Classic Chicken and Leek Pie (Baker Brothers)

Tempo

1h 30 (with pastry)

Picante

Dificuldade

Médio

Rende

6porções

Ingredientes

Filling

A good knob of butter (about 30g)

leeks (alho-poró), washed and shredded

A small bunch of thyme

rashers bacon, chopped (toucinho fatiado)

boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced (coxa de frango sem osso e sem pele)

heaped tbsp plain flour

A good glass of white wine (~150ml)

250ml crème fraîche (creme de leite fresco)

A small bunch of tarragon (estragão), leaves picked and roughly chopped — see Notes if hard to find

Salt and pepper

Shortcrust pastry (Tom's beef-dripping version — see Notes for substitute)

600g strong white flour (farinha tipo 00 or pão)

150g cold beef dripping (gordura de carne; or substitute extra cold butter)

150g cold butter, diced

2 tbsp

ice-cold water (start with 2; add up to 4 more as needed)

Finish

egg, beaten (for glazing)

Modo de preparo

01**Make the pastry.** Add flour to beef dripping in a bowl, mix until lumps disappear. Add cold butter, mix to "big breadcrumbs" texture. Add cold water and bring together — don't overwork. Roll into a sausage, wrap in cling film, **chill 30 minutes minimum** (longer is fine).
02**Cook leeks.** Heat a large frying pan over medium. Add butter and let it melt. Add leeks, salt, pepper, thyme. Cook **10-15 minutes until soft and sweet** — patient cooking is key.
03**Brown bacon and chicken.** Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper. In a separate pan over high heat, fry the bacon until crispy. Add chicken and brown all over.
04**Build filling.** Once leeks are softened, stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook **a couple of minutes** until alcohol cooks off. Add the browned chicken and bacon. Stir in crème fraîche. Stir through chopped tarragon. Remove from heat. **Cool fully before assembling** — hot filling makes pastry soggy.
05**Roll pastry.** Cut chilled pastry in half. Roll each half to about **3-4mm thick** (thickness of a £1 coin / pound coin). Use one sheet to line the bottom of a pie dish.
06**Fill and top.** Add cooled filling. Lay the second pastry sheet over the top. Crimp and pinch around the edges to seal. Make a small steam vent in the center. Optional: cut decorative shapes from offcuts.
07**Glaze.** Brush top with beaten egg.
08**Bake.** **Air Fryer Oven at 200°C, 25 minutes** until pastry is golden brown. Conventional oven: 200°C / fan 180°C, 25-30 min.
09**Rest 5 minutes** before slicing.

Classic Chicken and Leek Pie

The Tom Herbert Baker Brothers chicken pie — creamy leeks, bacon, chicken thighs, tarragon, white wine, all under a homemade beef-dripping shortcrust. The dripping pastry is the signature; if you can find dripping (or save it from a roast), this pastry is dramatically better than all-butter.

Heat: 0/5. No chile.

Serving

A green vegetable: peas, buttered cabbage, or mash. A glass of the same white wine you cooked with. Or a soft red — Beaujolais.

Notes

Beef dripping for pastry is what makes this pastry distinctive — savory, flaky, slightly meaty. Save dripping when you roast a beef joint; freezes well. If you can't get dripping, use 300g cold butter total (no dripping) — still excellent, just more typical.
Tarragon is the secret. The aniseed-like herb transforms this pie. If you can't find fresh (rare in Brazil), 1 tbsp of dried tarragon works. Don't skip; substitution with parsley or thyme makes a different (lesser) dish.
Cool the filling. Hot filling under raw pastry = soggy bottom. Plan for the cooling time.
Make-ahead. Make filling the day before; refrigerate. Roll pastry day-of. Even better: assemble the pie 1 day ahead and refrigerate raw; bake fresh for guests.
Freezer-kit version: assemble pie un-baked, freeze. Bake from frozen at 200°C for 40-50 min. Or freeze just the cooled filling; thaw, top with fresh pastry, bake.
Variations: swap chicken thighs for leftover roast chicken (skip step 3 partial — just toss in at step 4 to warm). Add a handful of sliced mushrooms with the leeks. Use a small puff pastry top instead of full shortcrust for a quicker (less authentic) version.
Cross-references: see frango-coxa_chicken-pie.md for a simpler chicken pie variant (no tarragon, with Marsala); frango-coxa_chicken-in-white-sauce-pie.md for the cream-and-mushroom-rich version. Three different pie cards, three different occasions.