Rooster and leek pie – RecipeTin Eats

Tender bites of rooster and slippery items of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent beneath a golden puff pastry crust. Rooster and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!

Rooster and Leek Pie

If you happen to like effervescent pies baked beneath deeply golden flaky, buttery puff pastry, then it is a recipe for you. It’s cosy and comforting, and every little thing you dream a pie to be. The filling is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with thyme and refined white wine flavour that’s wealthy however not overly so, and the leeks is what units this pie other than “simply one other rooster pie”.

Not that I’m dissing different rooster pies – there’s room for a lot of on this world. However Rooster and Leek Pie is particular due to the leeks and the flavour it brings to the pie. What flavour, you ask? Assume – sweeter, milder model of onion. And since it’s a mild flavour, we will use an excellent quantity of leeks on this recipe. Two entire leeks, in precise reality. As a result of if we’re going to place Leek within the recipe identify, let’s make sure that we will truly style the leek!

Arduous to stuff up!

While you scroll by way of the step images and even the components part, it may appear a little bit concerned and fussy due to the quantity of knowledge I’ve included. However I promise it’s not. I’m simply being further beneficiant on the educational visuals entrance to ensure that leek-first-timers and pie-first-timers can method this recipe with confidence!

And truly, it’s onerous to stuff up this recipe. The worst that may occur is that the sauce is a little bit on the skinny facet since you didn’t simmer it lengthy sufficient otherwise you mis-measured the flour. Hardly a catastrophe as a result of the flavour continues to be in there!

Substances in Rooster and Leek Pie

Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to make this recipe.

pie filling

No surprises right here. Although bacon might be one thing you don’t see in typical recipes. We solely use 3 little strips nevertheless it goes a protracted approach to make the filling further delicious. 🙂

• Leeks! The hero ingredient. The tastier onion! It brings a lot flavour into this pie, not simply the leek bits themselves but additionally flavouring the sauce.

  Having mentioned that although, when leeks are out of season / extortionately costly, you can also make this pie with 2 large common onions. We’d should drop the phrase “Leek” out of the identify, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a darn scrumptious pie!

• Boneless rooster thighs – I choose to make use of boneless, skinless rooster thighs fairly than breast as a result of it stays juicier in pies. You actually can’t keep away from overcooking rooster breast in a pie like this the place it’s cooked twice (within the filling on the range then within the pie within the oven). If you happen to actually choose to make use of breast, it’s greatest to shred it. See FAQ and instructions within the recipe card notes.

• Bacon – As famous above, provides an additional something-something into this pie! Make sure you use streaky bacon (ie the bacon bits streaked with fats) because the recipe depends on the fats to sauté the leek. If you happen to use lean bacon, you’ll in all probability want an additional dab of butter.

• Celery – I just like the flavour celery brings into this pie and likewise that it blends into the filling as a result of I intentionally make the filling for this pie with none brilliant splashes of color from peas or carrots. Makes it totally different from different pies, like Rooster Pot Pie!

• Garlic – Uncommon to see a savoury recipe with out it on my web site, and this pie is not any exception!

• Thyme and bay leaves – Use contemporary if you happen to can, although dried is ok in its place. Notice: if you happen to use dried thyme fairly than contemporary sprigs, you’ll get little darkish specks in your sauce. Additionally, contemporary thyme sprigs kind of “perfumes” the sauce in a means that dried leaves don’t. Type of like utilizing cinnamon sticks fairly than powder in, say, curries, tagines, pilafs and many others.

creamy sauce for the pie

Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to make the creamy sauce for the pie.

• Butter – The fats of selection for this dish! Unsalted butter is most well-liked. If utilizing salted butter, begin with much less salt than per the recipe components, then regulate on the finish.

• Rooster inventory/broth and cream – These are the liquids that we use to make this sauce. Rooster inventory has extra flavour than utilizing simply water. And cream is richer and has a extra luscious mouth really feel than utilizing milk, although you may substitute with milk if you happen to don’t have cream (I’d add a dab of additional butter), or if you happen to actually need to scale back the energy on this recipe.

