Hen and leek pie – RecipeTin Eats

Tender bites of hen and slippery items of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent underneath a golden puff pastry crust. Hen and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!

Hen and Leek Pie

When you like effervescent pies baked underneath deeply golden flaky, buttery puff pastry, then this can be a recipe for you. It’s cosy and comforting, and every thing you dream a pie to be. The filling is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with thyme and refined white wine flavour that’s wealthy however not overly so, and the leeks is what units this pie other than “simply one other hen pie”.

Not that I’m dissing different hen pies – there’s room for a lot of on this world. However Hen and Leek Pie is particular due to the leeks and the flavour it brings to the pie. What flavour, you ask? Suppose – sweeter, milder model of onion. And since it’s a delicate flavour, we will use a superb quantity of leeks on this recipe. Two complete leeks, in precise truth. As a result of if we’re going to place Leek within the recipe identify, let’s be sure we will really style the leek!

Onerous to stuff up!

Whenever you scroll by the step pictures and even the elements part, it might sound a little bit concerned and fussy due to the quantity of data I’ve included. However I promise it’s not. I’m simply being further beneficiant on the academic visuals entrance to be sure that leek-first-timers and pie-first-timers can method this recipe with confidence!

And truly, it’s exhausting to stuff up this recipe. The worst that may occur is that the sauce is a little bit on the skinny aspect since you didn’t simmer it lengthy sufficient otherwise you mis-measured the flour. Hardly a catastrophe as a result of the flavour remains to be in there!

Substances in Hen and Leek Pie

Right here’s what you have to make this recipe.

pie filling

No surprises right here. Although bacon might be one thing you don’t see in typical recipes. We solely use 3 little strips however it goes an extended technique to make the filling further delicious. 🙂

• Leeks! The hero ingredient. The tastier onion! It brings a lot flavour into this pie, not simply the leek bits themselves but in addition flavouring the sauce.

  Having stated that although, when leeks are out of season / extortionately costly, you can also make this pie with 2 huge common onions. We’d should drop the phrase “Leek” out of the identify, however it’s nonetheless a darn scrumptious pie!

• Boneless hen thighs – I want to make use of boneless, skinless hen thighs reasonably than breast as a result of it stays juicier in pies. You actually can’t keep away from overcooking hen breast in a pie like this the place it’s cooked twice (within the filling on the range then within the pie within the oven). When you actually want to make use of breast, it’s finest to shred it. See FAQ and instructions within the recipe card notes.

• Bacon – As famous above, provides an additional something-something into this pie! Be sure you use streaky bacon (ie the bacon bits streaked with fats) because the recipe depends on the fats to sauté the leek. When you use lean bacon, you’ll most likely want an additional dab of butter.

• Celery – I just like the flavour celery brings into this pie and likewise that it blends into the filling as a result of I intentionally make the filling for this pie with none vibrant splashes of color from peas or carrots. Makes it totally different from different pies, like Hen Pot Pie!

• Garlic – Uncommon to see a savoury recipe with out it on my web site, and this pie is not any exception!

• Thyme and bay leaves – Use contemporary in case you can, although dried is okay instead. Word: in case you use dried thyme reasonably than contemporary sprigs, you’re going to get little darkish specks in your sauce. Additionally, contemporary thyme sprigs kind of “perfumes” the sauce in a approach that dried leaves don’t. Form of like utilizing cinnamon sticks reasonably than powder in, say, curries, tagines, pilafs and so forth.

creamy sauce for the pie

Right here’s what you have to make the creamy sauce for the pie.

• Butter – The fats of selection for this dish! Unsalted butter is most well-liked. If utilizing salted butter, begin with much less salt than per the recipe elements, then modify on the finish.

• Hen inventory/broth and cream – These are the liquids that we use to make this sauce. Hen inventory has extra flavour than utilizing simply water. And cream is richer and has a extra luscious mouth really feel than utilizing milk, although you would substitute with milk in case you don’t have cream (I’d add a dab of additional butter), or in case you actually need to scale back the energy on this recipe.

