Chicken, Cheese and Jalapeño Pastries

Pastries are an easy side dish, or tea item. You can make your filling the night before, fill your pastries, freeze them for later or bake them immediately. Anything in a pastry is easy to handle and can be placed in lunchboxes, or eaten on the go! 

I like to use these chicken, cheese and jalapeño pastries for Iftar during Ramadan. They are absolutely perfect! 

Preparation Time 40 minutes 

Cook Time 30 minutes 

Cool Time 1 hour 

Bake Time 20 minutes

Yields 30 pastries

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup spring onions- sliced 

3 chicken breasts- cubed 

1 tablespoon garlic paste 

1 tablespoon ginger paste 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons cajun seasoning 

1 teaspoon mixed herbs 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1-2 tablespoons flour 

2 cups chicken stock 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

1 cup sweetcorn 

1/2 cup jalapeños- chopped 

200 grams mushrooms- sliced 

2 cups shredded cheese 

30 squares of puff pastry - 10 cm squares - cold

Egg wash 

Instructions 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the sliced spring onions, garlic and ginger paste. Sauté on a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, paprika and garlic powder. Cook it through for 5 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook it all down for an additional few minutes. 

3. Add the sweetcorn and jalapeños. Mix it in and sprinkle over the flour. Cook it through for a couple minutes so it doesn’t taste like raw flour. 

4. Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream. Cook it down for a few minutes until thickened. Set the mixture aside to cool completely. 

5. Mix in the shredded cheese then we can assemble these pastries. 

6. Scoop a couple tablespoons of the mixture into the middle of the puff pastry square and brush the edges with the egg wash. Fold the edges together to seal them shut and form a rectangle. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal completely. Set the pastries on lined trays. Score the tops lightly with a knife. 

7. If you are freezing them for later, place the tray in the freezer until frozen solid. Then place the pastries in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

8. Once you are ready to bake the pastries, place them on a lined baking tray and brush the pastries with egg wash. 

9. Bake them at 180c for 20-25 minutes until puffed up golden and crispy. Remove them from the oven and set them aside for 2 minutes before serving.