Pie, Felicia!
Hiya!
So this week, we're talking about pie – which, if you break it down, is essentially some sort of filling covered or packaged in something else, usually a form of carbohydrate. Considering my last newsletter was a Lancashire hotpot covered in potatoes, I fully realise that I look like I'm trying to push a serious pie agenda, but I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations.
The truth is, it's cold outside and it's miserable – there, I’ve said it! I just want to feel warm, cosy and happy, so I will not apologise for pushing pie recipes at you, because this is NOT the season to go carb-free. And if you're going carb-free right now:
Ironically though, I initially didn't want to make this Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie recipe because I'm not very much a pie person. Don't get me wrong, I love eating it, but because I've got a) a very small kitchen b) very specific neuroses about getting my hands covered in gunk and c) have a general disdain for cleaning up more things than feels necessary, I've never wanted to make a pie. And up until this recipe, you genuinely could not convince me to make a pie, even if you held me at gunpoint and threatened to shave all my hair off.
But unfortunately, my general greediness conspired with a seasonal yearning for comfort food, so I inevitably caved in to make this Tom Kerridge special, and I can honestly say it’s changed my outlook on homemade pies forever.
The filling itself is pretty simple and doesn't take much prep at all (thank goodness). But true to style, I made a few alterations: I added mushrooms because I generally quite like it in a chicken pie, used smoked bacon instead of ham hock because I couldn't find it in the supermarket (okay, maybe I didn't try very hard to find it). I included peas because their mild sweetness nicely offsets the ‘salt-riness’ of the bacon, and I omitted the cheese and cream because the pie is already incredibly luscious and velvety without it. Oh, and I used pre-made shortcrust pastry from the supermarket because I just couldn't be arsed. How's that for honesty? 🤣
You can pair this with a leafy salad and a simple vinaigrette, or some mash if you're craving more stodge. However, I (quite controversially) paired this with a simple salad that's basically a chunky tomato bruschetta but without the bread. I know it's weird to have a tomato salad with pie, but somehow it just hits the spot. The chicken pie is warm and comforting, but the salad is tangy and bright – together, the salad stops the chicken pie from getting cloying (or as we say in Singapore, jelak) definitively giving you the best of both worlds.
As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you make it, don't forget to tag me in your pics at @forksandchopstix! 😍
Seriously though, are you all carbed-out? Vote below:
Serves 6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: approx. 1 hour 15mins
Oven time: 50 mins
A 6x6 inch square of muslin or cheese cloth (optional)
Some kitchen twine
Bay leaves, 3 large
Black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon
Thyme, 5 sprigs
Rosemary, 5 sprigs
Chicken stock, 1 litre (fresh is fine, or dissolve 2 stock cubes into 1 litre of water)
Chicken thighs, 10 skinless and bone-in
Leeks, 2 medium
Unsalted butter, 80g
Plain flour, 90g
Smoked Bacon, 300g
Chestnut mushrooms, 250g
English mustard, 2 tablespoons
Frozen peas, half cup
Flat-leaf parsley, a small bunch
Shortcrust pastry, 2 packs pre-made, pre-rolled, approx. 600g
Egg, 1 for the egg wash
Salt and pepper
Okay cool, now:
1. Make your bouquet garni or bundle of herbs by placing your 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, 5 sprigs of thyme and 5 sprigs of rosemary into your 6x6 inch square of muslin, wrap it up tightly and tie it securely with some kitchen twine – you might need to halve your sprigs of rosemary and thyme if they're too long to sit nicely in your muslin. It sounds like a faff but this allows you to get all the flavour from the herbs and peppercorns without having to fish out whole peppercorns or tough rosemary leaves afterwards.
If you don't have any muslin, you can do something similar. Put the same herbs in the middle of the largest outer-leaf of your leak, roll it like a cigar, then fold it on itself two more times to keep everything nicely enclosed, before tying it up tightly with kitchen twine.
2. Prep your 300g of smoked bacon and 250g of chestnut mushrooms by slicing them into 1x1cm chunks. Finely chop a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley to make 2 tablespoons worth, and set aside. I promise the rest of the recipe will be a lot less tedious!
3. Bring your 1 litre of chicken stock to a gentle boil in a large saucepan or pot, and chuck in your bouquet garni to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the 10 chicken thighs and let it simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve your 2 leeks lengthways and wash them thoroughly, before slicing them into thick semi-circles (approx. 1cm / 1.5cm wide).
