Chicken and Leek Pie

Here's another recipe that I just wasn't sure about initially, but I just new would come out amazingly.  Like the cottage pie, this recipe seemed a lot like a recipe I've tried, just with less vegetables.  And again, upon research, it turns out I'm right.  The Scottish version of chicken and leek pie varies from the conventional chicken pie (or chicken pot pie as we call it up here) in one very key way...  More meat, less vegetables.  In fact, it seems when it comes to Scottish cooking, if it's not a potato and it didn't have legs, it has no real place on the plate.  Not that I'm complaining...  I can get behind any culinary style that appreciates gravy.

This dish was super easy to make and, like the other Disney recipes, I'm noticing a trend of using little spice and allowing the elements of the dish to speak for themselves.  Again, this meal had only one spice, a little salt and pepper, and it left the leeks and chicken to carry the flavor.  It really works, too, because this is the first time I've really had a dish where there was a pronounced (though not overwhelming) taste of leek.  I never thought, in a million years, that a dish that had gravy as part of a filling would be able to translate that delicate flavor of leek so nicely.

The thing that stands out on this dish though, besides the amazing and authentic taste, was how it looks.  This pie was just flat out gorgeous.  Stunning.  Like I regretted slicing into it.  Next time I'm having people over to dinner, this is going to be my go-to meal.  I'm a big fan of simple, delicious meals that look stunning.  

I made only two changes to this recipe...  I had a spare, cooked roaster chicken on hand and instead of using chicken breast, I carved the breast off the roaster.  This did change the texture of the dish as the chicken, instead of being diced and whole, it shredded when I added the gravy.  I also gave this pie a bottom crust when the recipe didn't call for it, but I'll freely admit that I did so out of habit.  I always put a bottom crust in and I just did it with this recipe without thinking.  That said, I've read reports of people getting this with a bottom crust recently, so perhaps not too much of a variation from how Disney does it, though a slight variation from my recipe.  Also, the adding of the heavy cream at the end was somewhat difficult for me because I really packed the crust down.  Next time, I'd skip patting it down so tight and perhaps it'd be easier to pour in.

At the Rose and Crown, this dish is also served in a single dish serving, not a sliced pie.  My recipe calls for baking it in pie form, so that's how I went since it's a little more practical...  And I had no appropriate dishes to bake it in, but that's beside the point.

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Chicken and Leek Pie

As is served at Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room, England Pavilion, EPCOT

 

°o°  2 tablespoons butter
°o°  1/2 cup onion, diced

°o°  1/2 cup celery, cut on the bias

°o°  1 cup leeks, whites only, diced and clean

°o°  1 pound boneless cubed chicken breast

°o°  2 tablespoons flour

°o°  1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth

°o°  1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

°o°  2 teaspoons salt
°o°  1/4 teaspoon pepper

°o°  1/4 teaspoon thyme

°o°  Pastry dough for single crust pie

°o°  1 egg, beaten

°o°  1/4 cup warmed heavy cream

Melt butter in a large skillet and add onion, celery, and leeks.  Saute until tender on medium heat, then add cubed chicken and cook until the chicken is tender.  Sprinkle with flour and stir constantly until mixture clumps, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Add stock, parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400.

Place mixture in a casserole dish or pie pan at least 2 inches deep.  Place pie dough on top, trimming any extra off the edges.  Cut a 1-inch hole in the center of the pie and brush with the beaten egg.  

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and filling is hot.

 

Heat heavy cream until lukewarm and pour through the hole in the top of the pie and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Serves 4-6

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