Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie

  • 15MINS
  • 1HR
  • Serves 4
  • 403KCAL

Chicken, bacon and leeks in a creamy sauce topped with light mashed potatoes. A comfort food classic that's suitable for diet plans like Weight Watchers!

  • Bakes and Roasts pinchofnom.com
  • Batch Cook pinchofnom.com
  • Freezable pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories403
  • Carbs39g
  • Protein46g
  • Fat6.1g
  • Saturates2.2g
  • Sugars6g

Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!

You simply can’t beat a comforting pie, packed full of meat and veggies and ideal for a family dinner! Not only that, the classic combo of chicken and bacon adds a wonderful flavour that’s a little different to your typical chicken pies!

This Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie combines tender chicken pieces with fresh root vegetables in a creamy and indulgent sauce: a hearty dish that you can leave bubbling in the oven and filling your kitchen with a delicious bacony smell!

Because we’ve topped this dish with mashed potato, it’s a really filling and substantial meal, but you can add some freshly steamed vegetable and a glug of gravy to really finish it off.

What diets is this Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie suitable for?

This Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie recipe can be made gluten free if you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions:

  • Stock cube

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie?

Nope, we’ve used simple and wholesome ingredients in this dish which you can easily grab at any supermarket!

 

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

1
Good old school meal
I swapped out the bacon for leftover cooked gammon and increased the mustard powder to give it more “bite” and to counteract the saltiness. If the sauce is a little thin add a teaspoon of cornflour with the cheese and it thickens nicely
Cottage pie with a twist
Love this recipe, if you find the sauce is a bit thin add a couple of tsp of cornflour and water to thicken it up. Also add some sweetcorn for a bit of colour.
Delicious
Coat chicken in corn flour before cooking to make it ultra tender
1
A perfect winter warmer
I used smoked bacon and it gave it an extra smokey taste.
1
Full of flavour, easy to make and delicious.
I used bacon lardons. It was delicious.
You can change the vegetables if you prefer over flavours!
I don't eat bacon so swapped it for turkey rashers and added mushrooms instead! This recipe is so adaptable and delicious! This also make 4 decent size portions.
Easy to make
I had a cooked chicken that needed using so put it in at the end so it didn't shred
Cooking
When I added the mash on, the filling seemed to rise close to the top so I put the dish on a baking tray in case there was any spillage… I’m glad I did as it here was a little bit of overflow.
Cooked in pans then baked in the air fryer for 15 mins.
Let the sauce reduce fully for a lovely creamy sauce, perfect for batch cooking.
Comfort Food, perfect for autumn evening meal.
Works well with lactose free milk and cream cheese alternatives. Perfect to make in advance and cook at tea time.
Unbelievably tasty
Chopping all the ingredients around the same size works well
A very tasty meal that can be served with salad or vegetables
I added some mixed herbs on top of the potato for extra seasoning instead of salt and pepper.
Beware of leakage
When you have your pie ready to go in the oven, place it on a baking tray to avoid any leakage on the bottom of the oven.
Delicious easy dinner, perfect for make-ahead meals
Also great with chicken thighs!
Used Colcannon mash instead of plain was lovely winner and 2 ready for freezer
I made four individual cottage pies. Two in our tums and two in the freezer for another day.
So easy to make and tasty. Bulk it up with frozen mixed veg for convenience.
True meaning of comfort food
I used Quorn instead of chicken and vege stock to make it vegetarian
Big Hit
Big hit with the fam bam.... I used little less stock after reading posts. Delish
Cook sauce longer than 10 minutes
I needed to simmer and cook the sauce longer than 10 minutes for it to thicken nicely. Other than that I didn't do anything differently.
Change to topping
Changed the topping to scalloped potatoes instead of mash 🙂
Amazing cottage pie
Love this recipe, batch cooked it and it reheats lovely too!
So cheesy!
Make sure you simmer the chicken mixture to reduce the liquid enough so it doesn’t end up too runny.
Lovely, I added Mushrooms and Spinach for extra speed foods
I added mushroom, peppers and spinach for extra speed food

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

SEND US a HINT & TIP, Or QUOTE for this recipe

THANKS
we have your picture

The process

  • Check Now we have your Hint & tip
    we’ll check them over.
  • Review We’ll review your Hint & Tip, and see if its suitable to use on the website.

Your details

  • Name: %name%
  • Recipe: %recipeName%

YOUR HINTS & TIPS

Your “QUOTE”

SWAG!

Due to the large number of submissions we recieve we’re afraid we’ll only inform you if we use it on the Recipe page - then we’ll send you some swag…

(Please remember others may of had the same idea as you!)

Close

‘Amazing best thing I've cooked in years cannot wait to eat the other half tomorrow’

Hannah

This post contains affiliate links: what this means

A potato ricer is a neat little gadget for super smooth mashed potato: you can really taste the difference!

