Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties make a hearty meal either on their own or with potatoes and greens.
For the filling in these delicious pasties, I’ve combined leftover roast chicken plus chunky ham in a lightly creamy sauce with leeks and a touch of garlic .
In this post I also show you how simple it is to make crisp shortcrust pastry either with a food processor or by hand.
The pasties freeze and reheat well, so it’s worth making a batch of 6 – 8 Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties.
Jump to Recipe
THE APPEAL OF THE PASTY
A pasty is basically a pie that is baked freeform, without a container. This makes it a great portable food. Most famously the Cornish pasty, containing meat, potato, swede and onion, was a food that miners took down the pits with them. However, there are all sorts of pasties. Foods of England cites references going back as far as 1296: a good few centuries before anyone had heard of the Cornish version.
While I do love a good pie (a simple favourite is Minced Beef & Onion Pie), I think the pasty has one major advantage. Being a self-contained portion for one person, the pasty lends itself to batch cooking and freezing. This means it’s dead simple to just take out of the freezer as many or as few pasties you want.
I also think pasty fillings, protected by their crispy pastry shell, are less prone to drying out when reheating as compared to slices from a pie.
CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PASTIES
Being a fan of the pasty, it’s been a bit remiss of me not to have a recipe on the blog. So, today’s the day I put that right. This particular filling came about as I wanted to use up some odds and ends from the freezer. I had in there a good chunk of cooked ham from our Christmas gammon plus some chicken breast saved from a roasted bird. All I needed to add was a couple of leeks, some garlic, and I had the makings of a classic: Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties.
I chopped the ham and chicken into chunky, bite-sized pieces. If you only have thin cut ham then roughly chop or shred it. I used equal amounts of chicken and ham but you could alter the ratio if you prefer.
MAKING THE FILLING FOR CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PASTIES
Because the filling needs to be cold when you shape the pasties, I get started on it before the pastry. If convenient, you can even make the filling the day before and leave it in the fridge.
I begin by sweating the leeks (thickly sliced then well washed), in plenty of butter and a little salt and pepper. You’re not browning them, just softening. Over low-medium heat, this should take 10 – 12 minutes. A couple of minutes before they’re done, I put in two finely chopped garlic cloves.
The lightly creamy sauce that will moisten the leeks, chicken, and ham is based on a thick bechamel or white sauce. Many chicken and leek pasties and pies use all milk or even cream. But I find this too cloyingly rich. I prefer half chicken stock and half milk. Of course, you can use proportionately more milk and a splash of cream if you want.
The sauce is thickened with plain flour. We stir this into the buttery leeks and cook for about a minute. Then we start stirring in the milk and chicken stock. To prevent lumps, I think this is best done off the heat and gradually. Be sure to stir well after each addition and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
When all the liquid has been added, put the pan back on the heat, turned up to medium. Keep stirring all the time while the sauce heats up, then bubbles and thickens. With the heat back down to low, let it cook for 2 – 3 minutes. The sauce will be pretty thick: we don’t want it running out of the pasties.
Next, fold in the cooked chicken and ham. I like to add some fresh green herbs too. In this case, it’s parsley but chives, tarragon, or thyme would all work.
Be sure to taste and check the seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper if you think it needs it. Now you can set the filling aside until cold. To speed things up, I transfer it to a clean dish, cover it and put in the fridge.
As mentioned above, you can leave it in the fridge until the next day if that’s convenient for you. By the way, there’s no reason you can’t use this filling to make a pie instead of pasties. Just add another 150 ml or so of liquid when making the sauce.
MAKING SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Using a food processor to make shortcrust pastry means it’s incredibly quick. But even if you don’t have this piece of equipment, I’d still urge you to make your own pastry rather than buy it. Not just on cost grounds, but on flavour too. In the detailed recipe card at the end I give you instructions for making it both ways.
All you do is whizz butter (or rub in if making by hand) with plain flour. Then, a tablespoon at a time, iced water is added until everything starts coming together into a dough. Finally, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and very briefly knead into a smooth ball.
The dough should then be wrapped in cling film, foil, or put in a polythene bag and chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will come to no harm if it’s more convenient to leave it longer. But don’t skip the chilling step: this makes rolling out much easier. When the time is up, cut the dough into however many pasties you want to make.
Because I love having pasties in the freezer for easy, comforting meals I like to make a batch of 8. The recipe makes 8 good sized pasties, but you could easily halve the ingredients to make 4. Alternatively, for bigger appetites, you could keep the quantities the same and make 6 very large ones.
However many Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties you go for, I strongly recommend using scales to make sure you divide the dough in equal sized pieces.
FORMING THE PASTIES
To make 8 pasties, you should roll each piece of dough into a circle approximately 20 cm in diameter. For 6, make your circles 27 cm. To neaten, find yourself a suitably sized plate, bowl, or saucepan lid and use it as a template to cut around. Save any scraps as you can use them to make a mini pasty if you have any filling left over. Unless you’re very fast at making pasties, I think it’s best to roll and fill one piece of dough at a time, keeping the rest covered.
Now spoon one eighth of the filling (or a sixth if making the larger size) onto half of the circle. Tip: first, I gently fold the circle in half and make a slight crease to find the middle, then open out again. Be sure to leave a bare edge of roughly 2 cm.
