Easy leftover chicken a la king pies

Let me show you how to turn leftover chicken à la king into the easiest homemade pies imaginable. You only need three ingredients - a roll of puff pastry, some leftover chicken à la king, and an egg for brushing over the pastry. A quick bake in the oven transforms them into golden, flaky pies that are perfect for an easy lunch, a light supper or a tasty lunchbox treat!

I'm a great believer in making the most of my ingredients. With food prices constantly on the rise, it makes sense to look for ways to turn one meal into two or even three. That's exactly how these leftover chicken à la king pies came about. What started as a simple roast chicken got turned into a creamy chicken à la king and, finally, these golden, flaky leftover pies.

I hate wasting good food, and these leftover chicken à la king pies are a perfect example of how a few simple ingredients can be transformed into another delicious meal. If you've ever found yourself with leftover chicken à la king in the fridge and wondered what to do with it, this easy recipe is the answer. Simply spoon the filling into puff pastry cases, brush with egg and bake until golden and crisp.

These easy chicken pies came about quite by accident. I roasted a small chicken for supper, used the leftovers to make a batch of chicken à la king, and still had enough left over to fill four generous pies. The creamy chicken filling and flaky, buttery pastry make a combination that's hard to resist, and you'd never guess they started life as leftovers.

What I love about these little pies is how the soft, creamy chicken à la king filling lends itself to being turned into a delicious puff pastry pie. After eating one, I can't help but wonder why Greggs or Iceland haven't latched onto this idea yet! But until they do, it can be our little secret!

Jump to:

• Recipe at a glance
• Why you'll love these pies
• Ingredients
• How to make these easy pies filled with chicken a la king
• How to cook chicken a la king pies like a pro!
• Serving suggestions
• Equipment
• Storage
• FAQ
• Save for later
• Pie recipes
• 📋The recipe

Why you'll love these pies

• A brilliant way to use leftovers. Turn leftover chicken a la king into a completely different meal, helping stretch your ingredients further and reducing waste.
• Only 3 ingredients. This is a genuine 3-ingredient recipe - leftover chicken a la king, puff pastry and an egg. Nothing else - not even a pinch of salt!
• Quick and easy to make. No fancy cooking techniques needed here; just fill, seal and bake. Let the oven take care of the rest!
• Golden flaky pastry. The puff pastry bakes up beautifully crisp and buttery, contrasting perfectly with the creamy filling.
• Great for making ahead. Assemble the pies and freeze them. They're a great standby to have in the freezer.
• Cook once, eat twice. A simple way to turn yesterday's leftovers into today's meal without feeling as though you're eating the same thing again.

Ingredients

**This is just an overview to explain why I used a particular ingredient. The exact ingredient measurements are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

Three ingredients - this won't take long!

• Puff pastry. This is store-bought puff pastry. If it's good enough for Jamie Oliver, then it's good enough for me! On the other hand, if you want to make your own puff pastry, please do so. One roll of puff pastry will be sufficient for 4 pies. If you've got a lot of leftover chicken à la king you may want to buy an extra roll or two.
• Leftover chicken à la king. I turned my leftover roast chicken into chicken à la king using this recipe. Of course, you don't have to make the pies with leftovers; you could simply whip up a fresh batch of chicken a la king and use that instead. You'll probably get more than 4 pies though - so buy extra puff pastry and fill up your freezer! These pies freeze like a dream!
• Egg. The egg should be lightly beaten, and it is used to brush around the edges of the pies to seal them, and also brushed on top to encourage the chicken pies to brown. In the interests of not wasting food, add any remaining egg to your breakfast scrambled eggs 😁).

How to make these easy pies filled with chicken a la king

How to cook chicken a la king pies like a pro!

Here are my top tips to ensure your leftover chicken a la king pies always turn out perfectly.

• Make sure the filling is thick enough. This is important. My filling had thickened nicely after a night in the refrigerator. If your chicken a la king is still a bit runny (too much sauce, maybe), stir in a little cornflour or flour to help it thicken once it is in the pies. Runny filling will just leak out and make a mess. Note. This is difficult to advise, but if you take a look at the photos, you will get an idea of the consistency we are aiming for.

• Don't be tempted to overfill the pies. For pies measuring approximately 5 inches square, I found that half a cup (113 grams) of chicken a la king filling was the perfect amount. Any more than that and the filling is likely to escape during baking.
• Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. This will help form a seal and prevent the filling from oozing out.
• Seal the edges with a fork. Even though the edges of the pastry have been brushed with egg, pressing them together with a fork ensures a more secure seal.
• Prick the pastry with a fork before baking. This allows the steam to escape as the pie bakes and helps prevent the pastry from becoming soggy underneath.
• Make sure the filling is cold before assembling. Warm filling can soften the butter in the pastry, making the pies difficult to handle.
• Bake until the pastry is nicely golden. The filling is already cooked, so the colour of the pastry is the best indication that the pies are cooked.
• Line the baking tray with baking parchment. Even well-sealed pies can leak, and the baking parchment makes clean-up a lot easier.

And just in case you're wondering what the inside of the pies looks like, here's a picture. My favourite bit is the top layer of puff pastry where the creamy sauce has soaked into the underside of the pastry.

Equipment

Well, now - not too much equipment needed! You will only need a baking tray and, optionally, a sheet of baking parchment. For egg washing the pies, you will need a silicone brush. If you don't have a silicone brush, you could buy a small paintbrush from the hardware shop and keep that for baking purposes.

Storage

• Refrigerator. Allow the cooked pies to cool, then wrap them in tin foil and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freezer. Wrap the cooled pies in a layer of tin foil, and either place them in a large plastic bag or wrap them in a layer of cling film. Freeze for 3 to 4 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the cooking time, or defrost as below and bake according to the recipe instructions.
• Defrost. Allow the frozen pies to defrost in their tin foil wrapper in the refrigerator.
• Reheating. Place the pies (either defrosted or from the refrigerator) onto a baking sheet and bake in a medium oven (150C / 300F) for 10 - 12 minutes or until heated through. The pastry should crisp up in the oven. Avoid reheating in the microwave if possible, as the pastry may become soft and soggy.

FAQ

Save for later

If you would like to try these scrumptious chicken a la king pies, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

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📋The recipe

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