Five Spice Chicken Hand Pie
There are beyond numerous options for pizza crust these days with each their own separate health benefits. Whatever pizza crust you’re into, here is an delicious recipe for you that goes beyond the traditional toppings and can work with gluten free crust, egg free crust and almond flour crusts. I have not tested with cauliflower crusts.
This recipe has been tested with 120 little ones and the popularity was overwhelming. I came up with this recipe because I wanted to create a dairy free type pizza. Often a good choice for a dairy swap is coconut milk. In this recipe, I used canned coconut milk. Coconut milk has a good amount of your daily value of iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
For this recipe, I started with diced chicken breast and diced yellow onion. I then baked the chicken and onion with coconut milk and five spice powder. If you’ve never had this delicious combination of spices, it is made up of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise and white pepper. This combination along with the coconut milk was a hit with all the little ones. Also, at just over $3 a bottle, its not a large investment. I love the way this powder smells. It reminds me a lot of the smells and flavors of pumpkin spice.
After the chicken was cooked all the way, I drained the excess coconut milk and tasted the chicken for additional seasoning like salt and pepper. I also added just a smidgen ( aka a teaspoon) of garlic powder at this point. Mostly because I like the flavor. I like to always taste the seasoning in situations like this when you have the opportunity.
I used a wheat premade pizza crust. Then, I used a large glass to make 8 smaller impressions into the larger 16″ dough. Then I cut out the pieces with a paring knife and saved the excess dough in a ziplock in the fridge for future use. ( I would not keep it longer than about 3 days in the fridge.)
I used a rolling pin to flatten the crust pieces a little more. Then, add about a tablespoon of the coconut chicken and onion filling to the small crusts on one half of the circle. From there, pull the other half of the circle, over the chicken filling and completely close the pie by pressing down on half the edges with a fork. This will seal the two halves together. Note: It can be helpful with certain types of crusts to use an egg wash around the edges of the inside of the crust to seal the pie completely when it bakes. To do this, you just beat an egg in a small bowl and use your finger or a little brush to brush on just a small amount of egg around the outside of the circle before you pull half of it over the filling. For the crust I used and for my egg free purpose, I didn’t need the additional egg for a sealer. Using just a fork to crimp the edges sealed the pie perfectly.
I sprinkled the pies with a small dash of sea salt on top and baked them for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remember that it is important to use precooked chicken in the pies. Please don’t try to use and cook raw chicken in the pie. It just doesn’t cook the chicken all the way through before the dough burns. The coconut milk gives the chicken a very juicy consistency and you won’t have to worry about it drying out at all in the pie. You can even add a teaspoon or two of the excess coconut milk to the chicken in the pie if you wish for a little bit of extra moisture. For the vegetarians, I did use this same method with tofu and it tasted great. For tofu, start with firm type tofu. Drain the water from the package and crumble it into a bowl. With tofu, you can skip the precook method step. You will mix 1/4 c. of cold or room temperature coconut milk and 2 tsp of five spice powder to 1 c. of tofu and 2 tsp of kosher salt. Mix it all very well in a bowl. Then add the tofu mixture, 1 tablespoon each into the pie. No draining necessary as long as you remember to drain all the water from the tofu first. Another filling I used last week for breakfast was diced ham and eggs.
To the ham, I flavored it with one tablespoon of one of my favorite condiments from Trader Joe’s called Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam. If you do not have a Trader Joes store near you, here is another good version of the Onion Jam. Its really good on meats. I have not yet tried it on much else. It was a gift from one of my best friends. Friends give friends food as gifts. It what we do now. 🙂
The end result was so soft and flavorful. There was so much going on inside that little pocket. It was the perfect size for small hands and also for adults as party appetizers. You could fill it with sliced apples or grilled mushrooms. I don’t like to call them calzones because my hand pie is small and not meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. It also doesn’t contain any dairy. Share some photos with me on social media if you make this recipe. Tag it with #EmeraldMenus Enjoy!
Coconut Five Spice Chicken Hand Pie
A dough pocket filled with creamy coconut spiced chicken and onions.
Ingredients
- 4 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups diced chicken breast
- 2 Tablespoons five spice seasoning
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 16" pizza crust- uncooked don't use a precooked crust for this recipe
- 1 non stick cooking spray
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees
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Add the chicken, onion, coconut milk, five spice seasoning, and 2 tsp kosher salt into an oven safe dish. Cover and bake in the preheated over for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
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After the chicken is done, set out uncovered so it cools down slightly. While that is happening, lay out your pizza crust on a cutting board. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.
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Using approximately a 2" in diameter cup or large cookie cutter, make 8 impressions into the dough and cut them out with a pairing knife. Lay each circle onto the baking sheet.
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Drain majority of the excess liquid off the chicken mixture and discard. Taste the chicken mixture and add additional salt if needed and add the garlic powder and mix well.
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Take 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture and fill half of the circle dough. Pull the other half of the dough circle over the chicken to create a half moon shape and a pocket. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal the hand pie.
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Sprinkle the top of the pie with just a tiny pinch of salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until the pie is golden brown and the dough is cooked and no longer a pale white color.
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When the hand pie first comes out of the oven, the inside with be very hot. Let the whole thing rest for a few minutes before biting into it to let the steam settle. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To keep the dough closed, some crusts may require an egg wash around the inside to aid in sealing the hand pie. To do this, crack an egg and by using your finger or a small brush, rub some of the egg around the edge of the inside of the dough before you close it and crimp it.
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(For more on coconut milk, take a peak at this article from the San Francisco Gate Online: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-canned-coconut-milk-7577.html)
