This easy Chicken and Ham Pie is packed with tender chicken, chunks of ham, leeks and sweetcorn in a creamy sauce, all topped with golden puff pastry. It's a brilliant way to use leftover roast chicken and ham, especially after Christmas, but it's just as good for a comforting family dinner any time of year.
I love how little effort goes into this pie. There's no need to make pastry from scratch or fuss around with a pastry base.
Just make the creamy filling, top with ready-rolled puff pastry and let the oven do the rest.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 3 December 2024 and was fully retested in November 2026 to check the cooking time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
Looking for some more comforting pie recipes? Why not try our delicious Cheesy Vegetable Pie, comforting Cumberland Pie or classic Sausage and Mash Pie.
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Why You'll Love It
- Perfect for leftovers - A great way to turn leftover roast chicken, ham or Christmas gammon into another delicious meal.
- Easy to make - Just 10 minutes of prep, ready-made puff pastry and no complicated sauce.
- Family-friendly - A creamy, comforting filling with plenty of vegetables and 34g of protein per serving.
- Easy to adapt - Swap the vegetables, adjust the mustard or use leftover turkey instead of chicken.
Recipe Overview
- The method: Make a creamy chicken, ham and leek filling in a frying pan, then top with ready-rolled puff pastry and bake until golden.
- The texture: Tender chicken and chunks of ham in a thick, creamy sauce with sweetcorn, under a crisp, flaky pastry lid.
- Baking dish: We used a 25 x 16 x 6cm (approximately 10 x 6 x 2.5 inch) ovenproof dish.
- Good to know: Use fully cooked chicken and ham, and let the filling cool for at least 5 minutes before adding the pastry.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken - We use 400g of leftover cooked chicken. Roast chicken or our slow cooker chicken breast works well. You can also cook chicken specifically for this recipe, but it needs to be fully cooked before adding it to the filling.
- Ham - We use 125g of thickly diced ham. Leftover honey roast ham or cooked gammon joint is perfect. Avoid wafer-thin slices if possible, as they get lost in the sauce.
- Leek and shallot - Add a lovely savoury flavour and extra vegetables. You can use a small onion instead of the shallot.
- Sweetcorn - Adds little bursts of sweetness. Peas are a good alternative, or you can use a mixture of both.
- Plain flour and chicken stock - These make the base of the creamy sauce. We use 50g of flour and 200ml of chicken stock. Low-salt stock is a good option because ham can already be quite salty.
- Crème fraîche - We use 300ml of reduced-fat crème fraîche for a creamy sauce without needing double cream. Let it sit out of the fridge for about 10 minutes before adding it, and avoid boiling the sauce once it is mixed in.
- Dijon mustard - Just 1 tablespoon adds a lovely flavour that goes particularly well with ham. Reduce it for a milder flavour, or use wholegrain mustard instead.
- Puff pastry - A 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry keeps this recipe really easy. You could use shortcrust pastry, although the texture and cooking time may differ.
- Olive oil, egg, salt and pepper - Oil for softening the vegetables, beaten egg for a golden pastry topping and seasoning to taste.
How To Make Chicken and Ham Pie
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
- Soften the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced leek and diced shallot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.
- Add the flour. Stir in the plain flour until it coats the vegetables. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, so there is no dry flour remaining.
- Start the sauce. Pour in approximately 2 tablespoons of the chicken stock and stir well to form a smooth paste. This helps prevent lumps in the sauce.
- Add the remaining stock. Gradually stir in the rest of the chicken stock. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken and ham. Add the cooked chicken, diced ham, sweetcorn, crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Stir everything together gently until well combined. The filling should be creamy and thick enough to coat the chicken without being watery.
- Transfer to the dish. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before adding the pastry.
We used a 25 x 16 x 6cm (approximately 10 x 6 x 2.5 inch) ovenproof baking dish.
- Add the puff pastry. Place the puff pastry over the filling and tuck the edges around the rim of the dish to form a crust. Brush with whisked egg and make a couple of small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown and the filling is piping hot throughout. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Chicken and Ham Pie Variations
This creamy chicken and ham pie is easy to adapt depending on what you have in the fridge.
