Chicken, leek and mushroom pancake bake

This chicken, leek, and mushroom bake is a delicious a comforting weeknight supper. Roll the pancakes *which can be store-bought) around the creamy filling and cover in a cheesy bechamel sauce. To make this vegetarian, simply replace the chicken with more mushrooms.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a perfect pancake recipe, and I had loads left over after making my caramel and banana-stuffed pancakes. I decided to do a savoury recipe. I love to use pancakes instead of pasta to make a cannelloni-type baked dish, it works in the same way but is somehow lighter and less stodgy.

I did what I typically do when creating a recipe, I use what ingredients I have on hand, and as a food stylist, I often have loads of food left over from a shoot. Not necessarily everything I want, but I’m forced to be creative with the ingredients I have and not to waste food. It also gives me a perfect reason to keep creating for Drizzle and Dip while saving money and keeping me well-fed. This can also be an occupational hazard, as often, and what is lately the case, I make food that is not that healthy and I shouldn’t be eating. Next year I am going to have to change this strategy slightly as I need to tighten my belt (literally) and get back onto a healthier eating regime.

This chicken, leek, and mushroom filling is a great all-round pie filling and can be used to make other kinds of chicken pies. Top with mashed potatoes, puff pastry or roll it in phyllo as I did with this serpent pie. It can easily be adapted to other vegetables too. Zucchini and spinach would work well.

In order to speed things up, I sautéed the chicken vs poaching it which I usually prefer to do when making a pie.

You can find my best-ever pancake recipe here. It’s great for sweet or savoury pancakes. Make a batch for a dessert and use only 6 to make this chicken dish.

chicken, leek and mushroom pancake bake

A delicious chicken, leek, and mushroom pancake bake.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Total Time:50 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts skinless
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 1/2 cups of thinly sliced leeks
• 30 g butter
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 ready-made pancakes or make your own

bechamel sauce:

• 30 g butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 350 ml milk
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/3 cup of grated cheese gruyere or cheddar
• Extra Parmesan to sprinkle on the top/optional

Instructions

• Saute the chicken breasts in a pan with the olive oil until golden on all sides and just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pan heat the butter and sauté the leeks until they soften about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and mushrooms and cook for a further 4 - 5 minutes until they are cooked.
• Cut the chicken up into small to medium pieces and return these to the pan with the vegetables, heat through.
• Stir through the flour until it is well distributed and cook for a minute. Add the stock and allow the sauce to thicken about 3 - 4 minutes. Ensure that all the flour has cooked through.
• Add the creme fraiche and parmesan and cook for a further couple of minutes. You will now have a very creamy sauce. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. All this mixture to cool slightly.
• Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F
• Make your béchamel sauce by melting the butter and then adding the flour to form a roux. Add the milk bit by bit, whisking all the time until you have a nice smooth sauce. Add the Dijon, salt and pepper, and cheese.
• Divide the mixture among the 6 pancakes and roll each up and place in an appropriately sized oven dish. Ensure that they are quite tightly packed next to each other.
• Cover the filled pancakes with the béchamel sauce and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until

Notes

Pancakes replace pasta in this recipe where the filling is rolled up and covered in a blanket of bechamel sauce. 

Author: Sam Linsell

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