Chicken, bacon & leek pot pie

One of the fun things about getting our box of organic fruit and veges deliver each week is figuring out what to do with the random stuff you wouldn’t normally buy. This week we got a leek. Gotta say not exactly one of my favourite vegetables, but I rose to the challenge and made this chicken, bacon and leek pot pie which got approval from both the husband and the baby which has to be a win!

Using quality lean chicken breast, removing the fat from the bacon, and adding plenty of veges make this healthier than your average pie. Plus there’s only puff pastry on top so you still get the delish goodness of it without the added calories of a pastry base. As the bacon is salty enough, I don’t add extra salt for seasoning and use salt-reduced chicken stock to compensate.

INGREDIENTS

350g or 2 chicken breasts (I use free-range), chopped into bite-sized chunks
200g or 5 rashers shoulder/middle bacon, fat and rind removed, diced
1 leek, green leaves removed, white part sliced and diced
1/4 cup mushrooms
1 tblspn olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock (I use salt-reduced)
1/3 cup of flour (this thickens the mixture)
2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
Small handful fresh thyme or 1 tspn dried thyme leaves
Small handful fresh parsley or 1 tspn dried parsley
1 egg, whisked with a fork
Sesame seeds (optional)
Pepper to taste

METHOD

Add onion and oil to a frying pan over medium heat and cook until onion goes see-through. Add chicken and bacon, continue cooking until meat begins to brown. Add chicken stock, leeks, mushrooms and white wine, and stir through flour until combined. Lower the heat and simmer until mixture has reduced and thickened, then stir through parsley, thyme and pepper to taste.

Place filling in pie or baking dish and allow to cool for around an hour.

Lay pastry over the top of your pie filling so that all is covered and edges of the pastry come up the sides (if your dish is deep) or over the edge of the dish (if shallow). Using a knife, cut slits into the top to allow air to escape, and brush whisked egg over entire surface of pastry. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.