A site that started off life as “If You Smell What is Cooking” wouldn’t be right without a few pie recipes. But even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson keeps an eye on what he eats – when he’s not on one of his legendary cheat days anyway – and as I’m on a health kick at the moment, I wanted to come up with a pie recipe that was healthy but also tasty and still, well, an actual pie and not one of these casseroles with a lid.
My answer to the healthy pie conundrum was to use lean meats, healthy substitutes to make a tasty sauce – I’ve used oat cream here but soy cream would also work – and using filo pastry instead of it’s heavier siblings shortcrust or puff pastry. The result gives a lovely chicken, ham and leek pie with golden and crunchy filo pastry that is only 523 calories per serving (or 1/4 of the pie). So, if you’re trying to watch you eat, but have a hankering for a pie that just won’t be satiated, then give this a try!
Chicken, Ham & Leek Filo Pie
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 x Chicken Breasts
- 150g Honey Roast Ham, Cubed
- 2 x Leek, Sliced
- 7 x Filo Pastry Sheets
- 200g Half Fat Creme Fraiche
- 100g Oat Cream
- 1 x Chicken Stock Pot (or Stock Cube, crumbled finely)
- 1 x Garlic Clove
- 1 tsp Wholegrain Mustard
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Sage
- 2 large eggs, beaten, for brushing
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 200°C (180°C Fan)/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Take a 10" pie dish and lightly brush the base with some of the beaten egg.
Lay one of the sheets of filo pastry across the pie dish, and fold it in so that it's covering the edges of the pie dish, but not hanging over.
Brush that sheet with a little egg, including the edges, and then lay another sheet ACROSS that one - not directly on top of - and do the same again.
Again brush the sheet of filo that you just laid down with some egg, and lay that one across the last one. Make sure all the edges of the pie dish are covered, but the pastry isn't hanging over.
Make sure all of the pastry is lining the pie dish and all the edges are covered, but not overhanging, and then brush everything lightly with some egg.
Line the base with baking paper, and then fill the pie dish with baking beans, and then place in the oven for around 7 minutes. If you don't have baking beans, then rice, dried peas, lentils, beans or other pulses will also work.
Remove the pie base from the oven, remove and discard the baking paper, and place back into the oven for another 5 minutes.
Once the base is lightly golden and crispy, remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Now for the filling - first slice up the leeks and place to one side for now.
Next, chop the chicken breasts into bite size chunks, and then fry in a pan in a very small amount of olive oil until the chicken has good colour all over.
Chop the ham into chunks as well and add to the pan and cook for a minute or so.
Now add in the leeks and gently cook the filling for a couple of minutes, until the leeks start to soften.
Next, add in the creme fraiche and the oat cream and stir into the mixture and leave to cook for a minute or so.
Crush the garlic clove and add that into the sauce along with the mustard, pepper, sage, and then add the stock pot straight into the sauce - you can add salt too, but the stock pot will already have salt so no need to add more unless your palette demands it.
Stir everything together well, and then cook over a gentle simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken up. You don't want it too thick though.
Take the filling off the heat and allow to cool for around 10 - 15 minutes.
Now, fill the pie base with the filling evenly. Brush the edge of the pie with egg and, now, you'll want to do the same process as you did with the base for the top of your pie. Place one sheet of filo over the pie, and then lightly brush the sheet with egg and fold in so that it covers the edges of the pie but doesn't hang over.
Repeat this for the remaining four sheets of filo, laying over a sheet and alternating which way you lay the sheet over while brushing with egg, until the pie is as looking as neat as you can possibly make it.
Once all the sheets are on, brush the top thoroughly with egg and place into the oven for 30 minutes until the top of the pie is golden and crispy.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