• Flour – That is what thickens the sauce. Simply use plain / all-purpose flour. Although truly, self elevating and wholemeal flour will work high-quality too.

• White wine – I virtually at all times deglaze my pan utilizing wine for sauces. Deglazing merely means utilizing a liquid to a dissolve gold bits caught on the bottom of the pan from sautéing issues (rooster, leek and many others, on this case) into the liquid as a result of it’s free flavour. You may use water or inventory, however wine provides extra flavour as a result of it has extra complexity and depth. We prepare dinner out the alcohol so it doesn’t style winey in any respect.

  Kind of wine – Chardonnay is my default white wine nowadays, for the perfect flavour and greatest all-rounder for cooking. However any dry white wine will work high-quality right here. Simply keep away from something too candy or too woody.

  Substitute with non alcoholic white wine or extra rooster inventory/broth. Don’t fear, the sauce will nonetheless be scrumptious!

• Dijon mustard – This provides flavour into the sauce however is just not a dominant flavour so you possibly can skip it when you have an aversion to mustard. You may additionally substitute with wholegrain mustard (additionally beautiful!).

puff pastry

• Puff pastry – Right here in Australia, commonplace grocery-store puff pastry is available in 20cm/8″ sheets that are only a contact too small for many baking dishes and enormous pie dishes. So I simply join two sheets utilizing egg whites (the yolks is used to brush the pastry to make it golden within the oven).

  If you happen to get a big sheet of puff pastry (eg Careme which is a premium model), you received’t have to do the sealing.

  Butter puff advisable! Butter puff pastry is made with butter whereas simply common puff pastry is made with oil. Butter puff is tastier! It additionally puffs up higher and bakes extra golden. The packet might be labelled as “Butter Puff Pastry” and prices a little bit greater than non-butter puff pastry. Value it, in my view.

• Egg – As famous above, we use the egg white to attach the puff pastry sheets, and the egg yolk to brush the lid of the pie so it bakes an attractive golden brown. You’ll have a little bit egg white left over – toss it into your morning scrambled eggs or omelette!

Methods to make Rooster and Leek Pie

I’m offering a good few step images to make this a simple recipe even for individuals new to cooking with leek and making creamy pie fillings. However I promise it’s fairly simple!

1. How I reduce the leek

I choose slicing the leek into small bit dimension squares fairly than slicing rings which I discover feels a little bit too stringy “spaghetti-like” for the quantity of leek used on this pie. Bigger items additionally means you chew into extra leek flavour which appears acceptable for a Rooster and Leek Pie! 😇

1. Trim off the foundation and the darkish inexperienced a part of the leek. This half is reedy and never nice to eat. Discard or clear then add to your home made vegetable inventory.

2. Lower the leek in half by way of the center. Simply to make it shorter which is simpler to chop in half lengthways (subsequent step).

3. Lower the leek in half lengthways.

4. Separate the outer 5 layers or so from the core. If at this stage you discover dust between the layers, give it a wash however attempt to preserve the layers intact to make your cutting-life less complicated / environment friendly.

5. Lower outer layers into squares – Lower the outer layers in half lengthways once more, stack, then reduce into 1.8 cm/0.75″ items to make sq. / rectangle items.

6. Inside core – Lower into 2cm / 0.8″ items.

Leek, reduce! Cooking time.

2. Methods to make the filling

The filling for the pie is a roux-based creamy filling (ie a flour-thickened filling). I’ve used cream to make it further luxurious and pie-worthy however you possibly can substitute with milk to chop down on the energy.

1. Seal rooster – Soften half the butter in a big non-stick pan over excessive warmth. Then prepare dinner the rooster simply till the floor adjustments from pink to white. We’re not making an attempt to brown the rooster right here (it received’t, the pan is just too full), nor prepare dinner it by way of as a result of the rooster will prepare dinner additional within the sauce and within the oven. Simply seal the floor.

   Then take away the rooster utilizing a slotted spoon right into a bowl. Depart the juices and residual butter within the pan, we are going to use it to prepare dinner the filling.