A deep ovenproof dish is needed to get a deliciously crispy potato top, like this one from Amazon.

How many calories are in this Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie?

There are 403 calories per portion in this Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment.

This Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Step 2

Place the potatoes in a pan with enough water to cover, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes until they are soft. Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the leeks and onions for 2-3 minutes, until soft.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Add the chicken and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, then add mustard powder. Add the stock cube to the boiling water  and add 300ml of the chicken stock to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Add 75g of the cream cheese and the thyme to the chicken. Stir until completely mixed, then transfer to the ovenproof dish.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

When potatoes are cooked, drain and leave for a few minutes then mash until smooth.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com

Step 6

Add 25g of cream cheese, parsley and the remainder of the chicken stock to the mashed potatoes and mix. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Step 6 pinchofnom.com

Step 7

Spoon the potato over the chicken mix and level using the back of a fork. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Step 7 pinchofnom.com

Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie?

You could serve this hearty dish alongside the following starter, accompaniment and dessert:

Gravy pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 30MINS
  • 127KCal
Apple Crumble pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 40MINS
  • 75KCal
Garlic Green Beans pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 5MINS
  • 39KCal

How do you know when Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie is cooked?

The pie should be cooked until the chicken is cooked through and the cheesy potato topping is golden brown. This takes around an hour in total.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie in the fridge?

Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.

If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill.  You can keep leftovers of Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Can I freeze Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie?

Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

  • Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!

How do I reheat Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie?

From chilled: Cover in tin foil and reheat in the oven until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost fully overnight and heat from chilled.

ORDER Our NEW cookbook Air Fryer NOW

Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie

Chicken, bacon and leeks in a creamy sauce topped with light mashed potatoes. A comfort food classic that's suitable for diet plans like Weight Watchers!
  • Prep Time
    15 MINS
  • Cook Time
    1 HR
  • KCals 403
  • Carbs 39G

Ingredients

  • 500 g chicken breast diced and visible fat and skin removed
  • 150 g bacon medallions cut into strips
  • 740 g potatoes washed, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1 large leek trimmed, washed and sliced
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 100 g low fat cream cheese
  • 25 g low fat Cheddar cheese grated
  • 2 tsp English mustard powder
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • 325 ml boiling water
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves removed and chopped
  • 10g fresh parsley chopped
  • low calorie cooking spray

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
  2. Place the potatoes in a pan with enough water to cover, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes until they are soft. Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the leeks and onions for 2-3 minutes, until soft.
  3. Add the chicken and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, then add mustard powder. Add the stock cube to the boiling water and add 300ml of the chicken stock to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add 75g of the cream cheese and the thyme to the chicken. Stir until completely mixed, then transfer to the ovenproof dish.
  5. When potatoes are cooked, drain and leave for a few minutes then mash until smooth.
  6. Add 25g of cream cheese, parsley and the remainder of the chicken stock to the mashed potatoes and mix. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  7. Spoon the potato over the chicken mix and level using the back of a fork. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.



We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website

Find out why here

Recipe notes

Tip: The best potatoes to use for fluffy mash are Maris Piper, King Edward or Desiree.

Love this Chicken Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie recipe? Tag us!

ORDER Our NEW cookbook Air Fryer NOW

If you like these…try these

Shepherd’s Pie pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 1HR 5
  • 335KCal
Smoked Haddock and Cheese Gratin pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 45MINS
  • 264KCal
Chicken Korma Pie pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy
  • 1HR 25
  • 492KCal

86 comments

See what others have to say

JessThursday 24th February 2022

What alternatives could be used instead of cream cheese? Could you use crème fraiche instead?

Reply

    HollyTuesday 1st March 2022

    Hi Jess, you could swap the cream cheese for quark, mascarpone or as you have said crème fraiche. Hope that helps!

    Reply

LAURA KELLYThursday 10th February 2022

Could I use the filling and eat it with rice instead of making it into a pie??

Reply

    SharonFriday 11th February 2022

    Hi Laura, yes you could eat the filling with rice if you prefer.Thanks for sharing your idea!

    Reply

JpatWednesday 9th February 2022

You always use fresh herbs in your recipes and it can be difficult to get some of them. How much dried thyme would u suggest using in this recipe and can you please consider adding details for dried herbs substitution in your recipes please.

Reply

    HollyWednesday 9th February 2022

    Hey, we have an article HERE that talks through dried vs fresh herbs which you might find helpful for this recipe. For recipes that need to be cooked for over 10 minutes fresh and dried herbs can be used interchangeably with no real impact on the flavour. Hope that helps!

    Reply

Join the conversation

Comment or ask our advice
4.62 from 65 votes (65 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Our newsletter

Get the latest pinch