• Flour – That is what thickens the sauce. Simply use plain / all-purpose flour. Although really, self elevating and wholemeal flour will work positive too.

• White wine – I virtually all the time deglaze my pan utilizing wine for sauces. Deglazing merely means utilizing a liquid to a dissolve gold bits caught on the bottom of the pan from sautéing issues (hen, leek and so forth, on this case) into the liquid as a result of it’s free flavour. You possibly can use water or inventory, however wine provides extra flavour as a result of it has extra complexity and depth. We cook dinner out the alcohol so it doesn’t style winey in any respect.

  Kind of wine – Chardonnay is my default white wine lately, for the perfect flavour and finest all-rounder for cooking. However any dry white wine will work positive right here. Simply keep away from something too candy or too woody.

  Substitute with non alcoholic white wine or extra hen inventory/broth. Don’t fear, the sauce will nonetheless be scrumptious!

• Dijon mustard – This provides flavour into the sauce however will not be a dominant flavour so you may skip it when you have an aversion to mustard. You possibly can additionally substitute with wholegrain mustard (additionally beautiful!).

puff pastry

• Puff pastry – Right here in Australia, normal grocery-store puff pastry is available in 20cm/8″ sheets that are only a contact too small for many baking dishes and huge pie dishes. So I simply join two sheets utilizing egg whites (the yolks is used to brush the pastry to make it golden within the oven).

  When you get a big sheet of puff pastry (eg Careme which is a premium model), you gained’t must do the sealing.

  Butter puff really helpful! Butter puff pastry is made with butter whereas simply common puff pastry is made with oil. Butter puff is tastier! It additionally puffs up higher and bakes extra golden. The packet shall be labelled as “Butter Puff Pastry” and prices a little bit greater than non-butter puff pastry. Value it, for my part.

• Egg – As famous above, we use the egg white to attach the puff pastry sheets, and the egg yolk to brush the lid of the pie so it bakes an exquisite golden brown. You’ll have a little bit egg white left over – toss it into your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!

Methods to make Hen and Leek Pie

I’m offering a good few step pictures to make this a simple recipe even for folks new to cooking with leek and making creamy pie fillings. However I promise it’s fairly easy!

1. How I minimize the leek

I want reducing the leek into small bit dimension squares reasonably than slicing rings which I discover feels a little bit too stringy “spaghetti-like” for the quantity of leek used on this pie. Bigger items additionally means you chew into extra leek flavour which appears acceptable for a Hen and Leek Pie! 😇

1. Trim off the foundation and the darkish inexperienced a part of the leek. This half is reedy and never nice to eat. Discard or clear then add to your selfmade vegetable inventory.

2. Minimize the leek in half by the center. Simply to make it shorter which is simpler to chop in half lengthways (subsequent step).

3. Minimize the leek in half lengthways.

4. Separate the outer 5 layers or so from the core. If at this stage you discover filth between the layers, give it a wash however attempt to maintain the layers intact to make your cutting-life less complicated / environment friendly.

5. Minimize outer layers into squares – Minimize the outer layers in half lengthways once more, stack, then minimize into 1.8 cm/0.75″ items to make sq. / rectangle items.

6. Internal core – Minimize into 2cm / 0.8″ items.

Leek, minimize! Cooking time.

2. Methods to make the filling

The filling for the pie is a roux-based creamy filling (ie a flour-thickened filling). I’ve used cream to make it further luxurious and pie-worthy however you may substitute with milk to chop down on the energy.

1. Seal hen – Soften half the butter in a big non-stick pan over excessive warmth. Then cook dinner the hen simply till the floor modifications from pink to white. We’re not making an attempt to brown the hen right here (it gained’t, the pan is just too full), nor cook dinner it by as a result of the hen will cook dinner additional within the sauce and within the oven. Simply seal the floor.

   Then take away the hen utilizing a slotted spoon right into a bowl. Depart the juices and residual butter within the pan, we are going to use it to cook dinner the filling.