Brush all around this bare edge with an egg beaten with a splash of milk. Now fold over and press firmly down to seal the pasty. Traditional Cornish pasties have a crimped edge, but I don’t like its bulkiness. So, I just go all around, pressing down with the tines of a fork. If the fork sticks, dip the tines into a little flour.
Transfer the pasty to a lined baking tray and continue making more until all the filling and scraps of dough are used up. If you don’t want to bake them straight away, they can go in the fridge at this point or even the freezer.
BAKING CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PASTIES
When I’m ready to bake, I brush each pasty with more of the beaten egg. This will give them a lovely, shiny glaze after cooking.
Then it’s into the oven, preheated to 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4, for 25 minutes. Do this in batches if you can’t fit all the pasties in at once.
After 25 minutes, I turn the heat up to 200°C / 180° Fan / Gas 6. This will deepen the colour of the pastry and make it crisper. I also take the opportunity to give the pasties another brush with the beaten egg for extra shine.
Back in the oven, they should take another 5 minutes to get completely crisp and golden brown. But another couple of minutes won’t hurt if you want them darker.
Your Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties are now ready to eat. If you’re making in advance or planning to freeze some or all of them, transfer to a wire rack and leave until cold before storing.
The pasties will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days and can be reheated in the oven at 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4 until piping hot. I sometimes cheat though by pinging in the microwave for a minute or two then finish in the oven to crisp the pastry again.
SERVING CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PASTIES
Like all pasties, these can be served hot or cold. But I must say I much prefer them hot with the lightly creamy filling bubbling again. Large ones can make a complete meal on their own, but I love to serve them with some buttery mashed potato and greens.
On a chilly evening, I think that cutting through golden, crisp pastry and releasing a chicken, ham and leek packed filling, subtly flavoured with garlic and herbs makes top-notch comfort food. And what a great way of using up leftover meat.
Homemade Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties are really not difficult. Making the simple pastry is easy once you know how, as is shaping the pasties.
So, whether you’re new to making pasties or an old hand, I’ve love to hear from anyone who’s tried my recipe.
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties
Crisp, homemade shortcrust pasties filled with leftover roast chicken and chunky ham, in a lightly creamy sauce with leek and a touch of garlic.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 40 g butter
- 2 leeks sliced into thickish rounds then washed
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- 30 g flour
- 200 ml milk
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 300 g cooked, boneless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
- 300 g cooked ham cut into chunky dice (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, chives, or tarragon or 1 tsp thyme leaves
For the shortcrust pastry
- 600 g plain flour plus extra for rolling out
- ¾ tsp salt
- 300 g cold butter diced
- 8 - 10 tbsp iced water
- 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water or milk for sealing and glazing
Instructions
Make the filling (can be done the day before and refrigerated)
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Put the butter in a large sauté pan or large, deep, frying pan over low-medium heat.
When melted, stir in the sliced leeks and season with a little salt and pepper.
Gently cook, stirring often, until they're softening without browning (10 -12 min), adding the garlic for the final 2 minutes.
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Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables then cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Take the saucepan off the heat and pour in approximately 100ml of the milk. Stir well so it's combined with the other ingredients with no lumps.
Gradually add the rest of the milk and the chicken stock, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Put back on the heat, turned up to medium, and continue stirring until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
Turn the heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring.
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Fold the chicken and ham into the sauce along with a generous grind of pepper plus the fresh herbs. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
Transfer the filling to a bowl or suitable container, cover and put in the fridge until cold.
Make the shortcrust pastry
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If using a food processor
Put the flour, salt and butter into the food processor and whizz until the mixture looks like very fine breadcrumbs.
With the motor still running add iced water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture starts coming together.
If making by hand
Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter so that the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add 1 tbsp of cold water and stir it in with a round bladed knife. Continue adding tablespoons of water and stirring until the mixture starts coming together.
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Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead into a smooth ball of dough.
Wrap in cling film or foil and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Make the pasties
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Line two or three baking trays with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4
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Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (or 6 for larger pasties), using scales for accuracy. Shape each piece into a ball.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first ball into a circle approximately 20 cm in diameter (or 27 cm if you're making 6 larger pasties): use a suitably sized plate, bowl, or saucepan lid as a template to cut around and get a neat circle.
Put ⅛ (or ⅙) of the filling on one half* of the circle, leaving a 2 cm bare edge. Brush the edge with a little of the beaten egg then bring over one side of the dough to cover the filling and create a semi-circular pasty.
* to accurately find the halfway mark, gently fold the dough over, make a light crease then open it up again.
Press the edge down well to seal, then repeat with the tines of a fork (dipped in flour if they stick) to create a pattern or use your fingers to crimp the edge.
Transfer to a baking tray.
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Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough and filling.
Brush the pasties with beaten egg yolk, put in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.
-
Take the trays out of the oven and brush the pasties with another layer of beaten egg.
Turn the heat up to 200°C / 180° Fan / Gas 6 and return the pasties to the oven.
Cook for a further 5 - 7 minutes or until the pastry is cooked, crisp and golden brown.
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If not serving straight away, cool then store in the fridge for 2 days or freeze.
Reheat at 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4 until piping hot (approx. 20-25 min) or heat in the microwave for 2 minutes and put in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up.
Recipe Notes
If you only have thinly sliced ham then roughly chop or shred it.
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