GrownUps New Zealand

Creamy chicken bacon and leek pie

Who doesn’t love a homemade pie after a long day? If you’ve got leftover roast chicken, you can use that in place of the chicken thighs.
Ingredients: 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  •  1.1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2-3 cm pieces (or you can use leftover roast chicken)
  •  2 leeks, thinly sliced
  •  250g bacon, chopped
  •  3 tablespoons plain flour
  •  1 cup milk
  •  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  •  3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
  •  3 sheets butter puff pastry, partially thawed
Method:
Preheat oven to 190C. Line the base of a 20cm pie dish with baking paper and grease the sides. Next line the bottom and sides of the pie dish with the pastry. It should take up about two sheets of the pastry, save the last piece for the top.
Heat oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. Lightly brown chicken in batches and set aside. Add leek and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add bacon and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Pour in milk and stir until smooth. Bring mixture to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Return chicken to the pan with thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Stir through peas. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Spoon the filling into the pastry case. Lightly whisk remaining egg. Lay the sheet of puff pastry over the pie, brushing the edges with egg to seal. It’s important not to stretch the pastry to avoid shrinkage. Trim the pastry edges and crimp or twist to seal. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg. Make 3 deep slits in the top of the pie. Place onto the hot tray and bake for 50 minutes. (If the pie is browning too much, cover with foil.) Bake for a further 10 minutes.
Leave the pie in the tin for 10 minutes before releasing. Cut into wedges to serve.