2. Bacon – For the filling, begin by cooking the bacon in the identical pan for 1 minute. By giving it a head begin, we get the tasty bacon fats melting within the pan which we use to cook dinner every thing else.

3. Sauté – Then add the leek, celery and garlic and cook dinner for five minutes or till the celery and leek are softened. Don’t allow them to brown, so decrease the warmth if wanted.

4. Deglaze the pan utilizing the white wine. By this, I imply add the wine into the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan so something caught to it dissolves into the wine. Then let the wine simmer quickly till the wine is generally evaporated (which is the alcohol cooking out, abandoning simply tasty flavour).

5. Roux – Add the remaining butter and stir it in till melted*. Then scatter the flour throughout the floor of the pan reasonably than dumping it in a single place (makes it simpler to combine in). Stir for 30 seconds to cook dinner off the flour. The pasty flour combination caught on the leek is known as a “roux” and that is what thickens our pie filling to make it superbly creamy.

6. Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the hen inventory / broth into the pan. Then maintain mixing to dissolve the roux into the liquid so the combination within the pan thickens right into a thick creamy sauce. Don’t fear if there are nonetheless roux-lumps, they’ll proceed dissolving as we simmer the sauce.

* See FAQ for why I do that butter melting step simply earlier than including the flour to make the roux for this recipe.

7. End sauce – Then add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper, bay leaves and thyme, and stir it in. Return the hen into the pan together with all of the juices that collected within the bowl (free flavour!).

8. Simmer the sauce for 3 to five minutes till it has thickened into fairly a thick creamy texture.

   Aim sauce thickness – The sauce thickness at this stage is just about what it it is going to be when the pie comes out of the oven, so make it the thickness you need.

   Cool – Take away the pan from the range and let the filling cool for an hour. It must be cool else the warmth will soften the butter within the puff pastry on contact and gained’t puff up as a lot within the oven. Shortcut: unfold the filling on a tray (half-hour ought to do it). You may as well maintain the filling for 3 – 4 days within the fridge and end the pie on one other day.

Filling achieved. Let’s assemble!

3. Assembling the pie

You’ll be able to bake this pie in a single massive dish (any form – rectangle, spherical, oval) or ramekins. I exploit a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking dish which is the suitable dimension for the quantity of filling this recipe makes. If making particular person pies, use 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

TIP: Use semi-thawed reasonably than fully-thawed puff pastry. It’s a lot simpler to deal with. Absolutely thawed puff can get sloppy and sticky!

1. Join puff pastry – If wanted. Commonplace frozen puff pastry in Australia are 20cm / 8″ squares which is a little bit brief for many casserole pans and pie dishes appropriate for baking hen and leek pie in.

   To attach the sheets, brush the sting of a semi-thawed sheet with egg white, join the 2 sheets then use the again of a spoon to “smear” the sheets collectively so there isn’t a seen seam.

2. Minimize the pie lid from the puff pastry. Use your chosen pie baking vessel because the define.

3. Strips (optionally available) – You’ll be able to solely do that if the rim of your pie dish is vast sufficient, to make use of up leftover puff pastry to make a formidable further thick pie edge! Simply minimize 4 strips from the remaining puff pastry, vast sufficient to take a seat on the rim of your dish.

4. Line the rim of the pie dish with these strips. Simply place them on, no must brush with egg (it adheres too strongly, nightmare to serve. Been there, achieved that!).

5. Fill the pie pan or baking dish with the cooled filling.

6. Lid – Brush the pastry strips with egg white then place the lid on. Press to seal the perimeters.

   Word: In case you are not utilizing pastry strips alongside the rim, don’t brush the rim with egg whites because the lid will adhere too strongly to the baking dish.

7. Brush the lid with egg yolk, minimize a cross in the course of the lid to be the steam vent..

8. Bake for 45 minutes till it’s deep golden all throughout the floor of the pie. Pull it out then yay! Time to eat!

Good one to make forward

Pies like this are wonderful for making forward. You may make the filling and refrigerate it for 3 – 4 days, then assemble the pie while you’re prepared.