2. Bacon – For the filling, begin by cooking the bacon in the identical pan for 1 minute. By giving it a head begin, we get the tasty bacon fats melting within the pan which we use to prepare dinner every little thing else.

3. Sauté – Then add the leek, celery and garlic and prepare dinner for five minutes or till the celery and leek are softened. Don’t allow them to brown, so decrease the warmth if wanted.

4. Deglaze the pan utilizing the white wine. By this, I imply add the wine into the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan so something caught to it dissolves into the wine. Then let the wine simmer quickly till the wine is generally evaporated (which is the alcohol cooking out, abandoning simply tasty flavour).

5. Roux – Add the remaining butter and stir it in till melted*. Then scatter the flour throughout the floor of the pan fairly than dumping it in a single place (makes it simpler to combine in). Stir for 30 seconds to prepare dinner off the flour. The pasty flour combination caught on the leek is named a “roux” and that is what thickens our pie filling to make it superbly creamy.

6. Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the rooster inventory / broth into the pan. Then preserve mixing to dissolve the roux into the liquid so the combination within the pan thickens right into a thick creamy sauce. Don’t fear if there are nonetheless roux-lumps, they may proceed dissolving as we simmer the sauce.

* See FAQ for why I do that butter melting step simply earlier than including the flour to make the roux for this recipe.

7. End sauce – Then add the cream, mustard, salt and pepper, bay leaves and thyme, and stir it in. Return the rooster into the pan together with all of the juices that collected within the bowl (free flavour!).

8. Simmer the sauce for 3 to five minutes till it has thickened into fairly a thick creamy texture.

   Objective sauce thickness – The sauce thickness at this stage is just about what it it is going to be when the pie comes out of the oven, so make it the thickness you need.

   Cool – Take away the pan from the range and let the filling cool for an hour. It must be cool else the warmth will soften the butter within the puff pastry on contact and received’t puff up as a lot within the oven. Shortcut: unfold the filling on a tray (half-hour ought to do it). You can too preserve the filling for 3 – 4 days within the fridge and end the pie on one other day.

Filling executed. Let’s assemble!

3. Assembling the pie

You possibly can bake this pie in a single massive dish (any form – rectangle, spherical, oval) or ramekins. I take advantage of a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking dish which is the suitable dimension for the quantity of filling this recipe makes. If making particular person pies, use 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

TIP: Use semi-thawed fairly than fully-thawed puff pastry. It’s a lot simpler to deal with. Totally thawed puff can get sloppy and sticky!

1. Join puff pastry – If wanted. Normal frozen puff pastry in Australia are 20cm / 8″ squares which is a little bit brief for many casserole pans and pie dishes appropriate for baking rooster and leek pie in.

   To attach the sheets, brush the sting of a semi-thawed sheet with egg white, join the 2 sheets then use the again of a spoon to “smear” the sheets collectively so there isn’t a seen seam.

2. Lower the pie lid from the puff pastry. Use your chosen pie baking vessel because the define.

3. Strips (elective) – You possibly can solely do that if the rim of your pie dish is vast sufficient, to make use of up leftover puff pastry to make a formidable further thick pie edge! Simply reduce 4 strips from the remaining puff pastry, vast sufficient to take a seat on the rim of your dish.

4. Line the rim of the pie dish with these strips. Simply place them on, no have to brush with egg (it adheres too strongly, nightmare to serve. Been there, executed that!).

5. Fill the pie pan or baking dish with the cooled filling.

6. Lid – Brush the pastry strips with egg white then place the lid on. Press to seal the perimeters.

   Notice: If you’re not utilizing pastry strips alongside the rim, don’t brush the rim with egg whites because the lid will adhere too strongly to the baking dish.

7. Brush the lid with egg yolk, reduce a cross in the course of the lid to be the steam vent..

8. Bake for 45 minutes till it’s deep golden all throughout the floor of the pie. Pull it out then yay! Time to eat!

Good one to make forward

Pies like this are glorious for making forward. You can also make the filling and refrigerate it for 3 – 4 days, then assemble the pie once you’re prepared.

