A fakeaway Festive Bake: chicken, sweet-cure bacon and stuffing in a creamy cranberry and sage sauce, sealed in puff pastry under a crunchy stuffing crumb. Makes six.
Estimate. Prices vary by location; tax and delivery fees are not included. Pantry staples (salt, oil…) are not included.
Ingredients
bakes
Filling
Pantry
Pastry
Pantry
Pantry staples are not included in the cost estimate.
Ingredient cost
Homemade
~$13.85
for 6
(~$2.31 each)
Homemade
~£6.96
for 6
(~£1.16 each)
Method quantities are for the original 6 bakes.
Kitchen gear
Large skillet
Large baking sheet, lined with parchment
Pastry brush
Method
Put the 1 oz of stuffing mix for the filling in a small bowl, pour over the boiling water, stir and leave it to swell.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just crisp. Lift it out, chop it small and leave the fat in the pan.
5 min
Add the chicken to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned and cooked through to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest piece. Lift it out.
8 min
Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat and soften the onion. Stir in the flour and sage and cook for 1 minute.
5 min
Gradually whisk in the milk, then the cream, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes into a thick sauce. Stir in the cranberry sauce and some pepper, then fold in the chicken, bacon and soaked stuffing. Spread on a plate and leave until completely cold.
30 min
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C), or 180°C if your oven is a fan oven. Cut each pastry sheet into 6 equal rectangles to get 12 pieces, and lay 6 of them on a lined baking sheet as bases.
Divide the cold filling between the bases, leaving a 1/2 in (1 cm) border. Brush the border with egg, lay a lid on each, press the edges together with a fork and cut a small slit in the top.
Brush the tops with egg and press the dry stuffing mix onto them. Bake until puffed and deep golden, then rest for 5 minutes before eating, because the filling stays very hot.
25 min
Tips for a closer clone
Let the filling cool completely before it meets the pastry; warm filling melts the butter layers and the bakes will not rise.
Sweet-cure bacon gets closest to the original. In the US, a maple or brown-sugar cured bacon is the nearest match.
To freeze, assemble without the egg wash and topping, freeze on the tray, then glaze, top and bake from frozen for about 10 minutes longer, until piping hot in the center.
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About this dupe
vs the original: the Festive Bake is a seasonal Greggs item. In 2025 it came back with the Christmas menu on 6 November (2025 launch coverage); on 14 Oct 2026 the 2026 date had not been announced. The bakery lists chicken, sweetcure bacon and sage and onion stuffing in a creamy sage and cranberry sauce, under a crumb-topped pastry.
In the US: use frozen puff pastry sheets, a herb or chicken stuffing mix and heavy cream in place of double cream.
Where this recipe comes from
Untested: a starting point written with AI help and checked against our recipe rules. Nobody has cooked it yet. Make it, rate how close it gets, and tell us what you changed. How we label recipes
