Description
A comforting and flavorful Chicken, Leek, and Bacon Pie made with tender rotisserie chicken, smoky bacon, and aromatic vegetables in a creamy thyme-infused sauce, all encased in crispy golden puff pastry. Perfect for a satisfying family meal or cozy dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein and Meat
- 1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken (roughly 900g whole) or 650g-700g cooked chicken
- 200 grams streaky bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
Vegetables
- 2 medium leeks (approx. 380g), sliced lengthwise and chopped
- 2 celery sticks (approx. 130g), chopped slightly smaller than leeks
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Dairy and Eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter (60g)
- 1 cup double cream (or single cream)
- 1 egg yolk
Pantry Items and Seasonings
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 cup chicken stock (made with one stock cube)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or one sprig)
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary (or one sprig)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- Ready-rolled puff pastry
Instructions
- Prepping: Remove the skin and meat from the rotisserie chicken, keeping some crispy skin for extra flavor. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Chop the streaky bacon into small, bite-sized pieces. Slice the leeks lengthwise and chop into 2 cm chunks. Chop the celery slightly smaller than the leeks.
- Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan. Add bacon and fry for 1 minute to release fat. Add leeks, celery, and garlic, cooking over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until softened but not browned.
- Add butter and roux: Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and let melt. Sprinkle flour evenly over the mixture and stir continuously for 1 minute until thickened.
- Add liquid and seasonings: Pour in chicken stock while stirring, cooking 1-2 minutes to thicken. Stir in Dijon mustard, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and cream. Heat through for 1 minute.
- Combine chicken and finish filling: Stir in chopped chicken, mixing well. Cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes until filling thickens to desired consistency. Adjust by adding more cream or stock if runnier filling is preferred. Remove from heat and cool filling for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare pastry lid: Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/390°F. Unroll puff pastry. Using your pie dish upside down, cut pastry slightly larger than the dish. Spoon filling into the dish and level the surface. Lay pastry over filling and pinch edges to seal. Crimp edges with fork.
- Vent and decorate: Make 4 small cuts in the center in a cross shape for steam to escape. Optionally decorate with leftover pastry shapes. Brush pastry lightly with egg yolk, avoiding pooling.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden, crispy, and puffed. From 20 minutes, watch closely to prevent over-browning. Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast. Remove when done and serve warm.
Notes
- Using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken saves time and adds flavor.
- Keep some chicken skin for extra richness in the filling.
- Cooking the vegetables gently prevents browning and preserves flavor.
- The roux (flour and butter) is essential for thickening the filling.
- Cooling the filling slightly before assembling helps prevent soggy pastry.
- Make steam vents in the pastry to avoid bubbling or bursting during baking.
- Leftover pastry can be used to add decorative touches on the pie top.
- If the pastry browns too quickly, tent with foil to protect while baking through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Pie
- Method: Baking, Sautéing
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/6th of pie)
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
Keywords: chicken pie, leek and bacon pie, puff pastry pie, British pie recipe, comfort food, chicken dinner, homemade pie
