How to Make This Easy Chicken and Leek Pie
This is comfort in a bowl on a wet spring day
- For the filling
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large Bramley or 2 eating apples, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp flour
- 250ml Somerset dry cider
- 150ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp double cream
- Salt and black pepper
- For the potato coin topping
- 450g waxy potatoes (Charlotte, Maris Piper), skin on
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- Flaky sea salt and cracked pepper
- A few thyme sprigs for finishing
- Serve
- with buttered greens or a mustard-dressed salad
Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, sweet, and silky.
Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chicken pieces and cook until lightly coloured. Add the diced apple and sprinkle over the flour; stir to coat.
Pour in the cider and stock, scraping up any golden bits. Stir in mustard and thyme, then simmer gently for 12–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is lightly thickened. Add the cream, season generously, and remove from heat.
Spoon into a pie dish and let cool slightly while you prepare the topping.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) gas mark 6. Slice the potatoes into three to four millimetre coins (skin-on for rustic crispness). Toss in melted butter, salt and pepper. Lay the coins in overlapping concentric circles over the filling. Brush with any remaining butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the potatoes are crisped at the edges and deeply golden, and the filling bubbles up around them.
Sprinkle with fresh thyme and a pinch of flaky salt before serving. This dish is perfect with buttered greens, a mustard-dressed salad, or just a big spoon and a quiet moment of happiness.
