Some meals just earn their place in your freezer rotation and this is one of them.
This Creamy Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie is a proper family favourite in our house. It’s been in my top 10 freezer staples since I first made it, and it’s one of those comforting, hearty dishes that always hits the spot.
Whether you’re in the thick of newborn life, juggling toddler chaos, or just craving something easy that still feels homemade, this pie is one to keep in your batch cooking toolkit.
Why This Recipe Works for Busy Mums
✔️ Big flavour, simple prep:
Creamy chicken, sweet leeks, and earthy mushrooms under golden puff pastry – what’s not to love?
✔️ Flexible for freezing:
You can freeze the whole assembled pie (before baking) or just the filling, ready to top with pastry and bake later. Either way, it saves you time and stress down the line.
✔️ Feeds a crowd:
It serves 4 generous adult portions, and often stretches further with sides—ideal for family dinners or meal sharing.
✔️ Toddler-friendly task alert!
Little ones can help put the prepped leeks and mushrooms into the pan, attempt to chop with a toddler knife, or peel a carrot (and maybe eat half of it along the way!). It’s a brilliant bonding recipe if you want to involve your child in the kitchen.
Batch Cooking Notes
This recipe lends itself beautifully to batch cooking. Here are a few ways I make it work:
• Double the filling and freeze in portions. Defrost, add pastry, and bake
• Skip the pastry for a lighter version, or top with mash instead.
• Freeze the full pie before baking for those “tough” days.
Whichever route you take, it gives you the gift of a home-cooked meal without starting from scratch every time.
How I Serve It
This pie is rich and comforting on its own, but to make it a full plate, I usually serve it with:
• Creamy mashed potatoes
• Steamed carrots and broccoli
It’s also lovely with roasted veg or buttery peas if that’s what you have to hand.
And honestly? Sometimes I don’t even bother with the pastry i just spoon the creamy filling over mash for a quick, no-fuss dinner.
Creamy Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 900 grams Chicken breasts OR
- Leftover or rotisserie chicken
- 4 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tsp Garlic paste
- 60 grams Butter approximately – for frying
Vegetables and seasoning
- 3 Large leeks
- 225 grams Mushrooms
- 1 cup Chicken stock made with 1 stock cube in 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup Single cream I use Creme Friache
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tsp Salt or to your own taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper or to your own taste
- 1 Roll shopbought puff pastry
- 1 Small egg beaten for egg-washing pastry
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C 400°F
Preparation
- If you are using fresh chicken, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place it in a bowl with the soy sauce, garlic and cornflour. Let it stand while you prepare the leeks and mushrooms.900 grams Chicken breasts OR, 4 tbsp Soy sauce, 2 tbsp Cornflour, 1 tsp Garlic paste
- If you are using leftover or rotisserie chicken, simply pull the meat off the carcass and place it in a bowl ready to add to the filling when you need it
- Top and tail the leeks and slice them lengthwise, then slice them into semi-circles.3 Large leeks
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean off any dirty bits, then slice them or cut them into quarters.225 grams Mushrooms
- If you are using fresh chicken, melt the butter in a frying pan and when it's hot, add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they turn golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Skip this step if you are using leftover/rotisserie chicken.
- Add more butter to the frying pan, then saute the leeks and mushrooms for a few minutes until the leeks are softened and the mushrooms have released all their moisture. If you are using leftover chicken, add the garlic with the leeks and mushrooms.
- Stir occasionally. The mixture should be quite dry, and should have reduced in volume by about half.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pan and stir in the Dijon mustard and cream and season with salt and black pepper to taste.1 cup Chicken stock made with 1 stock cube in 1 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup Single cream, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp Salt or to your own taste, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper or to your own taste
- Add the chicken.
- Mix the milk and cornflour and stir through.
- Bring to the boil and allow to cook until the mixture has thickened.
- Pour the mixture into a pie dish large enough to hold all the filling. It should fit into a dish about 10″ x 7″ rectangular, and 2″ deep.
- Unroll the puff pastry, and place it on top of the pie.
- Crimp the pastry against the edges of the dish to seal, then prick the pastry with a fork to allow any steam to escape during baking.
- Brush the top of the pastry lightly with a beaten egg, to encourage the pastry to brown.
- Place the pie dish on a baking tray and then bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve hot with your choice of vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Mum Hack:
Batch cook this pie on a quieter day, maybe during a weekend nap time and label it clearly before freezing. That way, when the wheels fall off midweek (and let’s face it, they do), you’ve got a solid dinner ready to go.
If you’re cooking with a little one around, give them a safe knife to “help” with the leeks or mushrooms, or ask them to pop the veg into the pot. You’re not just making dinner you’re making memories.
Dinner doesn’t need to be complicated to be comforting.
With a few freezer-friendly favourites like this pie in rotation, you can stress less, nourish your family, and have more time for what really matters – like sitting down to actually eat it.
You’ve got this, mama.
And dinner? That’s sorted.
