Chicken Vol-au-Vent

Flaky vol-au-vent pastry shells filled with a creamy chicken, leek, and bacon sauce finished with wholegrain mustard and melted cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 large vol-au-vent pastry shells
• 50 g butter
• 500 g chicken thigh fillets, diced into 2 cm pieces
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 200 g streaky bacon, chopped
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 100 ml white wine
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml crème fraîche (or thickened cream)
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 60 g grated cheddar (or other “tasty” cheese)

Method

• 1

  Step 1: Preheat the oven

  Heat oven to 180°C fan-forced and place the vol-au-vent shells on a baking tray.

• 2

  Step 2: Melt the butter

  Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.

• 3

  Step 3: Cook the filling base

  Add chicken, leek, and bacon and cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and the leek is softened.

• 4

  Step 4: Stir in flour

  Sprinkle in flour and stir continuously for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour.

• 5

  Step 5: Add wine

  Pour in white wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated.

• 6

  Step 6: Whisk in stock

  Gradually add chicken stock while stirring to keep the sauce smooth, then bring to a gentle simmer.

• 7

  Step 7: Finish the sauce

  Stir in crème fraîche and wholegrain mustard, then simmer until slightly thickened and glossy.

• 8

  Step 8: Fill the shells

  Spoon the hot chicken mixture into the vol-au-vent shells.

• 9

  Step 9: Top and bake

  Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden on top and heated through.

Tips

• **Cream option:** Thickened cream works in place of crème fraîche; simmer gently to prevent splitting.
• **Wine swap:** If avoiding wine, replace with extra chicken stock (same amount) and simmer a little longer to thicken.
• **Make-ahead:** Cook the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate; reheat gently on the stove (add a splash of stock if needed) and fill/bake just before serving to keep pastry crisp.
• **Storage:** Store filled, baked vol-au-vents in an airtight container up to 2 days; reheat in the oven (not microwave) to re-crisp pastry.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)