. Add the chicken and bacon pieces and stir.
- Add the parsley sauce granules and a little boiling water from the kettle. Beware of adding too much of either granules or water – it is better to go slowly and add a bit more until you have a thick saucy consistency rather than one close to soup.
- Unroll the sheet of puff pasty. You can use circular cutters to make lids if you wish however I simply cut mine with a knife and tucked the corners in.
- Spoon the pie filling mixture into ramekins so they are three quarters full.
- Top each ramekin with a pastry lid, brush the lids with a little olive oil.
- Place the ramekins on the baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve the pies in their dishes on the plates alongside vegetables and gravy.
Notes
What else can I make with leftover chicken?
If you fancy something cold instead of hot chicken and leek pie, take a look at my cold chicken noodle salad.
Love the idea of making pies in small pots. This appeals to me and I love the idea of using a sauce sachet to thicken the gravy. Giving this a go next weekend.
Having sauce granules around is handy if you have a sauce that goes too thin. I can make sauce myself but sometimes you are in a rush!