Just like John, Paul, Ringo and George turned to their friends for help, so do I from time-to-time in kitchen. While I love making things from scratch and have spent countless hours in the kitchen doing just that, I don’t always have the luxury of time and do take shortcuts in cooking and baking. As a busy working mom, I do so guilt-free because even the best of them (like my culinary inspiration Jamie Oliver) will tell you its ok to get help sometimes.
Some of those shortcuts include using store-bought organic broth for quick soups; keeping canned, pickled or frozen vegetables on hand for salads and sides or making use of ready-made pastry for tasty mains like my shortcut, savory chicken hand pies. Using ready made pie crust (available in the refrigerated section at the supermarket) I can pull together a family favorite in no-time. Little circles of flaky dough are filled with a combination of roast chicken (which can also be picked up at the local grocer in a pinch), cream cheese, cheddar cheese and taco seasoning. Once filled, a quick fold and pinch with a fork, then given an egg wash and baked for 20 minutes. I like to serve them up with a little salsa and sour cream and either a corn soup or salad for a tasty and timely meal.
We can all get by with a little help from a supermarket friend every now and then and there’s no shame in doing so for the sake of enjoying a meal with my family. Buon Appetito!
Savory Chicken Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheeses and taco seasoning.
On a lightly floured surface, unroll the piecrust and cut out rounds using a 3-inch cookie cutter (a glass or small dish will also work). Re-roll as needed, making 12 to 15 circles in total.
Place a teaspoon of the mixture into the centre of each round then fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges down with a fork to seal and place the hand pies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Brush with egg and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Serve with salsa and sour cream and enjoy!
**This is not a sponsored post, I was not solicited to use this product in my recipe
