Recipe Brazilian chicken pastel

LissaC

LissaC

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- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 chicken cube
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 minced onion
- 6 scallions
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 small tomatoes, pureed
- 1/2 lime or lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional: cream cheese

For the dough:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons lard, coconut oil or vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup hot water

1. In a pan, add chicken breasts, chicken cube and enough water to cover the chicken. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest, covered, 10 minutes. Remove chicken and reserve the broth.
3. Shred the chicken, either in a food processor or using two forks.
4. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and sauté onions until soft. Add salt, oregano, chili powder and cornstarch. Add pureed tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken broth and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add shredded chicken and mix, adding more chicken broth if the mixture seems too dry.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in scallions, lime/lemon juice and cream cheese (if using), and salt and pepper to taste.

For the dough:
1. Combine flour, vegetable shortening, salt, baking powder, vinegar and egg.
2. Mix 1/4 cup of chicken broth with 3/4 cup hot water.
3. Gradually add the water mixture to the flour, mixing well.
4. Add enough liquid to make a dough and knead until smooth. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Assembling the pastéis:
1. Divide dough in half and roll one half thinly into a rectangle shape.
2. Fold in half once and roll again as thinly as possible into a rectangle. Cut in half lenghtwise. Cut in half vertically into 5 pieces.
3. Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of chicken into half of the rectangles. With the fingers, moisten the edges of the rectangle and place the other rectangle on top, closing the edges. Pinch the edges with a fork (optional).
4. Fry each pastel until golden brown.

Notes: You can make the pastels any shape and size you like, including round.

Happy cooking!
 
What fascinated me here was using chicken broth in the pastry dough. I don't think I've ever come across a pastry recipe which does that - but then when I looked at the ingredients for the dough the broth wasn't listed. I am thinking that the broth is the reserved liquid from cooking the chicken?
 
Morning Glory said:
What fascinated me here was using chicken broth in the pastry dough. I don't think I've ever come across a pastry recipe which does that - but then when I looked at the ingredients for the dough the broth wasn't listed. I am thinking that the broth is the reserved liquid from cooking the chicken?
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Hi Morning Glory sorry that part wasn't clear, yes, it's the reserved broth from cooking the chicken
 
Morning Glory said:
Fascinating. I really must try this. I am thinking the broth needs to be cooled before adding?
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I think the original recipe doesn't mention, but it was cool when I used it, I left the pan with the broth uncovered once I removed the chicken and when it was time to use it was cool already
 
Morning Glory said:
What fascinated me here was using chicken broth in the pastry dough. I don't think I've ever come across a pastry recipe which does that - but then when I looked at the ingredients for the dough the broth wasn't listed. I am thinking that the broth is the reserved liquid from cooking the chicken?
Click to expand...
When making chicken and dumplings, it's not unusual to use chicken broth in the dumplings.

"Dumplings" can mean a lot of different things, and even within "chicken and dumplings," there's no standard of what a dumpling is. To me, this is what chicken and dumplings look like:

54205
 
Those are usually called slicks by most people I know. They are more like thick noodles. Just depends on where you are and what you grew up with.

Dumplings to me and mine are puffy sort of like American biscuits once cooked.
 
medtran49 said:
Dumplings to me and mine are puffy sort of like American biscuits once cooked.
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When I first left home and had chicken and dumplings at the dining hall (Air Force), I was in line really looking forward to it, as it's about my favorite meal.

I was quite shocked and disappointed to see crumbly drop biscuits in place of the dumplings I grew up with, that's for sure.
 
mjd said:
I call those pot stickers but can see why they would be considered dumplings.
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I've also seen those called gyozas. Actually gyozas is the name most restaurants in Portugal use for these. They call dumplings the round ones that are usually done with the same kind of dough.
 
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TastyReuben said:
When I first left home and had chicken and dumplings at the dining hall (Air Force), I was in line really looking forward to it, as it's about my favorite meal.

I was quite shocked and disappointed to see crumbly drop biscuits in place of the dumplings I grew up with, that's for sure.
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I had the opposite experience. I grew up with the dropped dough kind and was disappointed to learn that Cracker Barrel sells the thin strip kind. I tried making them one year with leftover Thanksgiving turkey which was a bad idea since I don't care for roasted turkey and wasn't in love with the strip dumplings. As one not to waste anything, I guess it's saying something when I tell you I threw the whole lot out.
 
That's one very distinct memory I have of my mom's mom - rolling out dumplings and making chicken and dumplings.

They lived eight miles from us, and as I mentioned before, my grandmother was housebound, so every Sunday, just after we had breakfast, we'd go to their house so my mom could visit her people, and we stayed all day, up until about 7PM or so.

We'd walk in, and the house would be filled with the smell of a stewing chicken, one killed that morning or the day before, and I don't know what other people think, but chicken cooking is not a pleasant smell to me. Never has been.

So we'd open the side kitchen door, and they burned a wood stove in there, so it'd feel like walking into Hell's front room, and that strong odor of a whole chicken boiling away would hit like a punch in the gut.

She had a 1950's era wobbly Formica table; aluminum legs, the top the color of a black & white kaleidoscope, though we could never see the top normally, because it'd be piled high with cookies, fruit, pie, boxes of chocolates, bags of candy, marshmallows...anything sweet was on that table. Both my grandparents had the sweetest of sweet teeth.

A bit after walking in and petting their dog (Cricket at first, then she died, then Frisky), eating two or 12 pieces of candy, I'd hear, "Reuben, make yourself useful and clear the table, I've got to make the dumplings."

I'd carry all that sweetness from the kitchen, through their living room, to their front room, which was never used and piled high with things my grandad would bring home from yard sales and discount stores, and I'd squeeze all that stuff in there somewhere, and Mom and Grandmom would wipe the table down, dry it, pour out about a bag of flour in the middle, make a well, in with some eggs and whatever else, and then ladle in some of the broth from the cooking pot.

Mix...a little broth...mix...a little broth, until it was just right, then out with the rolling pin.

In no time at all, about half the table was covered in rolled-out dough, nice and yellow from the eggs and the broth, and then she'd go through it with her knife, cutting strips, then across to cut squares, and...PLOP!...right into the pot they'd go.

That chicken may have smelled awful cooking, but it sure tasted great cooked. Years after that, whenever I'd come home to visit, that was always what I wanted my mom to make me - chicken and dumplings.
 
mjd said:
LissaC, is a "chicken cube" the same as chicken bouillon? I don't want to assume what that means.
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Correct, actually the original recipe says "chicken bouillon" but I'd never heard the term, we call it chicken cubes here :laugh:
 
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