Name: Leek and chicken filo pastry pie recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves: 6–8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 75g butter, melted; 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and washed, then cut into chunks; 150g diced pancetta; 600ml full-cream milk; 3 level tbsp cornflour; 2tbsp wholegrain mustard; 30g fresh chopped parsley; 250g cooked chicken in pieces; 100g cooked chantenay carrots; 250g cooked new potatoes, cut into chunks; 270g pack of 6 filo pastry sheets, thawed if frozen

By Jessica Ransom

last updated 28 September 2023

in Recipes

Make our chicken leek and bacon pie for your next family dinner and we guarantee you’ll have clean plates all round.

Joe Wicks chicken pie is very similar to this recipe. However, our pie has carrots and potatoes inside to help bulk out the filling and make the meat go further. We’ve used mustard to add a rich flavour but if you prefer you can omit it. Our pie serves six people with leftovers but would be easy to scale down if you are only feeding four people.

Ingredients

75g butter, melted
2 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and washed, then cut into chunks
150g diced pancetta
600ml full-cream milk
3 level tbsp cornflour
2tbsp wholegrain mustard
30g fresh chopped parsley
250g cooked chicken in pieces
100g cooked chantenay carrots
250g cooked new potatoes, cut into chunks
270g pack of 6 filo pastry sheets, thawed if frozen

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Method

Heat 1tbsp of the butter in a large pan, add the leeks, season well, cover and cook slowly for 8 minutes until softened. Add the pancetta and cook for another 3 minutes.
Whisk the milk with the cornflour in a pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes to make a thick sauce. Season well and add 1tbsp of the butter, the mustard and parsley and season.
Set the oven to 200C (280C fan, Gas 6). Add the sauce to the leeks and stir in the chicken, carrots and potatoes. Spoon into the pie dish.
Cut the pile of pastry sheets in half to make 12 squares and melt the remaining butter. Brush each pastry square with melted butter, one at a time, scrunching them into a loose ball and fitting them, side by side, on top of the pie filling. Put the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and the filling is bubbling out. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Top tips for making chicken leek and bacon pie

If you don’t have pancetta you can use some roughly chopped bacon instead. You could also use ham hock if you prefer. Continue reading for more tips and some economical ingredient suggestions.

Are canned potatoes good to use?

If you don’t have any leftover cooked new potatoes to use for the recipe, and you don’t feel like cooking some from scratch for the pie, use some canned potatoes instead. Canned potatoes are a great affordable choice and can be drained and added straight to the pie filling. You could also use tinned carrots if you like.

How do you thicken pie filling before baking?

It’s important to heat the cornflour and milk mixture until thickened. This will likely take at least five minutes and you should stir it regularly to make sure nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pan.

The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and you can draw a line down the back without the mixture immediately bleeding into the space. Be patient but if in doubt, you can add a little more cornflour.

Is chicken breast or high better for pie?

This recipe can be made with whatever leftover cooked chicken you have to hand. Chicken breast can dry out if overcooked whereas thigh meat is more forgiving.

Food writer Jessica Ransom says: ‘If I’m cooking a roast dinner and I plan to keep some leftovers to make soup or pie after, I tend to serve the breast meat for the roast and keep the leg and thigh meat as leftovers.

I find the leg and thigh meat lends itself better to reheating and cooking without losing too much moisture or flavour. It all depends on your personal preference.’

A blunt knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. So if your collection is looking a little unloved and you need a new kitchen staple, consider this chef’s knife from WÜSTHOF.

If you fancy another pie variation, try this chicken and leek pie. You might also like our chicken casserole pot pie or this turkey and mushroom pie.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.