Chicken, Leek, and Parsley Pie
Recipe: Chicken, Leek, and Parsley Pie
From: Linda Fraser, Best-Ever Chicken
Serves: 4-6
Pastry:
2-1/2 c. flour
pinch salt
scant 1 c. butter, diced
2 egg yolks
Filling:
3 bone-in chicken breasts
flavoring ingredients: e.g. bouquet garni, peppercorns, onion, carrot
4 Tbsp. butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1 tsp. cornstarch
1-1/4 c. heavy cream
salt & pepper
beaten egg, to glaze
For pastry, sift the flour and salt. Blend butter and egg yolks in a food processor until creamy. Add the flour and process until the mixture is just coming together. Add about 1 Tbsp. cold water and process a few seconds more. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Wrap in plastic and chill for about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, poach the chicken breasts in water to just cover, with flavoring ingredients added. Cook chicken until tender and let cool in the liquid.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Divide the pastry into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Return smaller piece to refrigerator. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 7x11 baking dish or pan. Prick the base with a fork and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Lift the cooled chicken from the poaching liquid and discard skin and bones. Cut chicken into strips and set aside.
Melt butter in a frying pan and fry the sliced leeks over low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the Cheddar, Parmesan, and parsley. Spread half the leek mixture over the cooked pastry shell, leaving a border of about 1" all around. Cover the leek mixture with the chicken strips, then top with the remaining leek mixture. Mix together the whole-grain mustard, cornstarch, and cream in a small bowl and add seasoning to taste. Pour over the chicken and leek filling.
Moisten the edges of the cooked pastry shell. Roll out the remaining pastry into a rectangle and use to cover the pie. Brush the top with beaten egg and bake in the preheated 400 degrees oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve hot with a mixed green salad.
Notes:
My leeks usually come in bunches of 3, and I just use all 3. I have made it in a 9x13 pan sometimes, if I had extra-large chicken breasts, and it seemed to fill it adequately (though the pastry needed to be rolled pretty thin.
A good variation is to add some sautéed mushrooms and a generous splash of dry sherry to the cream mixture. Yum!
From: Linda Fraser, Best-Ever Chicken
Serves: 4-6
Pastry:
2-1/2 c. flour
pinch salt
scant 1 c. butter, diced
2 egg yolks
Filling:
3 bone-in chicken breasts
flavoring ingredients: e.g. bouquet garni, peppercorns, onion, carrot
4 Tbsp. butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1 tsp. cornstarch
1-1/4 c. heavy cream
salt & pepper
beaten egg, to glaze
For pastry, sift the flour and salt. Blend butter and egg yolks in a food processor until creamy. Add the flour and process until the mixture is just coming together. Add about 1 Tbsp. cold water and process a few seconds more. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Wrap in plastic and chill for about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, poach the chicken breasts in water to just cover, with flavoring ingredients added. Cook chicken until tender and let cool in the liquid.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Divide the pastry into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Return smaller piece to refrigerator. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 7x11 baking dish or pan. Prick the base with a fork and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Lift the cooled chicken from the poaching liquid and discard skin and bones. Cut chicken into strips and set aside.
Melt butter in a frying pan and fry the sliced leeks over low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the Cheddar, Parmesan, and parsley. Spread half the leek mixture over the cooked pastry shell, leaving a border of about 1" all around. Cover the leek mixture with the chicken strips, then top with the remaining leek mixture. Mix together the whole-grain mustard, cornstarch, and cream in a small bowl and add seasoning to taste. Pour over the chicken and leek filling.
Moisten the edges of the cooked pastry shell. Roll out the remaining pastry into a rectangle and use to cover the pie. Brush the top with beaten egg and bake in the preheated 400 degrees oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve hot with a mixed green salad.
Notes:
My leeks usually come in bunches of 3, and I just use all 3. I have made it in a 9x13 pan sometimes, if I had extra-large chicken breasts, and it seemed to fill it adequately (though the pastry needed to be rolled pretty thin.
A good variation is to add some sautéed mushrooms and a generous splash of dry sherry to the cream mixture. Yum!