{"id":28988,"date":"2023-03-31T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T07:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.janespatisserie.com\/?p=28988"},"modified":"2023-04-11T14:08:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T13:08:19","slug":"chicken-leek-bacon-pie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.janespatisserie.com\/2023\/03\/31\/chicken-leek-bacon-pie\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicken, Leek & Bacon Pie!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A delicious and comforting homemade chicken, leek & bacon pie which is an easy and perfect dinner idea for the family. <\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Say hello to probably the first proper recipe of homemade proper food on this blog, and I hope you LOVE IT. It’s cosy, it’s warm, it’s the perfect delicious dish that I adore making during the week or at weekends, as it really is so easy to make! <\/p>\n

Chicken & Bacon<\/h3>\n

So obviously one of the main parts of this pie is the chicken, and the bacon. I have always loved the combination of chicken and bacon together, so when you add these flavours into a pie? It gets even better. <\/p>\n

I use bacon lardons in this recipe as I love chunks of the bacon once they have been fried off and crispy, and you can use either smoked or unsmoked, whichever you prefer. You can of course use actual bacon, or remove the fat from bacon, or even use cooked ham – whichever is best for you. <\/p>\n

For the chicken, I tend to buy chicken breasts and then cut into inch size chunks. I find it easier, but you can buy chicken already in chunks, or chicken thighs, or mini fillets etc… and cut into the chunks. <\/p>\n

When cooking the bacon, you cook until crispy. When you cook the chicken, I cook for a few minutes so all the sides are no longer pink, but it’s not essential for the middles of the chicken to be fully cooked. When adding the sauce and boiling it, and then when cooking in the oven, the chicken gets cooked through. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Leeks<\/h3>\n

I have a weird thing for leeks, because I find they are easy to cook, add a delicious flavour that is different and sometimes preferential to onions, and I just love them. I won’t lie, leek and potato soup is one of my favourite flavours, and I adore it. <\/p>\n

I grab two medium leeks, slice them relatively thinly, and fry. It doesn’t have to be super thin, it doesn’t have to be perfectly sliced – just slice and then fry away in the frying pan. I find leeks are quick to cook, and they compliment the flavour of the chicken and bacon wonderfully, and suit this style of pie perfectly. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Flavours<\/h3>\n

For the flavours in this pie, I went for thyme and bay leaves. There are so many options of flavours that you can add to this sort of pie, but I do really adore these herbs added to a creamy sauce.<\/p>\n

I tend to buy dried herbs as they last a lot longer, and I never tend to use a whole plant up before it goes off – but you can use fresh if you wish. I would add 2-3 sprigs of thyme, and a few bay leaves – but again, dried is easy. <\/p>\n

Obviously there is salt and pepper too, but that is a classic in most cooking recipes (and it should be!). I just sprinkle some into the sauce, and then stir through – and then pour onto the base and bake. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sauce <\/h3>\n

The sauce is super easy to make, and that’s how I like it. A mixture of chicken stock and double cream makes a thick and luxurious sauce for a pie like this, and I am obsessed. You can use different flavoured stocks if you prefer, that is totally fine. I tend to use the jelly cubes, and then add the equivalent of boiling water (200ml for this recipe). <\/p>\n

I find the double cream gives a thickness and richness to the sauce, without being heavy. You can use single cream, but it will make a thinner sauce, even after the cornflour addition, whereas with the double cream its perfect. <\/p>\n

To be honest, even without make this a pie, this chicken, leek and bacon creamy sauce is ideal for other meals – serve with mashed potato, add pasta, and so on… so many dinner ideas with the delicious base to this recipe. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pastry<\/h3>\n

For this pie, I use puff pastry. It’s probably one of my favourite pastry as it’s delicious and buttery and heavenly. I do line the base of the pie with pastry, which is optional – but I love it. You blind bake the pastry slightly to prevent a completely soggy bottom however. The sides of the puff pastry when blind baking may puff slightly, but that is totally okay. <\/p>\n

I top the pie with puff pastry, and add some little shapes of pastry to decorate – but this is optional. You want to cut a small cross in the middle of the pie to let air escape whilst its cooking, and I brush the top of the pie with milk to glaze and make lovely and golden, but you can use beaten egg instead. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To finish… <\/h3>\n

Once this delicious chicken, leek & bacon pie is ready, you can serve it… salad, new potatoes, veg, roasties, whatever you want! It suits many side dishes. <\/p>\n