Leftover turkey and gammon - Swap the cooked chicken for leftover Christmas turkey and use diced cooked gammon instead of ham. The rest of the recipe stays the same.
Extra vegetables - Try peas, finely chopped broccoli, spinach or mushrooms. Fry mushrooms first to remove excess moisture, and soften firmer vegetables such as carrots before adding them to the filling.
Different flavours - A little fresh thyme or chopped parsley works really well with the chicken and ham. You could also replace the Dijon mustard with wholegrain mustard for a slightly different flavour.
Creamier filling - Full-fat crème fraîche or double cream can be used instead of reduced-fat crème fraîche. The sauce will be richer, so adjust the consistency if needed.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken and ham leek pie already contains meat and vegetables, so it can be enjoyed on its own. However, I love adding a simple side to make it go a little further, especially when feeding the whole family.
Our slow cooker mashed potatoes are perfect for soaking up the creamy sauce, and roasted tenderstem broccoli adds some extra greens.
Other delicious side dishes include:
- Slow cooker red cabbage - Especially good when making this pie with Christmas leftovers.
- Easy garlic green beans
- Air fryer green beans
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic
Storage
Store: This recipe uses previously cooked chicken and ham, so the baking stage reheats the meat. For the best results, serve the pie straight after cooking. If you have some left, cool it within 2 hours and refrigerate in an airtight container. It can be eaten cold within 48 hours, provided the original cooked meat is still within its safe storage time.
Reheat: The Food Standards Agency recommends reheating leftovers only once. Because this pie is already made using cooked meat that has been reheated, don't reheat the finished pie again.
Freeze: I don't recommend freezing the completed pie when using reheated leftovers. The pastry can become soggy and the crème fraîche sauce may separate when defrosted. If you want to plan ahead, freeze the leftover cooked chicken and ham separately before making the pie, then defrost safely in the fridge and use promptly.
Make ahead: You can prepare the vegetable sauce a day in advance, cool it promptly and keep it covered in the fridge. When you're ready, combine it with safely stored cooked chicken and ham, add the pastry and bake until the centre is piping hot. A chilled filling may need longer in the oven.
Dannii's Extra Tips
- Use cooked chicken - This is a leftover chicken pie recipe, so the meat should already be cooked before adding it to the sauce. Raw chicken will not cook reliably using the same method.
- Keep the sauce thick - If the filling looks too runny, simmer it gently for another minute or two before transferring it to the baking dish. If it becomes too thick, stir in a small splash of stock.
- Avoid soggy pastry - Let the filling cool slightly before adding the pastry. Very hot, steaming filling can soften the pastry from underneath.
- Keep the pastry cold - Take it out of the fridge just before you need it. Don't stretch it tightly over the baking dish, as this can cause it to shrink.
- Cut vegetables small - If adding broccoli or cauliflower, cut the florets into small pieces and cook them briefly first if needed, so they're tender when the pie is ready.
- Add steam holes - Make a couple of small cuts in the top of the pastry so steam can escape while the pie bakes.
- Decorate with leftover pastry - Use any offcuts to make little stars, hearts or leaves for the top. It's a lovely way to make the pie look special without much extra effort.
- Be careful with salt - Ham and chicken stock can both be salty, so taste the filling before adding extra seasoning.
- Add fresh herbs - A little chopped parsley adds freshness to the creamy sauce.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy puff pastry | Filling was too hot or watery when the pastry was added. | Thicken the sauce before transferring it to the dish. Let it cool for 5 minutes and use chilled pastry. |
| Filling is too runny | The stock and flour haven't thickened enough. | Simmer gently for another minute or two, stirring, until the sauce coats the chicken. |
| Filling is too thick | The flour has absorbed too much liquid. | Stir in a splash of chicken stock until the sauce is creamy but not watery. |
| Pastry shrinks | The pastry was stretched over the dish or became too warm. | Keep it chilled and lay it loosely over the dish without pulling it tightly. |
| Sauce looks grainy or split | The crème fraîche has been heated too quickly or boiled. | Remove from the heat and stir gently. Next time, add the crème fraîche over a low heat and avoid boiling. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but you will need to cook it first. Cut chicken breast or thigh into bite-sized pieces and cook thoroughly in a frying pan before adding it at Step 5. The recipe as written uses cooked chicken, so don't add raw chicken directly to the filling.
