This recipe is something of a personal one to me because it’s one of the very first recipes I created myself from scratch. When I moved out of my parent’s house I could barely cook a stir-fry and could never dream of making a pie, despite them being one of my favourite dishes in the world! I didn’t own a pie dish, nor did I know how to make pastry, so this made making pies a bit problematic! So, until my knowledge and kitchen equipment improved, I had to take a few shortcuts! And thus came about my Shortcut Chicken, Chorizo and Leek pie!
Instead of making pastry, you can simply use store-bought pastry, there’s no need for making a sauce because we’ll use creme fraiche and chicken stock, and there’s no need for a pie dish because we’ll be going freeform and create a pie that’s more like a giant pasty. While unconventional, the results are fantastic and it’s not much effort at all. If you’ve never made a pie, or just want a quick alternative, then give this a go!
Shortcut Chicken, Chorizo and Leek Pie
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 x Large Chicken Breasts
- 110g Chorizo
- 2 x Leeks
- 2 x Sheets of Shortcrust Pastry
- 300ml Creme Fraiche
- 200ml Chicken Stock
- 2 Tbsp Plain Flour
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 x Egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to about 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Chop the chicken into bite-size chunks, slice and halve the chorizo, and peel off the outer leaves of the leeks, washing them thoroughly and then halve and slice them.
Place a pan over a medium-high heat and fry the chorizo for a couple of minutes to release the oils from the chorizo
Add in the chicken and cook until all the pink has gone, and then transfer the chicken and chorizo to a bowl, keeping the oils in the pan.
Add the leek to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until it softens down. Add the chicken and chorizo back into the pan with the leek.
Add the two tablespoons of flour to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until the raw flour taste is cooked out.
Add the chicken stock into the mixture and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Then add in the tub of Creme Fraiche and stir this into the mixture. From here, turn the heat up to high and let the sauce cook down to quite a thick consistency as it's not going to be a really liquidy pie and we don't want it to saturate the pastry. Make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the pan and burn.
Once you get to a good consistency, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool a bit while you move onto the pastry!
Before touching the pastry, take the egg and beat it thoroughly into an egg wash.
Take a large baking tray and line with baking paper. Unroll one sheet of the pastry and lay it on the tray.
Next, take the slightly cooled mixture and add it evenly onto the pastry sheet. Make sure you leave an even edge all the way around the pastry. Maybe an inch or so. Take the egg wash and brush it around this edge evenly.
Next, take the other sheet of pastry and lay it over the top of the other sheet and the mixture and press down on the washed edges so that the two sheets stick together. Crimp the edge as best as you can.
Take the egg wash again and lightly brush the top of the pie so that you get the nice, crisp, golden finish. Poke a hole in the top of the pie so the steam can escape, and if you're feeling fancy, lightly score the top of the pie with the back of a knife.
Pop in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden brown.
