Chicken pastels

Name: Chicken pastels
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sénégal
Ingredients: 300 g wheat flour, plus a little for rolling; 30 g soft butter; 150 ml milk, added gradually; 5 g baking powder; ½ tsp salt for dough; 250 g raw ground chicken; 100 g finely chopped onion; 100 g finely diced green pepper; 2 chopped garlic cloves; 10 g washed chopped fresh coriander; 10 ml oil for filling; ¼ tsp salt and pepper for filling; About 1 litre suitable frying oil; never fill the pan more than halfway

🥟 Small fried turnovers filled with chicken, green pepper, onion and coriander.

Ingredients

300 g wheat flour, plus a little for rolling
30 g soft butter
150 ml milk, added gradually
5 g baking powder
½ tsp salt for dough
250 g raw ground chicken
100 g finely chopped onion
100 g finely diced green pepper
2 chopped garlic cloves
10 g washed chopped fresh coriander
10 ml oil for filling
¼ tsp salt and pepper for filling
About 1 litre suitable frying oil; never fill the pan more than halfway

Preparation

Mix flour, baking powder and salt, rub in butter, then gradually add milk until supple and not sticky. Do not force in unnecessary milk. Cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes.

During the rest, sweat onion and pepper in 10 ml oil about 5 minutes. Add chicken and garlic, crumble and cook about 10 minutes until at least 74 °C in several thick clumps. Add coriander, salt and pepper; evaporate excess liquid without burning.

Spread cooked filling in a shallow dish to cool rapidly, then refrigerate until shaping. Use clean equipment after handling raw chicken.

Roll dough about 2 mm thick and cut twenty 8–9 cm circles. Gently re-roll scraps once without excessive kneading.

Place a small spoonful of cold filling centrally, keeping the rim clean. Barely moisten if needed, fold into a half-moon and seal with fingers then a fork.

Heat oil to about 170–175 °C in a stable pan. Fry a few at a time about 4–6 minutes, turning, until dough is cooked and golden and filling reheats to 74 °C centrally. Adjust duration without browning too quickly.

Drain on a rack or absorbent paper and serve with clean tongs. Approximate yield: twenty small pastels, four portions of five; optional sauce separate.