Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken & Leek Pot Pie

Ever since I discovered puff pastry, I have been collecting recipes that use this ingredient. One of the dishes I’ve learnt to make with it and now cook quite frequently is this chicken pot pie with a puff pastry top. Since it is now leeks season, where leeks are plentiful and cheap in our supermarkets, I used up the rest of the leeks which I bought to make potato and leek soup for this chicken pot pie. This one dish meal is very filling and satisfying. Never mind if the “workmanship” for the puff pastry doesn’t look that good … I think it just adds to the rustic charm of this dish.

Fillings for chicken pot pie (before covering with puff pastry sheet)

Brushing puff pastry sheet with beaten egg before baking to give it a nice sheen

Ingredients
Recipe adapted from Donna Hay’s Instant Entertaining
(Serves 4)

– 200g boneless chicken fillet, cut to bite sized chunks
– 1 leek, sliced thinly (see cooking note 1)
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 2 tsp herbs (you can use sage, rosemary or thyme)
– 1 potato, peeled and diced
– 1 2/3 cup chicken stock
– 3 tbsp heavy/thickened cream
– 150g frozen vegetables (I use assortment of frozen carrots, peas and long beans)
– sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
– 250g frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in fridge or at room temperature for about 1/2 to 1 hour (see cooking note 2)
– 1 egg, beaten
– water

Tools
– oven
– pastry brush
– oven-safe shallow dish (the type without handle; you can substitute with ramekins)
– a work surface dusted with flour
– a rolling pin dusted with flour

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pan and add leek. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until soft.
2. Add chicken, potato, herbs and chicken stock. Simmer for about 10 minutes (with lid partially closed) and add the frozen vegetables.
3. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken are cooked and potatoes are soft. Stir through the cream and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon the mixtures into ovenproof dishes.
5. Dust the roller and surface you are working on with some flour. Cut a portion of the puff pastry.
6. Roll out the dough as thin as you can (about 1 to 3 mm). Cut out a piece of rolled puff pastry dough to cover the dish. Secure the edges with water.
7. Crimp the edges with a fork and poke holes (very gently) all over the top with the fork.
8. Using a pastry brush, brush egg all over the puff pastry so that it will have a nice sheen after baking.
9. Bake in preheated oven of 200C (392F) for about 15 minutes, till the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.

Frozen store-bought puff pastry

Rolling the puff pastry dough on a floured surface

Cooking Notes
1) To clean leeks, slice them half lengthwise, then wash thoroughly as there is soil trapped in between the leaves. Pat dry with kitchen paper towels and slice thinly.
2) Where to buy puff pastry in Singapore. You can purchase it at the frozen section of supermarkets. I purchase mine (Sunshine brand) at NTUC Tampines Mall. Only the bigger NTUC outlets sell this. You can also get it at other supermarkets such as Cold Storage.

Related Recipes
– Puff Pastry Soup
– Potato and Leek Soup