Or you possibly can assemble the pie with the puff pastry then refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for as much as 3 months, although be aware that it’ll take as much as 48 hours to completely thaw within the fridge (it’s a formidable block of ice!). The puff pastry will puff rather less than assembling and baking it right away, nevertheless it’s a really small compromise for the comfort (puff pastry puffs the perfect with minimal dealing with, when thawed as soon as, assembled then baked right away. The extra instances you thaw > freeze > thaw and many others, or refrigerate, the much less it puffs).

Put it this manner. If I have been to make this pie for firm, I’d make the filling the day earlier than and assemble and bake on the day of. For some other goal, I wouldn’t hesitate to assemble forward, puff pastry and all, then bake on demand.

Hope you take pleasure in! – Nagi x

Watch the way to make it

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Rooster and Leek Pie

Writer: Nagi

Prep: 25 minutes minutes

Cook dinner: 1 hour hr

Cool filling: 1 hour hr

Whole: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes minutes

Mains

Western

Servings5

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. Tender bites of rooster and slippery items of candy leek smothered in a creamy white-wine thyme infused sauce, effervescent beneath a golden puff pastry crust. Rooster and Leek Pie is consolation meals we dream about!I reduce my leeks in a selected means. I like bigger items fairly than thinly sliced rings which get too soggy-stringy for my style. Additionally, if you happen to don’t love / cannot get puff pastry, cowl this pie in mash (like Cottage Pie!) or use a home made shortcrust pastry.Make one large pie like I’ve executed, or ramekins (makes 4 massive, 5 common). For a pie with a base, substitute the filling in my Household Meat Pie (there might be leftover filling) or particular person meat pies. See the FAQ above for the gluten-free possibility.

Directions

ABBREVIATED:

• Sear floor of rooster in half butter, take away. Cook dinner bacon 1 minute, then leek, celery and garlic 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, soften remaining butter, then prepare dinner flour 1 minute. Add inventory, then remaining Filling components. Add rooster, thicken sauce (~5 minutes).

• Cool filling 1 hour, assemble pie with double layer puff on rim, brush lid with yolk, bake 45 minutes 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).

Lower leek (step images above useful):

• Trim the reedy darkish inexperienced ends and root off, then reduce in half. Lower each bit in half lengthways. Take away the outer 5 to six layers (preserve them collectively), lay them flat, reduce in half lengthways then into 1.8cm / 3/4″ squares. Lower the inside core into 2cm / 0.8″ items.

Filling:

• Rooster – Soften half the butter in a big pan over excessive warmth. Add the rooster, salt and pepper. Cook dinner till the floor adjustments from pink to white (inside nonetheless uncooked), then take away right into a bowl utilizing a slotted spoon. Depart residual butter and rooster juices within the pan.

• Sauté – In the identical pan, prepare dinner the bacon for 1 minute. Add the leek, celery and garlic. Cook dinner for five minutes till the celery is softened. Do not let the leek brown – decrease the warmth if wanted.

• Deglaze – Add the wine and simmer quickly on excessive warmth, stirring, till it’s principally evaporated.

• Roux – Decrease the warmth to medium. Add the remaining butter. As soon as it melts, sprinkle the flour throughout the floor (do not dump in a single place) and stir for 1 minute.

• Creamy sauce – Whereas stirring, slowly pour the inventory in. The combination will thicken right into a thick sauce as soon as mixed. Then add the mustard, cream, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to mix, then add the rooster together with all of the juices gathered within the bowl.

• Simmer – Enhance the warmth, stir to mix. As soon as it involves a simmer, scale back the warmth to medium excessive. Simmer for five minutes, stirring usually, or till the sauce is a thick creamy consistency you need within the completed pie (ie sauce thickness now = thickness within the baked pie, see Notice 7).

• Cool – Take away the pan from the range and funky for 1 hour. (You can too retailer in fridge for 3 – 4 days).

Assembling and baking:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/375°F (180°C fan-forced). Use a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking pan (Notice 9) or 4 to five x ~350ml / 12 oz ramekins.

• Join puff pastry sheets (if wanted) – Semi-thaw the puff pastry (Notice 6). Brush the sting of 1 sheet with egg white, then overlap 0.5cm / 0.2″ with the opposite sheet to attach them. Use the again of a spoon to “smear” the pastry to cover the seam and firmly join.

