These are hand-held pasties filled with ground chicken breast, mushrooms, red pepper, leek, and spinach, all bound together with a simple béchamel made right in the pan. One sheet of pie dough wraps four portions, and the filling covers your protein and vegetables in a single package. If you want a portable meal that doesn’t feel like a compromise, this is a solid option.
The technique that matters
The béchamel-in-the-pan method is what holds this recipe together — literally. After the vegetables and chicken are cooked, flour goes straight into the pan and gets toasted for a few minutes before any milk is added. That toasting step matters: raw flour gives the filling a pasty, gluey texture, while toasted flour produces a sauce that’s nutty and stable. Add the milk slowly and keep stirring; rushing this step causes lumps and a filling that’s either too loose (soggy pastry) or too thick (dry, dense bite). The second thing worth getting right is the chicken doneness. Ground chicken breast must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) — no pink, no exceptions. Because the chicken goes into the pan only for the last 2–4 minutes before the béchamel is built, make sure it’s fully cooked through at that stage, not just lightly browned on the outside. The oven time finishes the pastry, not the protein.
Common problems and fixes
- Soggy bottom crust: Too much liquid in the filling is the usual cause. Let the finished béchamel filling cool for at least 15 minutes before spooning it onto the dough. Hot filling steams the pastry from the inside before it has a chance to crisp.
- Filling spills out during baking: Overfilling is the culprit. Leave at least a 2 cm (¾ inch) border around the edge, and press the crimped seam firmly — use a fork rather than just pinching with your fingers for a more secure seal.
- Pastry tears when folding: If the dough cracks when you fold it over the filling, it’s too cold and stiff. Let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before rolling. Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish.
- Pale, soft crust despite full bake time: The egg wash may have been applied too thinly, or the oven wasn’t fully preheated. Make sure the oven is at 200°C (390°F) before the pasties go in, and use a brush to apply an even, thorough coat of beaten egg.
- Watery filling after cutting: Mushrooms release a lot of moisture. Cook them until that liquid has fully evaporated from the pan before adding the flour — if there’s visible liquid pooling around the mushrooms, keep the heat up and stir until it’s gone.
Make-ahead notes
The béchamel filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge — cool it completely before refrigerating. Assembled but unbaked pasties can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours; hold off on the egg wash until just before they go into the oven. Baked pasties keep in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven at 180°C (350°F) for 12–15 minutes to bring the crust back to life — a microwave will make the pastry soft and chewy. For freezing, freeze the assembled unbaked pasties on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag; they keep for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 200°C (390°F) for 50–55 minutes, checking that the internal temperature of the filling reaches 165°F (74°C) before serving.
Hearty Chicken and Veggies Pasty
Ingredients
1 small ground chicken (minced chicken) - breast
150 grams mushrooms
½ medium red pepper (red capsicum)
1 small leek
100 grams spinach- 1 sheet pie dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 medium egg
4 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK)
4 glasses milk
Instructions
Bechamel Filling Instructions
- Once we have all the ingredients with us, you want to go and wash all of them properly.
- Having everything nice and clean, you can start cutting all the ingredients in not-so-small chunks. You don’t need to chop the spinach as it shrinks a lot once it is cooked. Then, go on and heat a pan with a bit of olive oil on it. Cook the veggies in the first place and then the chicken only for the last 2 to 4 minutes as we only want it to go a bit brown. Add salt and pepper when needed.
- Add around 3 full spoons of flour on top of everything we have in our pan and stir for 2 to 4 minutes till the flour is toasted. Then grab some milk and add it little by little while you keep stirring. That way, you’ll get a very creamy bechamel.
Baking Instructions
- Extend pasty dough a bit to make it larger with a rolling pin or another cylindric object you can find at home.
- Then, feel it in. Use only half of the sheet because you’ll need to close it once it’s all stuffed.
- Before closing it up, go and preheat the oven for around 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius because otherwise, you’ll have to wait afterwards. While we get it hot, we need to coat our pasty with a bit of egg. Use a kitchen brush for this step. This will give it that amazing golden tone that looks so nice!
- Put it in the oven for around 45 minutes till it’s all nice and toasted.
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I use store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of raw ground chicken?
No — pre-cooked chicken won’t work well here because the recipe relies on raw ground chicken being cooked in the pan before the flour and milk are added to build the béchamel. Using pre-cooked chicken would mean it gets overcooked and dry, and the fat and juices that help flavor the sauce won’t be present.
How do I know the filling is thick enough before I wrap the pasties?
Tilt the pan — the filling should hold its shape and not run freely across the surface. It should look more like a thick stew than a soup; if it’s still loose, stir over medium heat for another 2–3 minutes to reduce it further before removing from the heat.
Can I make this with a different cut of chicken, like thigh mince?
Yes, ground chicken thigh works and produces a slightly richer, moister filling than breast. The food safety rule is the same: the chicken must reach 165°F (74°C) internally, so don’t pull it off the heat early just because it looks done on the outside.
More mince recipes to try
- Savory Pork Apple Pasties
- Chicken Macadamia Sausage Rolls
- Wild Venison Mushroom Pies
- Colombian Chicken Cheese Empanadas
