Easy Flaky Chicken and Bacon Hand Pies with a Creamy Filling

So, what do you do with leftover roasted chicken? Oh, you make these incredible Creamy Bacon and Chicken Hand Pies, and your life is never the same again, hurray!!! Honestly, these are absolutely fantastic as a snack, a party bite, or the star of a picnic spread, and while it might sound like a lot of work, I’m telling you, you can pull these off in about 30 minutes no problem, even if the recipe officially says 45. Once you try them, you’ll be looking for any excuse to have leftover chicken in the house. 😛

The filling is where the magic happens, a quick little sauté of onion, garlic, and bacon coated in silky cream with a pinch of paprika and pepper, wrapped up in golden, flaky puff pastry and topped with melted cheese. It sounds fancy, it looks fancy, but it is really just simple, honest, delicious food done right. The kind of recipe that makes people ask “wait, you made these yourself?” and you just smile and say…. oh oh oh of course, i do these all the time! hehehe

These little hand pies come together beautifully whether you are feeding a crowd at a birthday party or packing a lunch for a day out. They do travel well, they reheat well, and honestly, if they even last long enough to cool down, consider yourself lucky, because they tend to be even better when they get cold! Let’s check the recipe!

Easy Flaky Chicken and Bacon Hand Pies with a Creamy Filling

Servings: 12
Time: 45mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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WARNING! These are dangerously good. If you make them for a party, make a double batch, because the first tray will be gone before you even get to set it down. ;D

Ingredients

Puff Pastry – 1 roll
Flamengo Cheese – 6 thin slices
Chicken – 150g (Already Coooked)
Bacon – 2 slices
Onion – 1
Garlic – 3 cloves
Cream – 100ml
Butter – For greasing
Olive Oil – A drizzle
Oregano – A pinch
Paprika – A pinch
Pepper – A pinch
Salt – A pinch

Directions

Start by doing a quickly sautéing of the chopped onion, garlic, and bacon in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. While sautéing, shred the roasted chicken.

Once the mixture is cooked, add the chicken, let it warm through, and then add the cream, a pinch of pepper, paprika, and salt. Mix well and remove from the heat (the cream will finish cooking inside the pastry).
Since you want the filling to cool slightly before adding it to the pastry, turn on the oven and preheat it to 200ºC (390°F or the temperature recommended on the puff pastry package).

Take two muffin tins (for 12 muffins), grease each with butter, remove the puff pastry, and using a round cutter or a wide glass, cut out circles of dough and line each muffin cup.

Pour the filling into each one and cover with half a slice of flamengo cheese and a pinch of oregano and pepper. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the dough is golden brown (the filling is already cooked, so just keep an eye on the dough). Remove from the oven and it’s ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: You can use pretty much any cheese you have on hand, and honestly, that is the beauty of this recipe. The original uses a mild Portuguese Flamengo cheese that works wonderfully, but if you want something creamier, go with mozzarella. For more of a kick, cheddar is a great choice. Leftover cheese odds and ends from the fridge? Perfect, use them up.

If you prefer a more traditional, old-school filling, swap the heavy cream for a béchamel sauce. It gives you a thicker, richer result that is equally delicious.

Short on chicken? No problem at all. Just add a bit more onion, an extra strip or two of bacon, or bulk it up with some diced carrot or sliced mushrooms. It will still be absolutely great!

This recipe was born to give leftover roasted chicken a second life, so do not overthink it. Rotisserie chicken from the store works just as well if you are starting from scratch.

Before you spoon the filling it into the pastry cups, give the filling a few minutes to cool down slightly. Hot filling in raw pastry can make the bottom go a bit soggy before it has a chance to bake properly.

This is a standard advice, every oven is a little different, so check at the 15-minute mark. You are looking for a deep golden color all the way around. That is when you know they are done.

This recipe can easily be made into one large pie, just pour everything into a regular pie dish lined with puff pastry and top with another sheet of pastry or leave it open-faced with the cheese on top, no need to change a single ingredient.

This recipe was made to be mild enough for the whole family to enjoy, kids included. That said, if you want to turn up the volume for the adults, go ahead and add more cheese, a sharper variety, a heavier hand with the paprika, or even a little chili flake or cayenne pepper. The base recipe is a crowd pleaser at every table, and trust me, it did not last long!

This recipe for Easy Flaky Chicken and Bacon Hand Pies with a Creamy Filling was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Queques Folhados de Frango foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.