Golden chicken and leek pie with crisp puff pastry and creamy filling

Recipe

Chicken and Leek Pie

Published 09 October 2026 · Updated 11 October 2026

Chicken and leek pie with tender chicken pieces in a creamy mustard sauce beneath crisp puff pastry. Browning the chicken first and thickening the sauce before the filling cools keeps the meat juicy and the pastry flaky.

Not kitchen tested by The Black Farmer.
Serves 4
Prep 45 min
Cook 57 min
Total 107 min

Timing: Prep includes 30 minutes active preparation and 15 minutes cooling. Browning, sauce cooking and baking are sequential cook stages; the five-minute rest is separate.

Ingredients

Adds 1 items across 1 products — £29.30 total.

Pantry ingredients such as oil, salt and herbs are not included.

Other Ingredients You'll Need

  • Onion — 1 medium, sliced
  • Garlic — 2 cloves, finely chopped
  • Neutral oil — 2 tbsp, divided: 1 tbsp for the chicken and 1 tbsp for the vegetables
  • Fine salt and black pepper — to taste
  • Fresh thyme — 4 sprigs
  • Chicken stock — 300ml
  • Leek — 2, sliced
  • Puff pastry — 320g
  • Plain flour — 2 tbsp
  • Crème fraîche — 100g
  • Wholegrain mustard — 1 tbsp
  • Egg — 1, beaten for glazing

Method

Prepare and cook the chicken

Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Cut the chicken into 3cm pieces, season and brown in 1 tbsp oil in batches for 4–5 minutes; it need not be cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Make the creamy leek filling

Add the remaining oil, leek, onion and garlic and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in flour for 1 minute, then gradually add the stock. Fold in crème fraîche, mustard and thyme and simmer for 5 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Return the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.

Assemble the pie

Cool the filling for 15 minutes. Spoon it into a 1.5-litre, 23cm pie dish. Cover with chilled pastry, press and crimp the edge, trim the excess and cut a steam hole. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake and rest

Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the filling bubbles at the edge. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with peas or steamed greens for a balanced plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I assemble it ahead?

Assemble and chill for up to 24 hours, then bake until the centre is piping hot; allow extra time from cold.

Why cool the filling?

A brief cooling stage stops steam making the pastry wet before baking.