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Luxury Chicken Pie

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with Mushrooms & Leeks

Pie lovers, rejoice! It's National Pie Week and here at Nutty's Kitchen we are paying proper tribute to Britain's most glorious gift to the world — the humble yet heroic pie! And not just any pie — oh no — this Luxury Chicken Pie with leeks & mushrooms is a golden, flaky, deeply indulgent parcel of pure joy, stuffed to the brim with tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and sweet, silky leeks dressed in a luxury creamy sauce. A pie so good, you may find yourself whispering sweet nothings to it before you take that first glorious bite! 😈🔥

But beware, fellow pie enthusiasts! There are rules in the noble art of pie-making. Rule number one: you CANNOT make chicken pie with raw chicken! A quick bake in the oven won't cut it — you need properly cooked, flavour-packed chicken, and what better way to achieve that than using the glorious leftovers from your Sunday roast? Not only does it save waste, but it also makes for the most succulent, rich filling.

You didn't roast a chicken? No worries, I got you covered! Just read my method intro for the solution :¬)

Now, let's talk about Luxury Chicken Pie perfection. We start with sweet, tender leeks softened in a little oil, add earthy chestnut mushrooms for a delicious bite, and then smother the lot in a luscious, creamy, mustard-spiked sauce — the kind that clings to every piece of chicken like a loving embrace. And the pastry? Well, we're not messing about — a buttery shortcrust base for structure, topped with gloriously flaky, golden puff pastry for that all-important crunch. And the best bit — shop-bought all-butter pastry makes life so much easier! Hee! Hee! 😅

So, roll up your sleeves and get baking, because a proper homemade Luxury Chicken Pie isn't just food — it's a celebration, a tradition, and a little piece of British magic wrapped in pastry!** 🥧🔥

Click the Method tab below to see a step-by-step guide on how to make my Luxury Chicken Pie with leeks & mushrooms along with some pictures as a guide.

pie with trimmed golden pastry 04

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4 - 6

Meat Ingredients

  • approximately 550g cold cooked chicken breast thighs & legs

Ingredients for the vegetable filling

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 350g 2 large leeks ends trimmed & sliced*
  • 200g pack of chestnut mushrooms halved
  • 1 tsp sea salt crushed
  • 1 tsp black pepper crushed

*You can use the greens ends of leeks but be sure to wash & soak thoroughly

Ingredients for the sauce filling

  • 50g butter
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp english mustard powder
  • 1 tsp dyjon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp plain flour
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 OXO™ chicken stock cube crumbled
  • 1 OXO™ vegetable stock cube crumbled
  • a little extra milk if required

Ingredients for the pastry base*

  • 200g flour
  • 125g cold butter
  • 2 Tbsp cold water
  • A pinch of salt

*You can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry if you like, I will not judge ill of you!!!

  • 320g ready rolled shortcrust pastry!

Ingredients for the pastry top

  • 320g ready rolled puff pastry

method

So, I have half a roast chicken to break down, it's best if you do this before you put it in the fridge, the meat comes off the bone far easier than when it's cold. I'm also using shop bought puff pastry for the pie lid and shortcrust for the base*, it might seem like a cheat, but the quality of ready-made pastry these days is excellent, and puff pastry is a real faff to make! Just try to get an 'all-butter' pastry as the taste is far superior. I prep my ingredients first, so that I have everything ready to build the pie.

*I've included the method to make your own shortcrust pastry if you prefer.

You didn't roast a chicken? poach about 550g diced chicken in a little water with 1 crumbled OXO™ vegetable stock cube and one small onion with a bayleaf attached to it (3 cloves piercing it & into the onion). Once cooked, remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the stock and use a little of it to make the roux.

Prepare the ingredients

  1. Pull the chicken meat off the bone
  2. Set aside in the fridge
  3. Chop your vegetables & prepare your seasonings*
  4. Prep' butter & flour* for the roux

*I put my seasonings and flour into little pots ready to go. See below.

chopped ingredients
ingredients chopped
flavourings, flour & cream
ingredients in 5 little pots

