Award-winning chef Paul Leonard shares his top tips for making a classic chicken pot pie — the ultimate comfort food (stock photo)
What do most people do wrong when cooking? Apparently this is when they make a dish too complicated.
So says award-winning chef Paul Leonard, who runs the Michelin-starred restaurant Forest Side in the Lake District, Cumbria.
Speaking to MailOnline Travel, the Hull-born chef explains: “I firmly believe that cooking is cooking. You can’t reinvent the wheel with this. I think some of the best meals you’ll eat will be the simplest.”
However, he then reveals how to easily bake a classic chicken pie – the ultimate comfort food.
Leonard, who has been at the helm of Forest Side since 2019, says when he prepares the dish at home, he roasts a whole chicken and then plucks all the meat from the bird as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Leonard runs the Michelin-starred Forest Side restaurant in the Lake District
He notes, “The whole chicken is probably cheaper than buying parts of a chicken.”
Price isn’t the only reason why Leonard prefers to work with a whole chicken – it also makes the cake that much tastier.
He says, “You have so many nice bits – you have the little oysters.” [dark meat near the thigh], you have bones – which bring different flavors. Then you have all the juice that comes out of the chicken… and it makes a great sauce.”
Once the meat is cooked, the chef, who previously worked under MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing, recommends taking the juices from the chicken and cooking them in a sauce.
From this he makes a sauce that is thickened with a roux [a mixture of fat and flour] and to which he adds “a hint of cream, some mustard and lots of fresh herbs”. Wild garlic can also be added.
Leonard says, “I think some of the best meals you eat are the simplest.” The photo shows the interior of the Forest Side restaurant
He then folds his fried chicken pieces back into the sauce.
An important part of the recipe is to place the pie crust in the bottom of the baking dish. A real chicken pie has to have a bottom, reveals Leonard.
He says: A cake must have a bottom, [it’s] not one of those cupcakes you like [only] get a crust on top. It’s a well-wrapped cake.”
Summarizing the recipe, he says, “It’s just super easy.”
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
