Chicken Filo Pie
This pretty little filo-topped pie was so tasty and warming that it’s just the perfect way to welcome in the autumn weather. Are you a fan of the autumn season? There’s always something sad about losing the hot summer days, but the colours more than make up for it. Chunky knit scarves and cardigans, bright red leaves everywhere, and the crisp morning air just make the autumn so cosy. Especially the food, too - soup season, pie season, roast season - comfort food season. That’s why this pie is the perfect cross-over food, for me. The creamy chicken mixture is so comforting, but the filo pastry topping gives it a light little summer crunch. What do you think?
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts - cubed
2 leeks - thinly sliced
400ml chicken stock - stock cubes are fine.
4 rashers of smoked back bacon - chopped
30g flour
80ml - double cream
1tsp dried parsley
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
80g butter
8 - 10 filo sheets
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Melt 1 third of the butter (around 25g) in a pan, add the leeks and cook until they’re soft, approximately 10 mins, and then set aside.
Heat another 25g of the butter and then cook the chicken for 8 minutes. Add the bacon and cook for a further 2 minutes, and again set this aside.
Heat together the remaining butter and flour for 1 minute, then stir in the stock liquid a ladle at a time. Make sure to combine everything in the saucepan before pouring in the next ladle’s worth. Add the herbs, mustard, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add the double cream and stir well.
In the same pan, take the chicken, leeks and bacon and gently combine them with the sauce. Place in a pie dish or tin and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 190°c
Unroll the filo pastry and brush the top sheet with olive oil. Cut into quarters, and gently lift a single sheet and scrunch it into a loose ball and place on top of the chicken filling. Repeat this step until all the pastry is used and the pie is covered.
Press gently around the edges and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pie is thoroughly heated through and the pastry is a deep golden colour.