Now we are ready to cook

  1. Heat a heavy based pan add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  2. Once the oil shimmers add 2 sliced leeks
add leeks
leeks in a pan
stir fry occasionally turn till softened
softened leeks in a pan
  1. Turn occasionally as they fry, add mushrooms, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper & allow to fry
add mushrooms, salt & pepper
mushrooms added to leeks
stir fry until soft
softened leeks & mushrooms in a pan
  1. Once the pan stops steaming transfer the vegetables to a plate/dish to cool

make the sauce for the filling

  1. Add butter to the hot pan, once melted add in your flour & flavourings (your little pots of stuff!):
  • 2 Tbsp flour to make the roux
  • 1 tsp onion
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dyjon mustard
melt the butter
melting butter in a pan
add flour & flavourings
ingredients added to melted butter
  1. Stir to combine & continue stirring until the roax starts to thicken & colour a little.
stir to make a roux
roux bubbling in a pan
  1. grab a whisk if you own a plastic one! Or are using a pan that can handle the one you own!
  2. Add in 150ml double cream, 150ml milk, whisk to combine & continue stirring until the sauce thickens
add cream & milk
roux and cream in a pan
stir to combine cream & roux
roux mixed with cream
  1. Return your leeks & mushrooms to the sauce — stir to combine
add mushrooms & leeks
mushrooms, leeks on top of roux in a pan

If the mixture seems to be too thick add a little milk, but don't make it runny! It needs to coat a spoon and not fall off!

  1. Set aside in a dish to cool completely
set aside to cool
mushrooms, leeks roux cooling in a dish
  1. Once cooled slightly add your cold chicken as it will rapidly reduce the temperature only when nearly ready to add to your pie
add chicken
chicken mushroom leek pie filling cooling

make the pie

If you want to make your own shortcrust pastry for the base:

  1. Sift the flour & salt into a large mixing bowl
  2. Using cold fingers, rub the butter into the flour*

*You should have a fine breadcrumb consistency

  1. Add the water & combine gently into a dough
  2. Roll into a ball, cover with food wrap
  3. refrigerate for 1/2 hr
  4. Lightly dust a chopping board with flour
  5. Roll out the pastry base so that it'll overlap the dish

Or continue here with shop-bought ready rolled shortcrust pastry!

  1. Grease your pie dish with butter*
  2. ease you pastry base into the dish, being sure that it's tight to the bottom and edges of the dish, or else you'll get bubbles!
  3. Prick the bottom of the pastry all over be sure to do the corners / edges as again the dreaded bubbles will spoil your PIE
  4. Line with grease proof paper
  5. Fill with uncooked rice or baking beans push the rice around the edges & press it down

*I'm using a 22 x 18 x 5cm oval shaped dish, but you can use any shape dish that holds a litre.

line & fill with rice or baking beans
rice for blind baking pastry
  1. Put in pre-heated oven @ 180c for 10 mins
  2. remove from the oven onto a suitable surface retain your rice or retain beans for next time!
  3. Pull out the baking paper & rice
remove the rice & baking paper
rice 1st blind bake
  1. Put the pie base back in the oven for another 10 mins
  2. Allow the base to cool slightly
cool after the 2nd blind bake
pie base 2nd blind bake
  1. Spread the filling into the pie base, being sure to push it down completely
spoon the filling into the base
creamy pie filling in pastry base
  1. Cut out a pastry lid, a shape bigger than the dish
  2. Dampen the top edge of the base with egg wash
  3. Roll the lid over a rolling pin
  4. Place the lid onto the pie dish
drape the lid over the base
raw pastry draped over pie base
  1. Press the lid down all around the edge of the dish
  2. Crimp the pastry with your fingers or a fork
  3. Use a pastry brush to egg wash the top
  4. Add decorations
crimp the edges & add decorations
pastry decor added to pie top
  1. Egg wash again
  2. Add a twist of salt over the top to shop brought as it is unseasoned & suitable for sweet or savory

Note: don't trim the edges!

  1. Pop the pie back into the oven @ 180c for 30 to 45 mins*
pie straight from the oven
pie with untrimmed golden pastry

*Check the pie is golden brown and piping hot in the middle

  1. Trim around the edge with a sharp knife
trim the edges
pie with trimmed golden pastry 04
  1. Allow to cool slightly
  2. get two large suitable plates for your dish
  3. Say a little prayer 🙏 & carefully turn out onto a plate
  4. place one plate over the pie confidently & flip
  5. bash the bottom with a rolling pin if needed
  6. once it falls away & separates from the dish
  7. take the second plate & reverse flip
turn out onto a plate
chicken mushroom leek pie on a plate
...this was a bit difficult today

Not quite perfect as we did not allow it to cool long enough! About 30 minutes is needed. But we are Hangry edging on starving!

serve with:

Freshly steamed potatoes carrots broccoli & home made chicken gravy.

served as a dinner
pie veg and gravy on a plate
...it's luxuriously deicious

Delicious served cold on its own

served cold
cold pie on a plate with a fork
...it's absolutely wonderful too!

Happy National Pie Week 2025