Last Updated on March 13, 2025

Chicken and Leek Quiche recipe and the ultimate Gluten Free Flour.

Isn’t it a universal truth that whatever you can’t have is what you immediately crave?  My mother was diabetic – and spent her life once diagnosed craving chocolate.  My sister in law follows a medically recommended gluten-free diet.  And, when she and my brother visit, I do want to be able to make the kind of food I know we all enjoy like breads, cakes and pastries.  Despite that, I’m a little hesitant about gluten-free flours – I’ve had too many chewy loaves of bread and dense pastries.  And, I’ve never tried using gluten-free flour myself till now – choosing instead to just avoid anything that needed it. Homemade pastry is relatively easy to make though, and this chicken and leek quiche is a great way to use up those leftovers from the Sunday roast.  So, when I was sent a neat sample box of two packets of Oast to Host flour, the first thing I set about making was a classic shortcrust pastry that I could for the base of the chicken and leek quiche I had planned.

I’ve gone on since then to use the leftover pastry from the chicken and leek quiche to make a meat pie.  And, I’ve used the cake flour (which comes with raising agents) to make some light, fluffy blueberry muffins, following the recipe from Howard Middleton on Great British Chefs but using my Oast to Host cake flour.

I honestly can’t find anything to fault in the flour.  The pastry flour does need a light touch – and I followed the ratios on the Oast to Host site to the letter rather than my usual half fat to flour.  It’s made of rice flour, maize starch, potato starch, xanthan, and egg albumen, so while it is vegetarian you shouldn’t serve it to vegans.   Next time, I need more baking beans because my blind bake suffered a bit from not having the paper liner well stabilised.  But, I like to think the end result is rustic and realistic…

The cake flour is made with rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan,  gluten-free baking powder and sodium bicarbonate.  It’s suitable for making all recipes where you might use self-raising flour including all the favourites from Lemon Drizzle to Carrot Cake.  Or even muffins!  And, it’s also vegan friendly because there’s no egg.

Oast to Host who supplied me with the samples, also have an online shop selling not just flour but some delicious artisan cakes, all made in BRC accredited conditions and suitable for coeliac and gluten-free diets.  Founded in 2011 by two friends, Sally and Claire, who shared experiences raising children with specific dietary needs, they are based in the heart of the Kent countryside and from starting out at a farmers’ market in Tunbridge Wells, they’ve gone on to win 9 awards including 5 Great Taste Awards and to supply a whole range of premium customers including the Conran Shop Cafe, The Bakewell Shop and Cliffs in Margate.  Definitely worth checking out if, like me, you are just a little bit cautious about using gluten-free flours.  

If you’d like to try for yourself here’s how to make my Chicken and Leek Quiche.  It’s a great midweek supper dish and will easily feed four people.  It can be eaten cold, but it also reheats well and can be kept lightly covered in a cool larder or in the fridge for a couple of days.

If you prefer to use regular flour for the pastry, it will work just as well.  Use around 100 g of butter to 200g of plain flour and 1 egg.  You can even leave out the egg if you want to, just use extra cold water and make sure you rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.  You can also vary this recipe by adding ham or bacon and by using different types of cheese.

5 from 2 votes

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Chicken and Leek Quiche

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

 

Course: Lunch, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: chicken, leeks, pastry, quiche

Servings: 4

Calories: 346 kcal

Author: Fiona Maclean

Ingredients

Pastry shell

• 195 g oast to host shortcrust pastry flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 107 g salted butter Chilled and cut into small pieces
• ice cold water as necessary

Filling

• 50 g cooked chicken pieces
• 1 small leek
• 3 medium eggs
• 75 g sharp cheddar cheese optional, but will add a nice tang
• 200 ml milk ideally full fat
• 200 ml Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche
• 25 g butter
• salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Quiche Shell

1. Mix the salt into the flour in a large mixing bowl

2. Rub in the chilled butter until you have a mixture which resembles fine breadcrumbs

   

3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and crack the egg into it.

   

4. Use a fork to start making a pastry dough

5. Pull together and knead lightly with your hands to make a ball, adding ice cold water if necessary

   

6. Roll out and line a pre-buttered quiche dish. I like to use a metal dish with a removable base as it helps achieve a crisper pastry

7. Dry line your quiche dish with greaseproof paper and add baking beans

   

8. Bake for around 30 mins at 160c/140c fan

9. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp up the base. Leave the case in the quiche dish until ready to finish.

Filling

1. Clean and trim the leek and cut into 1cm pieces.

2. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and soften the leeks over a low heat for about 8 minutes. Allow to cool

3. Lightly beat the eggs,

4. Mix in the milk and yoghurt

5. Season well with salt and pepper

6. Fold through the chicken, leek and cheese.

7. This can be covered and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Baking the Quiche

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C

2. Fill the pastry case and put it on a baking sheet

3. Bake for 25 minutes until the quiche is set and the egg mixture has touches of golden brown.

Recipe Notes

A delicious chicken and leek quiche made with gluten and wheat free flour.  You can make this recipe with regular flour, just follow your own shortcrust pastry recipe.  Vary the dish by adding bacon or ham and by changing up the cheddar for an alternative cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken and Leek Quiche

Amount Per Serving

Calories 346

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I have to confess I loved my gluten-free pastry – I am not sure if it was my imagination but it seemed lighter and crisper than the regular shortcrust I make.  This recipe for leek and chicken quiche is the kind of dish I would happily serve up to friends for supper or keep all for myself!  I just need to learn to bake a little more tidily and, perhaps invest in a few more baking beans.

Looking for a more substantial chicken dish for supper?  try my Mediterranean chicken tray bake