Flaky chicken pies are a tasty snack for the whole family to enjoy!
Photographs: Natasha Liviero
Text: Natasha Liviero
Mini chicken pies
Makes approximately 24 pies
Ingredients:
80g leeks/onion, finely chopped
4g/1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs thyme
30g unsalted butter
80g streaky bacon, chopped
300g cooked chicken, shredded
25g flour
200g chicken stock
200g cream
15g Dijon mustard
25g parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1kg puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Method:
Set oven to 2200/2000 fan.
Grease 2 x baking trays.
In a large frying pan, sauté the onions/leeks, garlic, thyme and butter for a few minutes.
Add the bacon and sauté until the onion is translucent.
Add the chicken and stir until combined.
Mix in the flour, followed by the stock and cream. Heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
Add Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper, and remove the thyme sprigs.
Spread out the puff pastry and cut 24 x 7/8cm circles with a cookie cutter.
Place 12 pastry circles onto a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture into the centre of each circle. Don’t overfill the circles - the pastry will burst open when baking.
Brush a 1cm border around the pastry with the egg wash without touching the chicken mixture.
With the remaining 12 circles, gently place them over the chicken mixture and press down around the border, ensuring the two circles stick together.
With the tines of a fork, press around the border of the pastry to further seal the two circles together. Dip the fork into flour to prevent it from sticking to the pastry.
Repeat until all the pastry has been used.
Gently brush the pies with the remaining egg wash and bake for 20 minutes and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. They are best eaten warm on the day they are made.
Notes:
* The leftover chicken mixture can be used for sandwiches or crackers.
* You may use up all the chicken mixture with additional puff pastry and freeze for up to 3 months. Then, bake from frozen for a few extra minutes.
* Should your pies burst - where possible, once removed from the oven, simply spoon the mixture back into the pastry case and gently press the pastry back into shape.
Comments