These chicken and leek hand pies are flaky, buttery, golden puff pastry pockets filled with tender rotisserie chicken, buttery sautéed leeks, Dijon and fresh herbs. They taste like a mini chicken pot pie you can eat with your hands, which makes them perfect as a party appetizer or a cozy weeknight dinner. Save room for our apple hand pies for dessert!
Chicken pot pie, but make it handheld!
We love a full-sized chicken pot pie, but if we're being honest, it's a project. These give you the same creamy, savory, herby filling in a flaky little package that bakes in about 20 minutes, and nobody has to fight over who gets the corner piece with the most crust. Everyone gets their own!
These look fussy, but we promise they're actually pretty easy. We tested this recipe several times to nail down the size, puff pastry type and filling, and honestly, even the "worst" batches were still absolutely delicious. The trickiest part is assembly, but as long as you take your time to make sure the edges of each pie are really well sealed, this recipe should definitely work really well for you!
If you want the full pot pie experience without the fuss of a pie dish, our chicken pot pie soup with puff pastry croutons is the other shortcut we swear by.
xoxo, Lexi & Beth
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Key Ingredients Needed for Chicken and Leek Hand Pies
- Leeks: Use just the white and pale green parts and slice them into rings. You'll want to give them a good rinse in a colander, as leeks tend to have a lot of dirt on them. Have an extra leek? Try our fondant leeks!
- Rotisserie chicken: We used a store-bought rotisserie chicken and picked off both white and dark meat.
- Puff pastry: We used the brand Dufour, an all-butter puff pastry, for the richest flavor and flakiest layers. Pepperidge Farm works too, but to be completely up front about it, your hand pies will not look or taste as good. Either way, keep it thawed but cold so it's easy to cut and bakes up tall and flaky.
- Butter, flour and chicken stock: These three make a quick little gravy that holds the filling together so it doesn't run out of the pastry.
- Sour cream: Makes the filling rich and creamy with a little tang that keeps it from feeling heavy. Crème fraîche works too.
- Fresh tarragon and thyme: Tarragon is the secret ingredient! Its subtle anise flavor is a classic match for chicken and leeks, and it makes these taste a little bit fancy. If you can't find it, chives or a little extra thyme will be just as delicious.
- Dijon: Adds a tangy kick that balances the creamy filling. We swear by Dijon as a flavor boost!
Equipment note: We used two ~4 inch cookie cutters to make our pies (from this set). The one we used to make the top of the pie was slightly larger in diameter than the one we used for the bottom, as the top layer has to account for the filling beneath it. If you use two cookie cutters that are the same size, just slightly stretch or roll out the top layer so it's a little bigger.
How to Make Chicken and Leek Hand Pies
Make the filling
To a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Once it melts, add the leeks and salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're very soft but light in color (turn the heat down if they start to brown).
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste, then pour in the stock and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's thick enough to coat the leeks. It should look pretty gravy-like.
Turn off the heat, fold in the chicken, sour cream, Dijon, herbs and pepper. Chill the filling until it's cold or at least room temperature.
Cut and fill the pastry
On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry into a roughly 13x13-inch rectangle. Cut ~3 ½-inch rounds for the bottoms and slightly larger 4¼-inch rounds for the tops.
Onto the center of each bottom, spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling, brush the border with egg wash and lay a top over it. Press out any air, use your fingers to press the edges together for a tight seal, then crimp the edges with a fork. Pro tip: to make them look super neat, re-cut them into a perfect circle using the same cookie cutter you used to cut out the dough.
Bake
Brush the tops with egg wash, poke several small holes in each one so steam can escape, and press a thyme sprig or two onto the top of each hand pie.
Bake at 400°F for about 22 minutes, until the pies are deep golden brown on top and on the bottom. Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving, since the filling will be hot!
Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
- Double sheet pan: We find that puff pastry can burn on the bottom before the top achieves a deep golden brown, so we'll typically bake our hand pies on 2 rimmed baking sheets stacked on top of each other. This creates an insulating layer that allows the bottom to cook a bit more slowly.
- Chill the filling: Warm filling softens the butter in the puff pastry, which makes the pies harder to seal and keeps them from puffing up as much.
- Keep the pastry cold: If it gets soft or sticky while you're cutting and filling, pop the whole tray back in the fridge for 10 minutes. Puff pastry is very forgiving as long as it's cold.
- Don't overfill: About 2 tablespoons per pie leaves enough of a border to get a good seal, so the filling stays put in the oven.
- Make it vegetarian: Swap the chicken for 1 cup of sautéed mushrooms and use vegetable stock.
- Don't waste leftover puff pastry: Cut it up into cracker-sized bits, brush with a little egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt or everything seasoning. Bake until golden brown for a little snack!
- Make ahead: The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, which also takes care of the chilling step. You can also assemble the pies, freeze them unbaked on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen (no need to thaw), adding about 5 minutes to the bake time.
- Storage: Store leftover baked hand pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 from frozen) so the pastry crisps back up. We don't recommend the microwave unless you're okay with a soft crust.
Variations
- Turkey and leek: If you have Thanksgiving leftovers, you can use turkey in place of the rotisserie chicken.
- Add cheese: Fold ¼ cup of grated Gruyère or sharp white cheddar into the cooled filling.
- Add vegetables: A handful of frozen peas or finely diced cooked carrot makes these pretty close to a traditional pot pie.
- Use pie dough instead: Store-bought or homemade pie crust works too. They'll be more tender and less puffy. Bake at 400°F until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Hors D'Oeuvres size: Use ~3 inch diameter cookie cutters, use about 1 tablespoon of filling each, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes for two-bite appetizers.
Why did my hand pies leak?
Almost always one of three things: the filling was still warm, the pies were overfilled, or the border wasn't sealed properly. You want to make sure you egg wash the border of the bottom puff, seal it with your fingers, then crimp it with a fork. The steam holes on top matter too, otherwise the steam will escape through the seam.
More Puff Pastry Recipes You'll Love
- Apple Hand Pies
- Sausage Roll Wreath
- Puff Pastry Croque Madame
- Onion Tarte Tatin
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons
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📖 Recipe
Chicken and Leek Hand Pies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and salt, cooking for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until softened but not browned. If they start to brown, reduce the heat.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock, stirring, and simmer for 2 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chicken, sour cream, Dijon, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. Taste for salt and adjust as desired. Chill until fully cold or at least room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. If you have enough sheet pans, we like to stack a second sheet pan underneath each one so the bottoms of the pastry don't brown too quickly.
- On a floured surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry to about 13×13 inches. We use a 3 ½-inch circular cookie cutter for the bottoms – cut 9-10 circles from one sheet of puff pastry (or as many as you can fit). On the other sheet of puff pastry, we use a ~4-inch cookie cutter for the tops. Again, cut out 9-10 circles, or as many as you can fit.
- Mound 2 tablespoons of cooled filling on each bottom circle of puff pastry, leaving a border around the edges. Brush egg wash all around the border. Top with the slightly bigger top circle, pressing firmly all the way around the edges to make sure it's well sealed and there are no air pockets. Use a fork to firmly crimp the edges together. Optional: use the 3 ½-inch cookie cutter to re-trim the circle so it looks neat!
- Brush the tops of each pastry with a thin, but even layer of egg wash. Using a sharp paring knife, poke several holes in the top so steam can escape. To decorate with thyme leaves, dip the sprig in some egg wash, then press it onto the top of the pastry.
- Bake for ~22 minutes, rotating the pan at 15 minutes, until the pastries are deep golden on both the top and bottom. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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