Deliciously tender chicken breast, umami-rich mushrooms, sweet leeks and a wonderfully rich and creamy sauce, topped off with a super simple filo pastry crust… this Easy Peasy Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie is unbelievably tasty, yet super simple to make. It’s set to be your new family favourite!
Easy Peasy Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie
I am totally obsessed with this pie right now. It’s just the perfect embodiment of my food philosophy, which is ‘maximum taste, minimum fuss!’
I struggle to put into words quite how delicious this pie is… It’s most definitely one of those ‘greater than the sum of it’s parts’ recipes: tender chunks of perfectly cooked chicken, complimented beautifully by the umami-rich flavour of chestnut mushrooms and sweet leeks, all luxuriously coated in a rich, cream and thyme sauce… and topped off with a satisfyingly crunchy (and ridiculously easy!) scrunched filo pastry crust.
And best of all it’s incredibly easy to make. The filling takes just 18 minutes to prepare and that scrunched filo topping takes all of about 2 minutes (and is super fun!) Then it’s into the oven for 20 minutes and it’s done!
Why I love filo pastry so much…
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know that pastry is my nemesis… I’m not sure why but pastry and I just do not get along… Let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of pastry-related dramas in my lifetime… ESPECIALLY when said pastry needs to be photographed for this website!
But filo pastry is different… filo and I get along just fine! Not only are filo and I besties… it’s hands down the easiest way to cover a pie! Simply get a pack of filo, scrunch up the sheets and plop them on top of the pie in a rough and ready fashion… It takes barely any time and looks fantastic!
Plus, if you work fast, there’s no need to faff around covering the other sheets of filo with a damp tea towel… just scrunch and plop, scrunch and plop! And then revel in having a perfectly topped pie every time 😀
What to serve with chicken pie
Because this Easy Peasy Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie already has everything: chicken, veg and carbs in the form of that scrunched up filo topping, it really needs very little in the way of accompaniment… just one or two steamed green veggies on the side would be just perfect… For example, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, peas or asparagus.
What to drink with chicken pie
In my head, there is only one wine for this pie and that is Chardonnay! Preferably a buttery, lightly oaked one from the South of France, Chile or California. (Though an oaked White Burgundy would also go down a treat!) However, if Chardonnay is not your thing, then this pie would also go well with Chenin Blanc or Viognier.
I really don’t recommend red wine with this creamy chicken pie.
Make it your own!
This easy peasy chicken filo pie is incredibly flexible, so you can adapt it perfectly to your own preferences and/or what you have in the fridge. You could:
- Use leftover roast chicken instead of freshly cooked chicken
- Use diced chicken thigh fillets instead of chicken breast
- Use regular mushrooms or button mushrooms instead of chestnut mushrooms
- Add carrots and/or celery instead of the mushrooms and/or leeks
- Add bacon and/or garlic for even more flavour
- Add parsley, tarragon or oregano instead of the thyme
- Use regular cream instead of crème fraîche
- Top with short crust or puff pastry instead of filo pastry
Have fun experimenting!
Can you reheat chicken pie?
Yes! This chicken pie reheats really well. Simply cover any leftover chicken pie and pop it in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days. To reheat, preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) and then place the pie in the oven for 15 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. I don’t recommend reheating pie in the microwave as it tends to make the pie crust go soggy and unappetising.
Can you freeze chicken pie?
Yes you can, but the texture of the pastry won’t be quite as good. What I recommend, if you want to batch cook this, is that you freeze the filling (which does freeze brilliantly) in a plastic lidded box. The filling will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
When you want to eat the pie, simply defrost the filling in the fridge overnight, tip it into a pie dish and top with the scrunched filo pastry. Brush with a little olive oil (or melted butter), then pop it into the oven), pre-heated to 200C (180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F), for 20-25 minutes. (It will likely need that extra 5 minutes as the filling will be fridge cold.)
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Peasy Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for brushing the pastry (see Note 1)
- 1 large leek sliced
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms quartered
- 800 g diced chicken breast
- 200 ml chicken stock (from a cube is fine – I used 1 Kallo Organic stock cube)
- 150 g crème fraîche
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 200 g ready rolled filo pastry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the sliced leeks and the quartered mushrooms into a wide ovenproof pan (see Note 2) and fry over a fairly high heat, stirring regularly, for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Tip the mushrooms and leeks onto a plate and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Allow the pan to heat back up again and then fry the diced chicken for 4 minutes, or until lightly browned on most sides. (The chicken should NOT be fully cooked at this point.)
- Return the mushrooms and leeks to the pan and add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then turn right down low.
- Allow the pie filling to simmer gently for 2 minutes, then add the crème fraîche, black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. When the crème fraiche is fully stirred in, turn the heat off.
- Leave the pan to cool for 2 minutes, then top with scrunched up sheets of filo pastry: simply take each sheet of filo pastry, scrunch it up in your hand and plop it gently on top of the filling. Repeat until the pie is completely covered, then lightly brush with a little olive oil (or melted butter).
- Place the pie into your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown on top and the filling is bubbling (see Note 3).
- Serve the chicken pie with your favourite green vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, peas or asparagus
Video
Notes
- To keep things super easy, I advise you brush the filo with a little olive oil before placing the pie in the oven. However, if you have a little more time, brush the pie with melted butter – it’s even nicer!
- If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, simply cook the filling in a normal pan, then transfer the filling to an oven dish, before topping with the filo.
- Take care you don’t burn the filo pastry. It should be just perfect after 20 minutes, but ovens do vary! If you are not sure, it’s OK to open the oven door once or twice to check… don’t worry, you won’t mess the pie up! (Filo pastry is much more forgiving than puff pastry. However, if you’ve chosen to use puff pastry instead, definitely don’t open the oven door or your pastry is likely to deflate!)
- Suitable for freezing (filling only!)
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Lesley says
What a lovely looking pie, I like the crispness of the filo topping too, perfect with the soft chicken and vegetables.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Lesley! Eb 🙂
Corina Blum says
This pie looks and sounds absolutely delicious! I love the crispiness of the filo crust and the creamy chicken and leek filling.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Corina – so pleased you like it! Eb 🙂
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Such a comforting pie perfect for the cooler months. I love the filo topping and that you don’t have to be neat!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Cat… and yes – you are so right! You don’t have to be neat or careful with filo! Eb 🙂
Sherri says
I made this tonight and it is delicious. I did salt the chicken and also thickened the gravy with a slurry of some of the broth and flour. I would use only half the chicken broth next time. There will be a next time because I made the full recipe and used just 1/2 the filling in a shallow pie pan with four sheets of filo pastry to cover it. Again, it was delicious as have been all the recipes of yours that I’ve tried. Thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks for this feedback! I personally don’t salt the chicken as the stock cube I use is salty enough, but I appreciate this is a very personal thing. So happy to hear you found it delicious – and all my other recipes too. That’s so good to hear! Eb 🙂
Janice says
Such a tasty pie. A lovely combination of flavours snd textures.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Janice! Eb 🙂
Elaine says
Having made one of your other recipes I had high hopes for this but the chicken was totally bland, too much liquid and although very easy it was a complete waste – the only thing I’ve learnt is it’s a good way to use filo pastry.
Eb Gargano says
I am so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this recipe. And I am so surprised as it is a real favourite around here. I am especially surprised that you felt the chicken was bland – both the frying and simmering in stock should have given it plenty of flavour. Though I appreciate we all have different tastes. The excess liquid may be due to a different size pan – this would mean less water evaporated when you brought it to a boil / simmered it. If not that, then I am really not sure what can have caused an excess of liquid.