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Chicken & Leek Pie

Listen, if you're a pie purist and you think it "can't be a pie if it only has pastry on the top", well...you're right, but I don't care. This midweek winter warmer comes together super quickly, reheats excellently, and the tarragon really hits different (as the kids say) in this one.

Ingredients:

  • 600 grams chicken thigh fillets

  • 1 leek

  • 1 onion

  • 200 grams streaky bacon

  • 1 handful fresh tarragon (or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon)

  • 2 tablespoons plain flour

  • 500 millilitres whole milk

  • 300 grams store-bought puff pastry

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan-assisted oven).

  2. Finely slice leeks, onions, and tarragon.

  3. Dice chicken thighs into bite-size chunks, and slice the bacon into small pieces.

  4. Add a splash of oil to a hot pan and brown off the diced chicken thighs.

  5. One you've gotten some nice browning, remove to a plate.

  6. Add the bacon to the same hot pan, and fry off until crispy.

  7. Once crispy, add the sliced leeks and onions and slowly fry until wilted and soft, about 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if things are catching on the pan.

  8. Add the chicken back into the pan, add a handful of fresh tarragon and stir to combine the filling.

  9. Add 2 tbsp of plain (all-purpose) flour and stir to evenly distribute. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour smell dissipates.

  10. Add a splash of your whole milk and stir.

  11. Once absorbed, repeat until you've added all of the milk. Do this slowly, in 5-6 stages, and you should be left with a creamy, thick pie filling.

  12. Add a teaspoon each of salt, coarse black pepper, and dijon mustard, and stir in.

  13. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

  14. Add pie filling to your ovenproof vessel of choice.

  15. Unwrap your pre-rolled puff pastry and cover the vessel with the pastry.

  16. Crimp the edges with a fork (or just press down with a finger) to ensure a decent seal -- it will puff up and retract a bit anyway, so no need to be too deliberate with this.

  17. Whisk an egg yolk (you may need to add a splash of water or milk to loosen it a bit) and brush to evenly coat the top of your pastry.

  18. Add a generous pinch of flaky sea salt to the top, and bake the pie for 20-25 minutes until nice and golden brown.