Michelle Darmody: How to bake chicken and leek pie

Michelle Darmody's Chicken and Leek Pie

At this time of year, I absolutely love the smell of a savoury pie baking in the oven. I love the promise of the delicious dinner to come, but also the homeliness it brings to the house.Breathing in the smell is almost like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, the buttery pastry, the roast chicken, the woody herbs all melding together as they bake.

Roux is the name given to the melted butter and flour combination used as the basis of this pie. It also forms the backbone for many dishes such as a bechamel for lasagna, or the filling for a croquette. It is made by combining half fat and half flour and cooking until it is a light golden colour.

The name comes from the French word roux which means reddish-brown, which describes the warm, golden brown of the flour and butter as they cook together.

I always prefer the meat from the leg and thigh of a chicken, the brown, more flavourful parts, which also happens to be better value.

The butcher will usually debone and cut up the meat from the chicken thighs for you if you ask them to.

Leek & Chicken Pie

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This is a good recipe if you have leftovers from a roast chicken, you can use this meat instead.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• Dash of olive oil

• 400g chicken, cut into chunks

• 80g butter

• 5 leeks, washed and sliced

• 30g plain flour

• 380ml chicken stock, room temperature

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 3 tbs wholegrain mustard

• 1 sprig thyme, leaves removed from the stalk and finely chopped

• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed from the stalk and finely chopped

• 100ml cream

• 9 sheets filo pastry

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

2. Fry the chicken pieces in the olive oil until completely browned and set aside.

3. Use about a third of the butter to sauté the leeks until soft, set aside.

4. Melt another 30g of the butter and stir or whisk in the flour until the two are combined.

5. Continue to heat the mixture for two minutes until it is lightly golden in colour, then gradually add the chicken stock until a smooth thin sauce is formed.

6. Add the mustard, nutmeg, and herbs to the sauce.

7. Simmer for about five minutes.

8. Stir in the browned chicken and the leeks.

9. Scoop the mixture into an ovenproof bowl that is about 9in or 10in in diameter, then set it aside to cool.

10. Melt the rest of the butter.

11. Lay the first sheet of filo onto a clean chopping board or plate.

12. Brush the sheet with butter and then lay another sheet on top.

13. Continue this until all the sheets areattached to each other, overlapping them to fit the top of your dish.

14. Place the sheets on top of the piemixture and press them gently around the edge of the dish.

15. Place the pie into the centre of your oven and bake for an hour and 10 minutes until the pastry is golden and the chicken is cooked through.

16.  Allow to cool; it is really nice served warm.

It is important to stir the butter and flour for the roux constantly as it heats. A heavy-based saucepan like cast iron or heavy stainless steel is the best for heating the roux to ensure it does not burn.

Add the room-temperature stock to the hot roux gradually and keep whisking or stirring as you do to prevent sudden clumping.

You can use a sheet of puff pastry in place of filo for this recipe if you wish.

Filo pastry tends to come frozen in very thin sheets. They can be delicate and finicky. I find it best to defrost them overnight in the fridge so they keep their pliability.

You can place a damp tea towel over the filo sheets when you are waiting to work with them. They can dry out very quickly if you do not.

The melted butter between each layer helps to bind them together, it also helps with flavour and makes it crispy and golden.

Another method for using filo is to scrunch it up and brush the butter over the whole lot, rather than layer it with the butter.

This is a butter and cream filled recipe that is very rich. You can substitute the butter used for the leeks and the layering of the filo pastry with olive oil. I would still use the 30g of butter to make the roux.

If your pastry is getting brown rather than golden as it bakes, you can cover very loosely with tinfoil to protect it. It is best not to cover it too tightly as that will cause steam to get trapped underneath the foil and soften the pastry.

The filling for the pie can be frozen if the chicken has not been frozen and defrosted before.

The pie can be stored for a few days in the fridge but it is best eaten the day it was made as the pastry can lose its crispness.

Three delicious variations

Chicken and mushroom pie

You can use mushrooms in place of the leeks in this recipe. I would treat them the same way.

Simply fry them in the butter until soft and continue with the rest of the steps in the recipe.

Chicken and chorizo pie

Chorizo adds great flavour to a pie like this. I use shallots and chorizo in place of the leeks and sauté these in a little olive oil before adding to the roux.

Turkey and cranberry pie

This pie also works very well with turkey in place of the chicken.

Cranberry is always well paired with turkey. I find dried cranberries and chopped chestnuts in this pie make a great combination.

I use 400g of leftover cooked turkey, which will not need browning. I use three shallots and 100g of chopped chestnuts instead of the leeks.