• Lower out the pie lid (I take advantage of the dish as a slicing information).

• Optionally available strips for further puffy edges (Notice 8): Lower strips utilizing the residual pastry to line the rim of the dish (in case your dish has a thick rim, like mine) and place on the rim of the dish.

• Fill the pie dish with the cooled filling and easy the floor. Brush the pastry strips on the rim with egg white (if not utilizing strips, do not do that step) then cowl with the puff pastry lid.

• Brush the lid with egg yolk. Lower a small X within the center.

• Bake 45 minutes or till the floor is a deep golden brown. Relaxation 5 minutes then serve!

Recipe Notes:

1. Rooster – Thighs are greatest as they continue to be juicy after the double-cook time for pie.
For rooster breast, it’s higher to shred as you possibly can’t keep away from overcooking it on this recipe as written and no one needs dry, miserably chunks of rooster of their pie! Break up in half horizontally to kind 2 skinny steaks. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, sear within the butter being cautious to not overcook (even beneath cooked is ok). Cool barely, shred. Proceed with recipe however solely stir the shredded rooster in on the very finish as soon as sauce is simmered and thickened.
2. Bacon – Use bacon streaked with fats as we want the fats for sautéing. If utilizing lean bacon, add an additional dab of butter.
3. Leek – Leek brings a selected flavour into this pie (and it’s the namesake!) however you possibly can completely make this utilizing onions as an alternative. Use 2 massive onions (common brown / yellow ones, or white onions).
4. Wine – Substitute with non alcoholic white wine, or rooster inventory/broth.
5. Mustard – Brings a touch of flavour into the sauce however it may be omitted or substituted with wholegrain mustard (ie seeded).
6. Puff pastry ideas:

• Normal grocery retailer puff pastry in Australia is available in 20cm/8″ squares so we have to join 2 items so it’s massive sufficient to cowl the baking dish. If you happen to get a premium model like Careme which is bigger sheets, you received’t want to do that.
• BUTTER puff pastry (labelled as such on the packet) is tastier and puffs higher. It’s a little bit pricier than non-butter puff.
• Semi-thawed puff pastry is simpler to deal with than full thawed, and puffs higher as a result of it received’t by accident stretch when dealt with. I let it thaw simply sufficient so I can reduce it.

7. Sauce thickness – Make it the thickness you need within the pie when it comes out of the oven because it won’t thicken any additional within the oven. I like mine oozy-thick.
8. Strips – This provides the pie an additional thick flaky edge! However you possibly can solely do it in case your baking dish has a rim like mine.
9. Baking pan dimension – Use a pan that’s round 1.5L / 1.5 Qt (filling will nearly attain the floor which is good). My pan is a Falcon enamel which is 26 x 20 x 4 cm (within high rim) and 16 x 22cm base (pan has sloping edges so base is smaller). The filling will slot in a 4cm / 1.6″ deep 20cm/8″ sq. pan. Else, use a bigger pan and drape the pastry down the partitions into the pan, then onto the filling floor. Seems to be dramatic and also you get a lot pastry which everyone loves!
Leftovers will preserve for 3 – 4 days within the fridge however the lid will go mushy. To resurrect, reheat in lid within the oven on a tray and the filling within the microwave.
Make forward – Assemble pie per recipe and refrigerate in a single day or freeze (observe it should take 48 hours to thaw within the fridge). Filling will also be made forward 3 – 4 days. Notice: Puff pastry puffs greatest when cooked instantly upon thawing, however nonetheless puffs fairly effectively if thawed > frozen > thawed once more and baked. 
Vitamin per serving assuming 5 servings.

Vitamin Data:

Energy: 662cal (33%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fats: 47g (72%)Saturated Fats: 26g (163%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 4gMonounsaturated Fats: 12gTrans Fats: 0.4gLdl cholesterol: 248mg (83%)Sodium: 888mg (39%)Potassium: 575mg (16%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1726IU (35%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 95mg (10%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Key phrases: rooster and leek pie

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