Chicken and leek pie lushness

Trying to eat healthily but craving comfort food does’t often make for a successful meal.

Low fat alternatives to classic dishes tend to leave me with a sinking feeling and hunger pangs in my tummy.

I always feel like i’m somehow shortchanging myself of the much tastier version. The mention of filo pastry doesn’t usually appeal either.

However this little beauty really hits the taste spot and is satisfying to boot! Even my strapping husband who isn’t a lover of insipid diet food absolutely loved this pie!

The filling is super super tasty – i’ve not used tarragon in my cooking for a very long time and had forgotten how amazing it is with chicken. The sharpness of the mustard is mellowed by the cream cheese and it just feels really luxurious.

Even the filo pastry behaved itself. It gave it the feeling of a light pie, rather than something that sits heavy in your stomach for hours afterwards.

Anyway hers’s the recipe:

Chicken and leek pie

1 large sweet potato, cut into wedges
4 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 leek, finely sliced
1 carrot, chopped
225ml chicken stock
2 tsp wholegrain mustard (Dijon also works great)
85g light soft cheese
2 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
2 sheets filo pastry

1. Heat oven to 200’c/180’c fan. In a roasting tray toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tsp of the oil and some seasoning. Cook for 30-40 mins, until golden and crisp.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a medium frying pan. Fry the chicken until browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the leek and a splash of water, and gently fry until soft, about 7 mins. Add the carrot and cook for 3 mins more.

4. Pour in the stock and boil until reduced by half, then add the mustard and soft cheese, stirring well to combine. Return the chicken to the pan, add the tarragon and some seasoning.

5. Divide the mixture between 2 small ovenproof dishes. Take the filo sheets and scrunch them up. Top each pie with a sheet and brush with remaining 1 tsp oil. Cook the pies in the oven with the chips for 15 mins until golden.

As you can see from the recipe it recommends serving it with sweet potato wedges. These were really yum, and while Matthew and I really enjoyed them, the boys did not. My kids must be odd – I thought the sweetness of the vegetable would really appeal. But no. Sadly not. So next time I do this pie I’ll probably just do some extra greens on the side or some ordinary potato wedges.