Go Back
A chicken and leek pot pie in a white square baking dish with a server and forks and knife nearby.
Print Recipe
5 / 3 votes

Chicken and Leek Pot Pie

To call this the best chicken and leek pot pie is only a little bit hyperbolic. It's from Jamie Oliver, who reverse-engineered it from a version he was served. It has a crispy puff pastry lid sitting on a creamy filling of chicken, sausage meatballs, and veggies. I clarified and quantified some ingredients, added a few visual cues, and included U.S. shopping tips.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: British
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 890

Equipment

  • 9-x-13 casserole dish

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 2 knobs (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch (12 mm) pieces
  • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, finely sliced
  • small handful thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 ounces white wine, a wineglass full
  • 6 ounces homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth, a wineglass full
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 9 ounces pork sausage, removed from the casing and roll into 3/4-inch balls
  • one (16-ounce) package all-butter puff pastry, I prefer Dufour
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
US - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the chicken stew

  • Heat a large casserole pot over medium and add a nice glug of olive oil and 2 knobs (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter.
  • Add the 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 medium leeks, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks, and small handful thyme sprigs and cook slowly over medium heat for 15 minutes.
  • Turn the heat up to high, add the 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes. (It'll look pasty, press on.) Drizzle in 6 ounces white wine, then 6 ounces homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth, and the 1 1/4 cups milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  • Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the stove, stirring and scraping the pan every so often, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. The sauce should be quite thick. If it's a little too thin, continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. Pour the chicken filling into an appropriately sized pie dish.
  • Brown the 9 ounces pork sausage balls with a little olive oil in a clean skillet over medium heat. Dot the filling with them.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: You can let the filling cool and stash it in the fridge for a couple of days before assembling the pot pie. Not in the mood for pastry? No problem! You can chow down on this as a stew.

Assemble the chicken pot pie

  • Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, then crank the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  • Roll out the one (16-ounce) package all-butter puff pastry to about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully drape the pastry over the dish, using a knife to trim any pastry hanging over the edge. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the 1 large egg to make it turn golden while baking.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: For a fancy-pants look, crimp the pastry around the edge of the dish. Also, Jamie likes to use the back of a knife to lightly crisscross the top of the pastry—it makes the pastry crisp and flaky.

  • Bake the chicken pot pie in the center of the oven until golden on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Rush to the table and soak up the applause.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 208mg | Sodium: 651mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g