Katmer pastry is thin and flaky and traditionally would be made totally by hand, stretching the dough until the sheets are thin. This is a flaky pastry that can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. Here I have taken this Byzantine pastry and combined it with chicken and leeks to make a pie.
Head straight on to the recipe for Chicken And Leek Katmer Pie ♥

Chicken And Leek Katmer Pie
Ingredients
for the chicken and leek filling
- 450 g leeks, thinly sliced (sliced weight)
- 15 g butter
- 25 mls olive oil
- 1 whole chicken (gizzards removed)
- 300 mls vegetable stock
- 2.5 L water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 stalks fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
for the pastry
- 250 g flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2.5 mls fine salt
- 150 mls warm water, plus extra for wetting your hands if necessary
- 15 g lard
Method
for the chicken and leek filling
- Place the leeks, butter and oil into a stock pot
- Place the chicken on top and cover with the stock and water
- Put the lid on the pot and place on a high temperature on your stove
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the temperature until just simmering
- Leave to cook for 90 minutes
- Remove the chicken, leaving the leeks and stock in the pot, and set aside
- Strain the stock into a large saucepan and set aside the leeks
- Place the saucepan onto a high temperature on your stove and bring to the boil
- Leave to reduce until you have 250mls of thick stock
- Remove from the heat
- Shred the chicken from the bone, discarding the skin and bones *
- Place the chicken meat into a large bowl, with the leeks
- Add the stock and mix together before seasoning to taste
- Add the eggs and tarragon and mix in
for the pastry
- Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl
- Slowly add the water, mixing with your hands, until a soft pastry forms
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently
- You may want to wet your hands if the pastry is too stiff
- Divide the pastry into 3 equal portions (mine weighed 130g each)
- Roll each portion into a ball
- Roll each ball into a 1cm high disc
- Set aside to rest for 10 minutes
- Place the lard into a small bowl
- Place into the microwave to melt – you may need to repeat this stage as you go along
- Brush one of the discs with lard
- Top with the second disc, and brush with lard
- Top with the third disc and set aside
- Leave to rest for 10 minutes
- Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick
- Brush the top with lard
- Place an 80mm wide glass in the middle of the disc – do not press down
- Cut 8 slits into the pastry, using the glass as a guideline, leaving the middle uncut, each slit equally spaced apart to make 8 leaves
- Remove the glass and fold the leaves up into the middle
- Turn the pastry seam side and rest for at least 10 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius
- Brush melted lard onto the bottom and rim of a round oven proof dish
- Roll out the pastry to about 5cm more than the width of the dish
- Cut out a disc to cover the top of the dish, with a 2cm overlap
- You should be left with the 3cm extra bit of pastry
- Cut a slit in this and place on the rim of the dish, pressing down firmly
- Place the filling into the dish
- Place the pastry on top of the filling
- Press the edges of the pastry together
- Use a fork to create a nice pattern and to make sure the seal is tight
- Trim the edges to neaten it up
- Cut a vent into the middle of the pastry
- Brush melted lard over the top of the pastry
- Bake for 35 minutes
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes and serve warm
Notes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.

What I blogged February 29:
- four years ago – Rawlicious Challenge
I think leeks are such an underused ingredient, so it always makes me happy when I see bloggers posting recipes with them. We love leeks!
We love leeks as well, and cook with them often 🙂
There’s nothing better than a really good, flaky crust!! And tarragon is my favorite herb to pair with chicken. So delicious. This looks so yummy Tandy, I’ll have to try it.
I also love tarragon with chicken 🙂
Thanks for teaching me something new today Tandy, my first time hearing about Katmer pastry!
My pleasure Shashi 🙂
Tandy, sounds good! Yes, you’re right, nothing worse than a soggy bottom in a pie. Nothing wrong with a top-crust-only pie!
Soggy bottoms just don’t work for me 😉
Hi Tandy, oh does this look fabulous, love the little hearts on top.
I love my heart cutter 🙂
This looks SOOOO hearty Tandy!
Thank you Lucie 🙂
I have never heard of katmer pastry so this was very interesting! I’ve made lard based pastry before and it is delicious 😀
The pastry was delicious indeed 🙂
what a lovely dish! I’m a huge chicken fan, so i’d die to try it!
It was really worth making Marcela 🙂
Leeks are an under rated vegetable, methinks xx
I think so too Liz 🙂
Looks moist and delicious!
Thank you Marcellina 🙂
Your filling sounds delicious! How horrible to have gotten a soggy bottom though! Your pastry looks wonderfully flaky so at least you could enjoy eating the top.
Thanks Sara, we ate the bottom as well 🙂
Ok how did I not realize before that both our significant others are named Dave! Hope you both loved this pie- it looks absolutely stunning!
We both loved the pie, and thanks Sarah 🙂
This pie looks and sounds fantastic, Tandy.
Thank you Anu 🙂
Tandy,
It looks beautiful! I can see why you posted it after one try.
Thanks Tammy 🙂
I love chicken pie so this is right up my alley. Can you substitute the lard for butter? Lovely post Tandy xx
You can, but next time you make bacon reserve the fat and use that rather 🙂
It looks comforting, hearty, and delicious!
Thank you Pam 🙂
I love savory pies and I also love leeks. I do love leftovers, too! This sounds like it would go great at my house!
Then this is the perfect dish for you 🙂
I again did not make the DK challenge but I so want to make this Katmer pie soon, even more so after seeing your. Just too bad for the soggy bottom, I am good at getting those so thanks for the tips.
Hope you make it sometime Evelyne 🙂
I love chicken and leek pie- still waiting for the weather around here to cool down a bit before I can make dishes like these haha. The pastry looks amazing- so flaky!!
Thanks, it was very flaky 🙂
Leeks, chicken and tarragon and flaky pastry! combination made in heaven 🙂
Thank you Eugenia 🙂