Chicken And Leek Pastries Food

CREAMY CHICKEN & LEEK PARCELS

Steps:

• In a large frying pan add butter & melt over high heat. Add leek & garlic & cook for 3 mins or until leek softens. Roughly dice chicken (into pieces approx 1cm) and add to pan. Cook over high heat until chicken is browned. Mix cornflour & stock together and add to chicken mixture. Add cream. Reduce heat to medium & stir for a few minutes or until sauce thickens. Set aside to allow mixture to cool. To speed up the process, refrigerate mixture or spread out onto a tray. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Cut each sheet of pastry in half (giving you 2 large rectangles). Spoon some mixture onto one half of each piece. Fold the pastry over to enclose the filling and pinch edges to seal. I usually fold over the edges to stop mixture from running out. Cut a slit in the top of each one. Place pastry squares onto lined oven trays and brush the top with beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until golden.

PUFF PASTRY CHICKEN AND LEEK CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Place chicken thighs, leek, carrots, celery, peas, parsley, garlic, shallot, tarragon, salt, basil, pepper, and bay leaves into a large pan. Pour in milk and stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Strain off milk and set aside in a bowl. Separate chicken and vegetables into two bowls. Tear chicken into rough chunks when cool enough to handle.
• Melt butter in the same pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour, stirring frequently and breaking up any chunks. Continue to stir and cook until thickened and golden, making a roux. Gradually add the strained milk, stirring until you have a sauce. Stir in heavy cream and Dijon mustard, then add the chicken and vegetables. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Pour chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish. Roll out the puff pastry and overlap the pieces to cover the casserole. Glaze the pastry with beaten egg and make several vents in the pastry using a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet and cook over medium-high heat until some of the fat renders, about 5 minutes. Push the bacon to the side of the pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add it to the pan and cook, turning, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and leeks, then arrange the chicken on top of the bacon-leek mixture. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
• Carefully return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the broth and half-and-half and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon the leek mixture over the chicken. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges.
• Per serving: Calories 418; Fat 24 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 147 mg; Sodium 322 mg; Carbohydrate 14 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 34 g

CHICKEN AND LEEK PASTRIES

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat.
• Cook the chicken until just done, around 15 minutes.
• Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Cool to handle and chop.
• Add bacon, leeks and garlic to skillet and cook 4 minutes-you want the leeks soft, the bacon crisp.
• Add chopped chicken, wine, cream and mustard.
• Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes-you want it thickened a bit.
• Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of the cheese.
• Season with salt and pepper and cool slightly.
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo, butter your hands and Print the sheet-lay onother sheet on top and repeat.
• Cut into 4 strips.
• Place around 1 1/2 T.
• filling on each strip and fold like you would a flag.
• Place on baking sheet and repeat.
• Use more phyllo if needed.
• Brush tops with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 minutes at 400*.

CREAMY CHICKEN & LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the bacon for 2 mins. Add the chicken, then cook with the bacon for a further 2-3 mins, until the pieces begin to turn golden. Tip in the leeks and cook gently for 10 mins until wilted and tender.
• Stir through the flour and gradually add the stock, stirring constantly. Add the wholegrain mustard and crème fraîche, stir again, then simmer gently for 5 mins until the sauce is slightly thickened and creamy. Serve on top of baked jacket potatoes.

THE BEST CHICKEN AND SWEET LEEK PIE WITH FLAKY PASTRY

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Take a large casserole pot and add your olive oil and butter.
• Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery, and thyme and cook slowly on the stove for 15 minutes. Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water, and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it's a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. (At this point you can let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to - it can also be eaten as a stew.)
• Assemble the pie: Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.
• Roll out your pastry to about 1/4 inch thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges (there's no need to do this, but I like to as my mum always does it and it makes it look pretty). I use the back of a knife to lightly crisscross the top - this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky. Cook the pie in the center of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden on top. I like to serve this with corn off the cob and mashed potato.

CHICKEN & LEEK PIE

Steps:

• Put the chicken into a deep pan that is just large enough to hold it quite snugly. Pour in enough water to half-cover the bird, then tip in the peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, onion and celery. Add ½ tsp salt and bring to the boil on the hob, then reduce the heat, cover tightly and simmer for 1 hr-1 hr 15 until tender.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain 425ml of the stock into a measuring jug (top up with water if you need to). Strip the meat off the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces and put in a 1.7-litre pie dish.
• Put the eggs in boiling water and boil for 6 minutes. Drain, cool them under cold water and remove the shells. Quarter the eggs and nestle them in the pie dish among the chicken pieces.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock a third at a time, stirring continuously and making sure the sauce is thick and smooth before adding the next batch. Stir in the mustard, crème fraîche and parsley, then add a squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper to taste. Add salt if needed. Spoon over the chicken and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Reserve a quarter of the pastry for decoration and roll out the remainder to a shape about 5cm larger than the top of the pie dish, then cut a 2.5cm strip from all round the edge. Brush the edge of the dish with water and stick the pastry strip to it. Brush the strip with water. Flip the pastry lid over the rolling pin, lift it up and unroll over the pie. Press the edge on to the pastry strip to seal, and trim any excess with a sharp knife.
• Tap the blade of a small sharp knife all along the outside edge of the pastry (this helps the edge to rise during cooking), then flute it using the back of the knife. Make a hole in the lid centre with the tip of the knife, to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
• Roll out the pastry you put aside earlier. Cut 8 long strips each about 1cm wide, and two more strips each about 4cm wide. Cut the wider strips diagonally to make eight diamond leaf shapes. Mark the veins of the leaves with the tip of a sharp knife. Brush the pastry lid with beaten egg, then lay the eight thin strips on top, as in the picture. Brush again with egg and arrange the leaves in the centre, between the strips. Brush with egg.
• Chill the pie for 15 mins, if you have time, to set the pastry. Will keep in the fridge for one day - just add 4-5 mins to baking time. Bake for 30-35 mins until the pastry is crisp, puffed up and deep golden brown.