Mini Chicken And Leek Pies Food

MINI CHICKEN AND LEEK PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced).
• Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Fry, turning occasionally, for 7-10 minutes or until browned. Use a spoon to break down the cooked chicken into smaller pieces.
• Add leek and carrot. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add in chicken stock slowly, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in rosemary and 1/3 cup water. Increase heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season with black pepper. Remove from heat.
• Grease two 12 hole muffin tins with cooking spray or oil. Use a large (7.5 cm) cookie cutter to cut out 20 circles from the thawed pastry sheets. Place the circles in the muffin tin holes carefully. Fill them with chicken mixture. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out 20 small circles to form the tops of the pastries. Place the circles on top of the muffin tin holes. Gently press down the sides to seal them. Use a small knife to make some holes on the pastries.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and a dash of milk. Brush the egg mixture on the pastries. Place the pies on the lower rack of a preheated oven for 30-15 minutes.

CHICKEN & LEEK MINI PIES

Steps:

• In a large pan, melt the butter and cook the leeks, covered, for 10 mins until really soft. Remove from the heat and stir through the cheese sauce, chives, chicken, milk and mustard. Mix well and spoon into small dishes or ramekins.
• Un-roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Use a saucer to cut circles for the pie tops. Place on top, trim to fit, crimp the edges and brush with egg to glaze. Wrap tightly in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To cook from frozen, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove the cling film, cover with foil and put on a baking tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 15 mins, then reduce the temperature to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake for a further 45 mins, removing the foil for the final 30 mins. Serve with green vegetables.
• To cook from fresh, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cook for 45 mins, until the pastry is golden and puffed, and the filling is piping hot.

MINI CHICKEN AND LEEK PIES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and gently cook the leeks for 15 minutes or until softened. Increase the heat, add the chicken and thyme and saute until the chicken is browned
• Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese. Allow to cool
• Cut 12 x 12cm circles of pastry. Gently press into greased 1/3 cup muffin pans, pastry will come above the top of the pan. Spoon chicken mixture into pastry
• Gently pleat and fold in the pastry to form a collar around each pie. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese
• Bake in a hot oven 200°C for 15 minutes or until tops are golden. Cool slightly before removing from tins. Serve warm or cool, garnished with thyme if desired

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.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIES

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a shallow pan and gently cook the leeks with the thyme for 8 mins, or until soft. Add both types of mushrooms and cook for 5 mins more, then turn up the heat a little, add the chicken and stir until the chicken starts to brown. Scatter over the flour and stir to make a paste and continue to cook for 2 mins.
• Splash in the wine, if using, and sizzle for 1 min, stirring, then pour in the stock, cream and lemon juice, season and simmer for 10 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Leave to cool, then pop in the fridge to chill. Can be made up to two days ahead. Assemble the pies as directed in Tom's pie pastry recipe, decorating the tops with any trimmings, if you like.