Chicken & leek pie

A perfectly creamy, savory and simple chicken pie. It’s made in one skillet with crispy chicken thighs, leeks, thyme, garlic, white wine, all the good things! I’ll take you through it step by step so you’re sure to end up with a masterpiece.

Ingredients: you’ll need an 8 or 9 inch skillet.

900g, 2 pounds, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, grated

1 leek, sliced into rings

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

½ cup white wine

31 g, ¼ cup, all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth or stock, low-sodium

½ cup frozen peas

handful of parsley, finely chopped

handful of dill, finely chopped

1 tbsp dijon mustard

120g, 1/2 cup, sour cream

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Note: Check the pastry package instructions for how to thaw the pastry. Most of the time they will ask to thaw in the fridge, which in my experience is best done overnight.

Season chicken: generously season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Sear chicken: bring a skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil and add chicken thighs. Sear for 5-7 minutes on the first side, without moving or touching them. Once they have a dark golden crust, flip and sear on the second side. Once the second side is seared, remove the chicken, transfer to a cutting board and lower the heat to medium-low.

Saute: add leek, garlic and thyme directly into the pan and saute for 5-7 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add wine: once the leek is bright green and slighter softer, add wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate off for 3-5 mins.

Add flour: scatter flour into the pan and stir as it toasts for 3-4 mins. It will clump with the leek and everything else, but that’s fine.

Add stock: slowly pour in the broth and stir, breaking apart the clumps before adding more broth.

Simmer: bring to a simmer to reduce some of the chicken broth then remove from heat once it’s a little bit more loose than gravy. While it’s reducing, slice the chicken.

Slice chicken: remove the bone and slice the chicken meat with the skin on into small strips.

Add remaining ingredients: add chicken, peas, parsley, dill, mustard and sour cream. Stir and taste for seasoning. This is the last time to taste for salt!

Add pastry: roll out the pastry onto a cutting board. Use a rolling pin to make it bigger if you like. In the center of the pastry, slice small lines in any pattern you like. I go for a sun rays kinda design. If you want to make a bow, slice a thin strip off the short side of the pastry. Slice it into smaller pieces and roll the bow parts into shape. Connect the pieces together before placing on top of the pie. Lay the sheet directly over the skillet, making sure it’s evenly covered. Fold in the excess so it’s inside the skillet, rippling around the sides. Brush with egg (non-negotiable) and season with flakey salt.

Bake: place in the oven on the center rack with a tray beneath it to catch the drippings (likely to drip) and bake for 25-30 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown all over. Let cool slightly until cutting into it, as the filling will set slightly as it cools.