Yes. You can use an onion instead, or replace the leek with mushrooms, peas or another vegetable you enjoy. Just make sure any vegetables that need longer to cook are softened before adding them to the pie.
Absolutely! Cooked turkey works just as well as chicken, and leftover cooked gammon is a great alternative to ham. This is one of my favourite ways to turn Christmas leftovers into something completely different from another roast dinner.
More Leftovers Recipes
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Recipe
Chicken and Ham Pie
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil
- 1 Leek - sliced
- 1 Shallot - large, diced
- 50 g (⅓ cup) of Plain flour
- 200 ml (¾ cup) of Chicken stock
- 400 g (14 oz) of Leftover cooked chicken - shredded
- 125 g (4 ½ oz) of Ham - diced
- 160 g (1 cup) of Sweetcorn
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) of Reduced fat crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper
- 320 g (11 oz) of Puff pastry
- 1 Egg - whisked
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
- Soften the vegetables. Heat 1 teaspoon of Olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.Add 1 Leek (sliced) and 1 Shallot (diced) and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.
- Add the flour. Stir in 50 g of Plain flour until it coats the vegetables. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, so there is no dry flour remaining.
- Start the sauce. Pour in approximately 30 ml of Chicken stock and stir well to form a smooth paste. This helps prevent lumps in the sauce.
- Add the remaining stock. Gradually stir in 170 ml of Chicken stock. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken and ham. Add 400 g of Leftover cooked chicken (shredded), 125 g of Ham (diced), 160 g of Sweetcorn, 300 ml of Reduced fat crème fraîche, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper.Stir everything together gently until well combined. The filling should be creamy and thick enough to coat the chicken without being watery.
- Transfer to the dish. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before adding the pastry.
- Add the puff pastry. Place 320 g of Puff pastry over the filling and tuck the edges around the rim of the dish to form a crust.Brush with 1 Egg (whisked) and make a couple of small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown and the filling is piping hot throughout.Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Use cooked chicken - This is a leftover chicken pie recipe, so the meat should already be cooked before adding it to the sauce. Raw chicken will not cook reliably using the same method.
- Keep the sauce thick - If the filling looks too runny, simmer it gently for another minute or two before transferring it to the baking dish. If it becomes too thick, stir in a small splash of stock.
- Avoid soggy pastry - Let the filling cool slightly before adding the pastry. Very hot, steaming filling can soften the pastry from underneath.
- Keep the pastry cold - Take it out of the fridge just before you need it. Don't stretch it tightly over the baking dish, as this can cause it to shrink.
- Cut vegetables small - If adding broccoli or cauliflower, cut the florets into small pieces and cook them briefly first if needed, so they're tender when the pie is ready.
- Add steam holes - Make a couple of small cuts in the top of the pastry so steam can escape while the pie bakes.
- Decorate with leftover pastry - Use any offcuts to make little stars, hearts or leaves for the top. It's a lovely way to make the pie look special without much extra effort.
- Be careful with salt - Ham and chicken stock can both be salty, so taste the filling before adding extra seasoning.
- Add fresh herbs - A little chopped parsley adds freshness to the creamy sauce.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Gloria says
This is fast becoming one of our favourite recipes for leftover chicken or Turkey. Made it for the first time last Christmas, have used & adapted the recipe during the year & made again this Christmas with leftover Turkey & Gammon. Love the combinations of the crème fraiche & the Dijon mustard
Sarah says
Overall this was a yummy recipe, which my often fussy 10yr old loved and sometimes fussy 7yr old made a good effort with. I used a little butter when cooking the leeks as I love the flavour, and I only added 1tsp of mustard which was enough for us. Loved the idea of adding some shapes to the top so covered ours in love hearts - definitely enticed the girls to try it! Thanks for the recipe!