Say hello to your new favourite fancy-but-easy dinner.
These chicken vol au vents have all the cosy vibes of my Chicken And Mushroom Pie With Puff Pastry, just in individual golden pastry cases - perfect for busy weeknights straight from my Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes collection, or for showing off when people come over.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Chicken Vol Au Vent
🕒 Ready In: 50 minutes
👨👩👧 Serves: 8
🔥 Calories: 469kcal per serve
🥧 Main Ingredients: chicken thigh, leek, bacon, puff pastry cases
🌿 Dietary: contains gluten & dairy (swap the wine for extra stock to make it alcohol-free)
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Flaky pastry, a creamy chicken and bacon filling, and it only takes 10 minutes to prep.
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I made them this arvo.. bloody beautiful !!
- Maree
That's the kind of feedback that makes my day! If you're after more creamy family dinners like this one, try my French Onion Chicken Bake, Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Bake or Chicken Chorizo Risotto next.
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Only 10 minutes to prep - it looks fancy but it's genuinely simple to pull together.
- Family-friendly - warm, creamy chicken filling in crispy pastry gets eaten up by kids and adults alike.
- Weeknight-easy, dinner-party-fancy - no-fuss enough for a Tuesday, impressive enough for guests.
- Proper comfort food - golden flaky pastry, a creamy chicken and bacon sauce, and melted cheese on top. What's not to love?
Vol Au Vent Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for this chicken vol au vent recipe.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Large vol au vent pastry shells - grab them from the freezer aisle at the supermarket, or make your own vol au vent cases if you're feeling fancy.
- Chicken thigh fillets - stick with thigh, not breast. It stays juicy through the simmering and baking, breast just dries out.
- Bacon - I like streaky, but middle or shortcut bacon works too, just trim off the rind.
- White wine - cooks off as it simmers and just leaves behind a lovely rich flavour. No wine in the house? Extra chicken stock works fine instead.
- Creme fraiche - or swap in thickened (heavy) cream if that's what you've got.
- Wholegrain mustard - don't skip it, it's what stops the sauce tasting like "just white sauce."
Variations
Once you've got the base recipe down, it's easy to switch things up:
- Add mushrooms - for a chicken and mushroom version, check out my Chicken And Mushroom Vol Au Vent recipe.
- Go mini - use small vol au vent cases instead of large ones and you've got yourself an easy party finger food.
- No wine? - just use extra chicken stock in its place, the sauce will still be lovely and creamy.
How To Make Chicken Vol Au Vents
It only takes 10 minutes to prep these chicken vol au vents!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Fry the chicken, leek and bacon. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then cook the chicken, leek and bacon for 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the leek has softened.
- Step 2: Stir in the flour. Sprinkle in the plain flour and stir through. Cook for 1 minute so it loses that raw flour taste.
- Step 3: Add the wine. Pour in the white wine and cook until it's evaporated.
- Step 4: Add the chicken stock. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring the whole time until it's smooth.
- Step 5: Stir in the creme fraiche and mustard. Add the creme fraiche (or cream) and wholegrain mustard, then bring to a low simmer.
- Step 6: Cook the white sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Step 7: Fill and bake. Divide the mixture between the vol au vent cases and top with the grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and heated through.
Recipe Tips
- Chicken thigh, not breast - thigh stays juicy and tender through the simmering and baking. Breast tends to dry out.
- Use large cases - not mini ones, if you're serving these as a main meal.
- Wash the leek properly - fan out the green leaves to check for soil, trim both ends so just the white and pale green part is left, then slice finely and rinse in a strainer before using.
- Let the flour cook - a minute in the pan before you add the wine is what thickens the sauce properly once the liquid goes in.
- Short on time? Shredded rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut - just stir it through the sauce once it's cooked instead of simmering raw chicken pieces.
- Make ahead - the filling can be made the day before and kept, covered, in the fridge until you're ready to fill and bake.
FAQs
Vol au vent is French for "windblown" or "flight in the wind" - a nod to how light and airy the puff pastry shells are once they've baked up.
Yes! Freeze the baked pastry shells (unfilled) in an airtight container for up to 2 months, and freeze the chicken filling separately in a ziplock bag or container. Thaw both in the fridge overnight, then fill and bake as per the recipe. I don't recommend freezing them already filled, as the pastry can go soggy.
You can, but I really wouldn't. These are best eaten fresh from the oven while the pastry is still crispy and the filling is warm and creamy.
A simple green salad, creamy slaw or steamed greens all work well alongside these. Try my Walnut, Parmesan, Pear and Rocket Salad or Thermomix Coleslaw, or serve with mash or fries for a heartier meal.
Yes, the chicken filling can be made up to a day ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge. If filling and baking straight from cold, give the vol au vents a little longer in the oven so the filling is piping hot all the way through.
More Easy Family Dinners
If you loved this chicken vol au vent recipe, here are a few more fuss-free family dinners worth trying:
Chicken Vol Au Vent
Ingredients
- 8 large vol au vent pastry shells see notes
- 50 g butter
- 500 g chicken thigh fillets chopped into small 2cm pieces
- 1 leek finely sliced
- 200 g bacon streaky bacon - chopped
- 3 tbs plain flour
- 100 ml white wine
- 200 ml chicken stock liquid
- 200 ml creme fraiche or thickened (heavy) cream
- 1 tbs wholegrain mustard
- 60 g cheddar or tasty cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken, leek and bacon for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through and the leek has softened.
- Add the plain flour and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook until evaporated.
- Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring continuously until smooth.
- Add the creme fraiche (or cream) and wholegrain mustard and bring to a low simmer. Cook until sauce has slightly thickened.
- Divide the mixture between the vol au vent cases.Top with the grated cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and heated through.
Notes
- White sauce - sprinkle the flour over the chicken, bacon and leek, and then it's important to allow the flour to cook for a minute before adding the wine. When the liquid is then added, the flour will thicken the sauce.
- The chicken mixture can be made the day before and kept, covered, in the fridge. If using cold mixture, increase the oven cooking time and cook until the filling is piping hot in the centre.
Maree says
I made them this arvo.. bloody beautiful !!
Lucy says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that!
Jo says
This is awesome, I also made 4 large with a container full left over. Big hit for a easy dinner.
Anna says
Wow! These were amazing! Even though it’s a creamy recipe, it’s surprisingly light. The filling is delicious. I used half to make 4 vol au vents and saved the rest of the mixture to make pies another day. Two dinners from one recipe! Thank you.
Lucy says
Fantastic!!