Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas, and it’s a recipe that’s been in our family for a few decades now. Mum’s chicken tarts were a constant at every one of my birthday parties growing up, and one of those dishes that I associate with my childhood. Buttery pastry, a savoury, cheesy filling — what’s not to love? She would sometimes make it with beef mince, instead of chicken, and of course, you can use mushrooms instead of meat to make it vegetarian. Mum generally makes the pastry from scratch, but using store-bought pastry makes this an incredibly easy canapé. If you’re serving this to guests, cut out the pastry, arrange into the tart tin, and refrigerate until your guests arrive. About 20 minutes before you’re looking to serve it, top the pastry with the filling and bake until golden.
Recipe: Chicken tarts
Ingredients
1 sheet short-crust or rough puff pastry (Unroll is a nice option and available on Big Basket)
250 g chicken mince
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 egg beaten lightly, to be used as egg wash (optional)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
Method
Cook the mince with salt, pepper and set aside.
Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Sauté the onion until soft. Add the green chillies and continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes or until it loses its sharp smell.
Add the flour. And cook until it gives out a nutty flavour (2-3 minutes). Whisk in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. When thick, adjust salt and pepper. Add the chicken mince, the shredded cheese and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, take out the pastry from the fridge and let it thaw for 10 minutes.
If your sheet isn’t about 1/8th cm thin, you’ll need to roll it out further, on a floured surface. Cut out 12 circles, using a glass or a cutter dipped in four, that’s slightly bigger than the size of your tart mould.
Place the rounds in the mould and then top with a tablespoon of filling. Brush the edges with an egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 175 Celsius for 18-19 minutes or till it is golden brown on the edges.