Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs

By Kplmrm

Rather than a more traditional pâté, a chicken picadillo is first made and then whirred up to make a filling in these little first course puff pastry packets. The filling is then sealed in the dough and baked to golden perfection. Haitian Chicken Pâté Puffs--it's highly spiced for sure, but also very aromatic which makes this recipe a nice start to any meal.

Ingredients

• 1 habanero pepper
• cooking spray
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound ground chicken breast
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 2 teaspoons no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 (14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Step 1

Cut habanero in half. Seed one half of pepper, and leave seeds in other half. Mince both pepper halves. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add minced habanero, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add carrot; cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lime juice and vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add green onions, parsley, thyme, black pepper, salt, cloves, and nutmeg; stir well. Remove from heat; cool mixture to room temperature.

Place cooled chicken mixture in a food processor; process until almost smooth, mixture will begin to clump.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll puff pastry into a 15x12–inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut puff pastry into twenty 3-inch squares. Combine egg and water, stirring with a whisk. Brush egg mixture along edges of pastry squares; spoon about 1 scant tablespoon filling in center of each pastry square. Fold each pastry square in half; press edges closed with tines of a fork. Brush top with egg wash; arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.