Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry

Chicken and Leek Pie with Puff Pastry

Recipe by Curtis Stone

Ingredients

• 3 whole chicken legs with thighs attached (preferably from corn-fed chickens) (See **Note below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 leek, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 tablespoon coarse-grained (Pommery) mustard
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (1 sheet), thawed
• 1 large egg

Preparation

To roast the chicken: 

• Preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Sprinkle the chicken legs with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the chicken legs on a large heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
• Turn the chicken legs over and continue roasting for 20 minutes, or until the chicken legs are golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Reserve the pan drippings on the baking sheet.
• Shred the chicken meat into large chunks and place the chicken in a bowl. You should have about 12 ounces of chicken meat.
• Discard the sinew, bones and skin.

To prepare the filling:

• Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and leek and sauté for 5 minutes, or just until tender. Stir in the mustard, then the flour, and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, 3/4 cup of milk, the cream, and the reserved pan drippings.
• Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce thickens.
• Stir in the shredded chicken and tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Chill until cool.

To assemble pie:

• Preheat the oven to 375° F.
• Spoon the chicken mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. (I just used my Longaberger 9" Pie plates - 32 oz capacity)
• Roll out the sheet of puff pastry into an 11-inch square.
• Drape the puff pastry over the pie and press it against the rim of the dish to seal. Cut slits into the pastry to allow steam to escape.
• Mix the egg and remaining 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl to blend. Brush some of the egg mixture over the pie and garnish with sesame seeds.
• Set the pie on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.
• Set aside for 30 minutes to cool slightly.

Serving Size: 4 servings

**Note: I skipped the Sesame Seeds. I also skipped the cooking of chicken legs and simply used my old faithful shortcut... Rotisserie Chickens! And as you can see, I doubled the recipe. For these 2 pies I picked up 2 Rotisserie chickens and used all 4 of the breasts and 2 of the legs and thighs. Simply remove the meat from the chicken and shred the chicken with 2 forks. Easy and yummy! Use up the remaining 2 chicken legs and thighs later... My Dad loves them for lunch! I don't bother to use the scrawny chicken wings.


I love "Cook once, Eat twice"!