Jamaican Chicken Pattie

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These are iconic for Jamaicans, like little Cornish pasties with curry pastry and juicy filling. Great hot or cold a lunchbox classic.

Prep Time: 5 + 30 min

Cook time: 35 min

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Spicy Chicken Filling
2 tbsp olive oil
10 g butter
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp jerk paste
1 tsp mild curry powder
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked
400g chicken thighs, skin & bone removed, diced
200g potatoes, cooked, diced
100 ml chicken stock
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Pastry
2 cups plain flour
¼ tsp salt
60 g butter
60 g kremolata (or coconut oil)
½ tbsp curry powder (hot if you like)
150 ml cold water
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

SPICY CHICKEN FILLING: Over a medium heat, in a large pan, heat your oil and melt your butter.  Throw in your onions, garlic and jerk paste.  Cook until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add your curry powder and fresh thyme leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Raise the heat and pop your chicken into the mixture, you may need to add another dash of oil. Stir through the spicy onion mixture and cook until brown.  Stir in the potatoes, mix well then pour in the stock.  Taste, season, then mix again, reduce the heat to a simmer and pop a lid on.  Cook for 10 – 12 minutes.

Your mixture should be moist, but not runny – smelling amazing, by the way!  Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. 

PASTRY: Pop the flour, salt, butter, kremolata and curry powder in a food processor and process until you have a breadcrumb effect, or you could use a bowl and make the pastry by hand.  Slowly dribble in the water until you get a nice ball of dough, you don’t want it too wet.

Remove your dough, place on a floured surface and knead lightly.  Cover in cling film and pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes to rest.

When ready to use, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to about 3mm thickness, cut into circles about the size of a saucer.

Preheat oven to 180, lightly grease a baking tray and get ready to assemble. 

Take a circle of pastry, lay on a floured surface.  Place a spoonful of chicken mixture at one end leaving at least ½ cm gap from the edge.  Take a little water and using your finger wet all the edges of the pastry, then fold over the mixture sealing the edges well using a fork if you like. Repeat with the other circles of pastry and mixture until you have finished.

You should now have 12 semi-circle parcels.  Paint with egg wash, place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake until crispy and golden., about 15 – 20 mins.

Jax Says : at this point you can freeze them before baking, and cook as and when you need them.  Fabulous hot or cold, with a splash of hot pepper sauce on the side.