Say hello to Prasokotopita whaaat? It's how this Chicken Leek Pie is called in Greek and I bet you won't go into trouble trying to pronounce it 😀
So let's move on to what's actually important. How tasty this pie is. Because it really is! The filling is creamy yet thick so it doesn't let filo lose its crispiness. And this is one of the things I like most about this pie. The contrast of the crisp flaky filo to the creamy chicken leek filling.
Chicken Leek Pie Filling
The filling is made using a bechamel cream base and is literally loaded with leeks (two whole ones are used to make this pie). And this is what makes it so flavorful also.
To get the most flavor out of the leeks cook them the same way you cook onions. Let them saute for a while until they get really soft and their original volume reduces by half. This way you reduce their pungent taste and they turn out really flavorful and sweet.
As for the chicken, give a quick roast inside the oven to two large chicken fillets and then finely chop and mix together with the leeks and cream.
Making A Chicken Leek Pie Using Filo
It's pretty quick and easy to make a chicken leek pie using store-bought filo pastry. If you want to use homemade filo check out my Chicken Pie From Scratch recipe.
First, let the filo unfreeze in the fridge overnight. Then once you have made the filling and is cooled down to room temperature start to make the pie. Grease a 31 cm (12-inch) round pan with a mix of melted butter and olive oil.
Second, lay open the stack of filo on your working surface and cover it with a tea towel so it won't air-dry while you work.
Lay 6 filo sheets inside the pan to cover the pan on all sides. Gently brush each one with the butter-oil mix. Then add half the filling, two filo sheets, the remaining half filling, and the remaining filo sheets ruffled on top. Thawed and divide the pie into pieces and bake. Easy no?
And here's a quick picture tutorial if you want to take a peek at how it's done...
Chicken Leek Pie With Filo
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- 600 grams / 1 lb + 5 oz chicken breasts (2 large ones)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ lemon zested
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
For The Pie Filling:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 450 grams / 15.8 oz leeks (2 large) finely chopped
- 140 grams / 5 oz red onion (1 medium-sized) finely chopped
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 600 ml milk lukewarm
- 1 medium-sized egg lightly beaten
- 100 grams / 3.5 oz Kefalotyri cheese (or substitute with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano) grated
For The Pie:
- 450 grams filo pastry (1 package) unfreeze in the fridge overnight
- 80 grams / 2. oz butter melted
- 10 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Roast The Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 250°C / 482°F.
- In a mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil. Add the chicken breasts season with salt and pepper and rub them to spread the lemon-olive oil mix all over.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on your oven's tray pan or use a sheet pan. Add the chicken fillets flat on top and roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board to cool. When they're cool enough finely chop them and add them to a bowl.
Make The Pie Filling:
- In a medium-sized cooking pot heat the 6 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the leeks and onion and drop the heat to medium. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Or until they get completely soft and their original volume drops down by half.
- Turn heat to low and stir in the flour using a wooden spoon.
- Pour the milk and stir constantly until the cream starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once the cream has gotten pretty thick take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cheese. Taste to see if it needs any additonal salt.
- Then stir in the egg and the chicken. Set the pot with the cream aside to cool down to room temperature.
Make The Pie:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 374°F.
- Lay open the stack of filo on your working surface. Cover it with a tea towel so it won't air-dry.
- In a small bowl mix together the butter and olive oil. Keep it next to you to use for brushing the pan as well as the filo.
- Take a round 31 cm (12-inch pan) and grease it well with the olive oil and butter mix.
- Lay 6 filo sheets inside the pan in order to cover its bottom and all of its edges all around. Brush each filo you add to the pan with butter-olive oil mix.
- Add half of the filling on top and spread it evenly with a spoon.
- Take 2 more filo sheets and place them on top of the filling again greasing each one of them.
- Add the remaining half of the filling and again spread it and smoothen it with a spoon.
- Now add the remaining sheets of filo on top. Ruffle them a bit with your hands in order to fit inside the pan and not hang out of it. Drizzle each one with the oil-butter-mix and tap with the pastry brush to spread it gently.
- Overlap the bottom layers of filo (the ones that hang out of the pan) in order to create a ruffled pie edging. Grease the edging the same way you did the top of the pie.
- Thawed and divide the pie into 8 pieces. Try not to cut the bottom layers of filo.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until the pie gets a nice golden brown color on top.
- Then drop the temperature to 170°C / 338°F. and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. Shake the pan to see if the pie moves inside it that means it's baked at the bottom as well.
- Let the pie sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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Once again, you propose a delicious dish combining taste and textures. I will definitely incorporate leeks in my chicken pie and most probably attempt making your recipe as you present it. I love this piece in cold weather but I put some mushrooms, peas and carrots in the chicken sauce, obviously, I cover mine with a top crust. The crispiness of the filo brings in an additional layer to the gustative experience. Bravo once more. Because of you, now I always have some filo in the fridge. ;-))))
thank you Paul, 🙂