MINI CHICKEN PIES

FLAKY CHICKEN PIES ARE A TASTY SNACK FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHS & TEXT: NATASHA LIVIERO / UNSPLASH

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

METHOD:

1. Set oven to 2200/2000 fan.

2. Grease 2 x baking trays.

200g chicken stock

200g cream

15g Dijon mustard

25g parmesan cheese, grated salt and pepper to taste

1kg puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

3. In a large frying pan, sauté the onions/leeks, garlic, thyme and butter for a few minutes.

4. Add the bacon and sauté until the onion is translucent.

5. Add the chicken and stir until combined.

6. Mix in the flour, followed by the stock and cream. Heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens.

7. Add Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

8. Season with salt and pepper, and remove the thyme sprigs.

9. Spread out the puff pastry and cut 24 x 7/8cm circles with a cookie cutter.

10. 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.

11. Brush a 1cm border around the pastry with the egg wash without touching the chicken mixture.

12. With the remaining 12 circles, gently place them over the chicken mixture and press down around the border, ensuring the two circles stick together.

13. 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.

14. Repeat until all the pastry has been used.

15. Gently brush the pies with the remaining egg wash and bake for 20 minutes and golden brown.

16. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. They are best eaten warm on the day they are made.

NATASHA LIVIERO - PASTRY CHEF

Notes: natashaliviero

* 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.

Natasha is a pastry chef who is South African by birth and Croatian by blood. She spent many years working for a wellness publication but did an about-turn at the beginning of 2020 when she joined a culinary school to fulfil a lifelong dream to study patisserie. She’s passionate about European patisserie and loves spending time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes (while quibbling with her fe-line friends), and is always on the hunt for interesting new cookbooks.