Or you may assemble the pie with the puff pastry then refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for as much as 3 months, although be conscious that it’s going to take as much as 48 hours to totally thaw within the fridge (it’s a formidable block of ice!). The puff pastry will puff rather less than assembling and baking it right away, however it’s a really small compromise for the comfort (puff pastry puffs the perfect with minimal dealing with, when thawed as soon as, assembled then baked right away. The extra instances you thaw > freeze > thaw and so forth, or refrigerate, the much less it puffs).

Put it this fashion. If I have been to make this pie for firm, I’d make the filling the day earlier than and assemble and bake on the day of. For every other objective, I wouldn’t hesitate to assemble forward, puff pastry and all, then bake on demand.

Hope you get pleasure from! – Nagi x

Watch the right way to make it

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Hen and Leek Pie

Creator: Nagi

Prep: 25 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner: 1 hour hr

Cool filling: 1 hour hr

Complete: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes minutes

Mains

Western

Servings5

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. Tender bites of hen and slippery items of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent underneath a golden puff pastry crust. Hen and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!I minimize my leeks in a selected approach. I like bigger items reasonably than thinly sliced rings which get too soggy-stringy for my style. Additionally, in case you don’t love / cannot get puff pastry, cowl this pie in mash (like Cottage Pie!) or use a selfmade shortcrust pastry.Make one huge pie like I’ve achieved, or ramekins (makes 4 massive, 5 common). For a pie with a base, substitute the filling in my Household Meat Pie (there shall be leftover filling) or particular person meat pies. See the FAQ above for the gluten-free possibility.

Directions

ABBREVIATED:

• Sear floor of hen in half butter, take away. Prepare dinner bacon 1 minute, then leek, celery and garlic 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, soften remaining butter, then cook dinner flour 1 minute. Add inventory, then remaining Filling elements. Add hen, thicken sauce (~5 minutes).

• Cool filling 1 hour, assemble pie with double layer puff on rim, brush lid with yolk, bake 45 minutes 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).

Minimize leek (step pictures above useful):

• Trim the reedy darkish inexperienced ends and root off, then minimize in half. Minimize each bit in half lengthways. Take away the outer 5 to six layers (maintain them collectively), lay them flat, minimize in half lengthways then into 1.8cm / 3/4″ squares. Minimize the inside core into 2cm / 0.8″ items.

Filling:

• Hen – Soften half the butter in a big pan over excessive warmth. Add the hen, salt and pepper. Prepare dinner till the floor modifications from pink to white (inside nonetheless uncooked), then take away right into a bowl utilizing a slotted spoon. Depart residual butter and hen juices within the pan.

• Sauté – In the identical pan, cook dinner the bacon for 1 minute. Add the leek, celery and garlic. Prepare dinner for five minutes till the celery is softened. Do not let the leek brown – decrease the warmth if wanted.

• Deglaze – Add the wine and simmer quickly on excessive warmth, stirring, till it’s principally evaporated.

• Roux – Decrease the warmth to medium. Add the remaining butter. As soon as it melts, sprinkle the flour throughout the floor (do not dump in a single place) and stir for 1 minute.

• Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the inventory in. The combination will thicken right into a thick sauce as soon as mixed. Then add the mustard, cream, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to mix, then add the hen together with all of the juices amassed within the bowl.

• Simmer – Improve the warmth, stir to mix. As soon as it involves a simmer, scale back the warmth to medium excessive. Simmer for five minutes, stirring repeatedly, or till the sauce is a thick creamy consistency you need within the completed pie (ie sauce thickness now = thickness within the baked pie, see Word 7).

• Cool – Take away the pan from the range and funky for 1 hour. (You may as well retailer in fridge for 3 – 4 days).

Assembling and baking:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/375°F (180°C fan-forced). Use a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking pan (Word 9) or 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

• Join puff pastry sheets (if wanted) – Semi-thaw the puff pastry (Word 6). Brush the sting of 1 sheet with egg white, then overlap 0.5cm / 0.2″ with the opposite sheet to attach them. Use the again of a spoon to “smear” the pastry to cover the seam and firmly join.

