Chicken, Bacon & Leek Pie
A proper deep pie with tender chicken thigh, smoked bacon and leeks in a thick roasted-garlic and thyme sauce. A crisp shortcrust shell keeps everything contained underneath a flaky puff pastry lid, making this exactly the sort of thing that wants mash and plenty of gravy alongside.
Serves: 4-6
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour & 10 minutes
Ingredients
600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
200g smoked streaky bacon
2 large leeks
1 banana shallot
2 whole bulbs of garlic
2 garlic cloves
150g chestnut mushrooms
100g frozen peas
25g unsalted butter
30g plain flour
400ml good chicken stock
100ml double cream
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp lemon juice
1 sheet shortcrust pastry
1 sheet puff pastry
1 large egg
Baking beans or uncooked rice
Method
1. Roast the garlic
Heat the oven to 200°C fan.
Slice the top from the garlic bulbs, drizzle with the olive oil and wrap loosely in foil.
Roast for 30–35 minutes, until completely soft and golden.
2. Line the pie tin
While the garlic roasts, lightly grease the cake tin.
Line the base and sides with the shortcrust pastry, pressing it neatly into the corners and leaving a little excess around the top.
Prick the base lightly with a fork, then chill for 15 minutes.
Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice, then blind bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the paper and beans/rice, brush with beaten egg and bake for another 5 minutes.
Set aside and reduce the oven to 190°C fan.
3. Brown the chicken
While the pastry bakes, cut the chicken thighs into chunky pieces and season with salt and black pepper.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Brown the chicken in batches for 5–7 minutes, then remove to a plate. It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet.
4. Crisp the bacon
Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to the same pan.
Cook for 4–5 minutes until the fat has rendered and the edges are crisp.
Remove a small handful and keep it aside for later.
5. Cook the vegetables
Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until well browned and any moisture they release has completely evaporated.
Trim the leeks, slice them into rounds, rinse and dry thoroughly. Peel and finely slice the shallot. Add both to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelise.
Peel and finely grate the garlic, then pick the thyme leaves and add both to the pan. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the peas and cook for 1–2 minutes, just until heated through, before moving on to the sauce.
6. Make the filling
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock, stirring as you go until smooth.
Add the roasted garlic paste, then return the chicken and any resting juices.
Simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Stir through the cream and reserved bacon and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and plenty of black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
The filling wants to be properly thick before it goes anywhere near the pastry.
Leave it to cool completely.
7. Build the pie
Spoon the filling into the blind-baked pastry case.
Brush a little of the remaining beaten egg around the pastry edge.
Lay the puff pastry over the top and press it firmly onto the shortcrust.
Trim the excess, then crimp the edge together.
Lightly score the top, cut a small steam hole in the centre and brush generously with the remaining egg.
Finish with a little flaky sea salt.
8. Bake
Bake at 190°C fan for 30–35 minutes, until the puff pastry is deeply golden and crisp.
If the top colours too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the final few minutes.
Leave the pie to rest for 10–15 minutes before carefully removing it from the tin and slicing.
The shortcrust should give you a proper crisp shell underneath, while the puff lid stays light and flaky.