Chicken Leek Mushroom Pot Pie
This Chicken Leek Mushroom Pot Pie is all the comfort you need.
Bite size pieces of chicken smothered in a rich and creamy sauce with tender pieces of mushroom and leeks.
What better than a delicious filling bubbling under flaky pastry that melts in your mouth.
If you love onion you will love the flavour of leeks even more, it is slightly sweet and milder than onions.
If you are Indian and you are probably one of those that’s so fond of spicy food, let me warn you this one is a little different.
It is by no means bland but don’t expect spice. The reason I say this is because my hubby always says “please make something different” and when I do he expects a chilli kick.
And because I wanted him to believe it had a hint of spice I did add some chilli flakes.
You could taste it just a little but it is by no means a full on spicy pie.
Making this pie may seem like hard work but trust me it’s not. Remember, it’s me sharing the recipe.
The queen of easy, simple recipes for the lazy cook. Did I say lazy…yes I hate tedious cooking processes.
Ingredients in Chicken Leek Mushroom Pot Pie
To make this pie you will need a few ingredients.
Puff Pastry – who has time to make this from scratch, certainly not me. Woolies makes an amazing puff pastry and it’s what I used for this recipe.
One roll of pastry is more than enough. The pastries here in SA is 400 gram but if you get smaller ones I think you should purchase two.
Chicken Breasts – because I personally don’t like thighs off the bone, it just doesn’t work well with my palate. But you feel free to use thighs if you wish.
Chicken thighs are also much more forgiving than chicken breasts. If you are not confident cooking chicken breasts I highly recommend you stick to chicken thighs.
Be careful not to over cook the chicken breasts. The last thing you want is chewy chicken.
Leeks – this is a milder, sweet version of onion and does add a beautiful flavour to the pie filling. You need a fair amount of leeks, you can use one large leek or 8 baby leeks (which is what I used).
The baby leeks are slightly sweeter than the large leeks and a little more flavoursome, at least in my books.
Mushroom – I love a good chicken and mushroom pie and this adds a nice texture to the pie. I use portobellini mushroom but you can use regular white mushroom if you wish.
Thyme – Of course thyme is my favourite herb and fresh is best. It does add the most fragrant perfume to food. You could use dried thyme but I honestly think it doesn’t add the same fragrance as fresh.
Mixed Herbs and bay leaf – I wanted more flavour to the pie and a little herbs always does the trick.
Garlic – garlic is a must in most dishes, in my opinion.
Onion – Although you do not need onion for this pie as the leek is a replacement for onion, I still used some. Again you can leave it out if you choose to.
Cream Cheese – I used so little you may hardly notice the cream cheese. But in my mind it sort of balances the flavours, I could be wrong.
Cornflour – this is needed to thicken the sauce. You do not want a runny sauce in your pies.
Chicken Stock -of course it’s all about flavour, chicken stock adds a ton of flavour compared to using plain old water.
Cream – adds richness and gives the sauce a luscious feel. However, I think evaporated milk can also work.
Butter – a little fat is needed. I always use salted butter in my recipes and I adjust the salt accordingly.
Dijon Mustard – the flavour of mustard can be a little overpowering, especially if you use too much. Therefore I used just 2 teaspoons and I added the cream cheese to balance the flavour. You can decide what works for you and adjust accordingly.
Egg – you need an egg to brush the pastry for that rich golden colour.
You will notice I did not add salt at the beginning of the cooking process. That’s due to the fact that the chicken stock and butter already has salt.
Once everything is cooked you can do a taste test and add more salt if required.
How to make the pie
It is not that difficult as I mentioned earlier.
You cook the vegetables, add the spice and then allow the sauce to thicken.
I wanted to speed up the process so I used cornfllour or cornstarch. I mixed that into the chicken stock before adding it to the pan.
You can also use regular flour, however you will have to cook that down with the butter before adding the liquids.
Once the sauce thickens you add the chicken, which was cooked earlier, back to the pan and you simmer for a couple of minutes and you are done.
The filling should cool down completely before you place the pastry on top. The heat will melt the butter in the pastry and it will not puff up as nicely.
I saw someone place strips of the pastry on the edges of the baking pan and then the pastry was placed on top. This gives the pie a lovely puffy pastry on the edges.
Another alternative, if you are making the pie in advance, is to assemble everything. The filling can be warm.
Place the pastry on top and pop it into the fridge.Once ready to bake brush it with the egg and bake.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we did. Feel free to drop and comment and a star rating.
More recipes to try:

Chicken Leek Mushroom Pot Pie
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 700 gram chicken breasts see note 1
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pie Filling
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 onion diced
- 8 baby leeks see note 2
- 250 gram portobellini mushroom wiped and chopped
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 1 cup fresh cream
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- salt
- pepper
Pastry
- 400 gram puff pastry
Instructions
Marinating and Cooking the Chicken
- Chop the chicken breasts into little cubes. Add the chilli, mixed herbs, garlic and black pepper and mix well.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large pan and cook the chicken (preferably in two batches) until it just turns white. Do not overcook. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Making the Filling
- Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan
- Add the onion and leeks together with the fresh thyme. Cook until slightly translucent and add the chopped mushroom. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Cook until the mushrooms have softened. Don't cook too much as you don't want the leeks turning brown (see note 3).
- Add the bay leaf. Mix the cornflour into the chicken stock and add to the pan. Allow it to thicken a little, add the cream and the dijon mustard. Return the chicken to the pan. Allow it to cook on a high heat for 2 minutes and remove from the stovetop. Mix in the cream cheese. (see note 4)
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 392 degrees fahrenheit
- Allow the filling to cool, should take at least an hour. Cut a piece of pastry to fit the top of the baking dish. Cut 4 thin strips from the remaining pastry, brush with some water and stick them on the edges of the baking pan. If it doesn't fit exactly, stretch it gently with your hands.
- Place the filling inside the dish. Cover with the pastry. Beat one large egg and brush the top of the pastry. Make a cross in the middle of the pastry.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown in colour.
Notes
3. I did consider frying my mushrooms, removing it from the pan and then cooking the leeks and onion. However, I am all about cutting down processes so I did the opposite. I sauteed the leeks and onion just a little and add the mushrooms. The experts suggest that you never cook your leeks until brown. My mushroom did fry with the leeks but it was brown from the mushroom, not from being over fried. It worked perfectly fine and the flavor was amazing.
4. You may wonder why I've used so little cream cheese. Dijon mustard can be a little overpowering and it felt that way to me when I tasted the filling. Personally, I feel the cream cheese sort of balances the flavour and tones down the flavour of from dijon mustard. However, it is not absolutely necessary. If the filling tastes fine without the cream cheese feel free to omit it.Nutrition