After the chicken thighs have simmered for 25 minutes, add your sliced leeks to the pot, giving it a gentle mix. Return the lid and let it gently simmer on medium-low heat for a further 15 minutes to soften.
4. Drain your leeks and chicken thighs in a colander or sieve, with a large bowl beneath it to catch all of the flavourful stock which you’ll soon use.
De-bone the chicken thighs on a separate plate – the chicken thighs will naturally shred themselves into smaller pieces as you toss them in the pie mixture later, so feel free to leave the meat fairly chunky at this stage.
Measure out 600ml of your reserved chicken stock and set aside.
5. Melt 80g of butter in the same pot you just drained, over medium heat. Once melted and frothy, tumble in your 300g of smoked bacon and fry it for about 8 minutes (yes I did just ask you to fry bacon in butter – YOU’RE WELCOME) to render off some of the bacon fat and to get it nice and fragrant.
Next, toss in your 250g of chopped chestnut mushrooms and continue frying for another 8 minutes. You’ll notice that the mushrooms will absorb all the oil for a while, before releasing the oil back into the pan and shrinking.
6. Sprinkle 90g of plain flour over the bacon and mushrooms and stir to coat for about 2 - 3 minutes until the mixture starts clumping together. At this point, gradually pour in your 600ml of chicken stock and stir vigorously to create a smooth, thick, and velvety mixture.
Add your de-boned chicken and leeks back into the pot, along with half a cup of frozen peas and 2 tablespoons of English mustard. Give the whole mixture a very enthusiastic stir (you should start seeing the chicken fray into smaller bits at this stage). Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper, although you shouldn’t need to since the smoked bacon and the chicken stock is already sufficiently salty.
Turn off the heat and set the pot aside to cool until just-below room temperature before folding in 2 tablespoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
7. Prep your pie crust by gently easing the pre-rolled pastry down the sides and into the corners of your non-stick pie tin (I used a round 8-inch tin because it’s all that I had, but if you have a wider one, please feel free to use that instead) allowing any excess to overhang. If the sheet of pastry is too short for an overhang, feel free to cut and overlap using more pastry, pressing down to flatten areas which have been patched together.
8. Assemble your pie by spooning your cooled pie filling into the pastry-lined tin, smoothing out the top layer.
Top the mixture with a sheet of pastry that’s larger than the tin. Pinch the sides of the pie tin to seal the lid. Trim the excess and cut a hole into the centre of the pie to let steam escape while it’s in the oven. Decorate how ever you’d like with whatever leftover pastry you’ve got (or don’t, if you’re fed up by this point – I won’t hold it against you.) Crack an egg into a bowl, whisk it up with a fork, and eggwash the top of the pastry with a brush.
Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius with the fan on (or 210 degrees Celcius without the fan), and place the pie in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the pie from the fridge and bake immediately, covered loosely with some aluminium foil for 35 minutes. Be sure to place the pie tin directly on the wire rack – don’t be tempted to bake with the pie tin on a baking tray because the bottom will not brown and crisp the way the top and sides will (and nobody likes a soggy bottom).
After 35 minutes, remove the aluminium foil and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until golden brown, bubbly and crispy. And do heed Chef Kerridge’s advice: “leave to stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving". Serve hot.
And there you go, your very own Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie with mushrooms and peas (it’s quite a mouthful, I know!) Chef Kerridge is right in saying that making a pie from scratch always feels like an accomplishment – and even though I didn’t make my own pastry, I can assure you that the sense of accomplishment is in no way diminished.
And regardless of whether you make your own pie pastry or cheat like I did, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. And when you make this recipe, please don’t forget to leave a comment here or tag me @forksandchopstix.
Happy cooking and see you for another issue of Forks & Chopstix in a couple of weeks!
x Mark
Looking for more recipes to check out, why not these?
A very lovely Lancashire Hotpot
My favourite Lasagne and meaty Ragu
Singapore Chicken Curry with Rice or Noodles
Mushroom Shawarma Pitas with Turmeric Yoghurt
Vietnamese Bun Cha with Beef or Tofu
Slow-Roasted Gochujang Chicken with the works
Or follow me on Instagram for more:@forksandchopstix