• Minimize out the pie lid (I exploit the dish as a reducing information).

• Elective strips for further puffy edges (Word 8): Minimize strips utilizing the residual pastry to line the rim of the dish (in case your dish has a thick rim, like mine) and place on the rim of the dish.

• Fill the pie dish with the cooled filling and easy the floor. Brush the pastry strips on the rim with egg white (if not utilizing strips, do not do that step) then cowl with the puff pastry lid.

• Brush the lid with egg yolk. Minimize a small X within the center.

• Bake 45 minutes or till the floor is a deep golden brown. Relaxation 5 minutes then serve!

Recipe Notes:

1. Hen – Thighs are finest as they continue to be juicy after the double-cook time for pie.
For hen breast, it’s higher to shred as you may’t keep away from overcooking it on this recipe as written and no person needs dry, miserably chunks of hen of their pie! Cut up in half horizontally to kind 2 skinny steaks. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, sear within the butter being cautious to not overcook (even underneath cooked is okay). Cool barely, shred. Proceed with recipe however solely stir the shredded hen in on the very finish as soon as sauce is simmered and thickened.
2. Bacon – Use bacon streaked with fats as we’d like the fats for sautéing. If utilizing lean bacon, add an additional dab of butter.
3. Leek – Leek brings a selected flavour into this pie (and it’s the namesake!) however you may completely make this utilizing onions as an alternative. Use 2 massive onions (common brown / yellow ones, or white onions).
4. Wine – Substitute with non alcoholic white wine, or hen inventory/broth.
5. Mustard – Brings a touch of flavour into the sauce however it may be omitted or substituted with wholegrain mustard (ie seeded).
6. Puff pastry suggestions:

• Commonplace grocery retailer puff pastry in Australia is available in 20cm/8″ squares so we have to join 2 items so it’s massive sufficient to cowl the baking dish. When you get a premium model like Careme which is bigger sheets, you gained’t want to do that.
• BUTTER puff pastry (labelled as such on the packet) is tastier and puffs higher. It’s a little bit pricier than non-butter puff.
• Semi-thawed puff pastry is simpler to deal with than full thawed, and puffs higher as a result of it gained’t by chance stretch when dealt with. I let it thaw simply sufficient so I can minimize it.

7. Sauce thickness – Make it the thickness you need within the pie when it comes out of the oven because it won’t thicken any additional within the oven. I like mine oozy-thick.
8. Strips – This offers the pie an additional thick flaky edge! However you may solely do it in case your baking dish has a rim like mine.
9. Baking pan dimension – Use a pan that’s round 1.5L / 1.5 Qt (filling will nearly attain the floor which is right). My pan is a Falcon enamel which is 26 x 20 x 4 cm (inside prime rim) and 16 x 22cm base (pan has sloping edges so base is smaller). The filling will slot in a 4cm / 1.6″ deep 20cm/8″ sq. pan. Else, use a bigger pan and drape the pastry down the partitions into the pan, then onto the filling floor. Seems to be dramatic and also you get a lot pastry which all people loves!
Leftovers will maintain for 3 – 4 days within the fridge however the lid will go mushy. To resurrect, reheat in lid within the oven on a tray and the filling within the microwave.
Make forward – Assemble pie per recipe and refrigerate in a single day or freeze (be aware it would take 48 hours to thaw within the fridge). Filling may also be made forward 3 – 4 days. Word: Puff pastry puffs finest when cooked instantly upon thawing, however nonetheless puffs fairly properly if thawed > frozen > thawed once more and baked. 
Diet per serving assuming 5 servings.

Diet Data:

Energy: 662cal (33%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fats: 47g (72%)Saturated Fats: 26g (163%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 4gMonounsaturated Fats: 12gTrans Fats: 0.4gLdl cholesterol: 248mg (83%)Sodium: 888mg (39%)Potassium: 575mg (16%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1726IU (35%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 95mg (10%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Key phrases: hen and leek pie

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