A few days ago, we got a strong hankering for a Pasty, so we decided to make it happen. We then saw some BBQ sauce just sitting idly in our fridge begging to be used, and thus, an idea was born: Distinctly American flavours built into an English capsule of goodness.
We served this with a sauteed veggie medley of red peppers, corn, onion, and zucchini, but it would also go well with Arugula and Red Pepper Mashed Turnip, Broiled Tomatoes, Butter Cabbage, Garlic and Pepper Sauteed Green Beans, Grilled Okra, or Corn and Okra Medley.
Time: 6 hours of slow cooker chicken time + 40 minutes of baking.
Ingredients (to make 8 pasties):
- For the Crust:
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 8 Tablespoons of Butter or Shortening (or a mix of the two). We used shortening this time, but will probably switch back to butter for the future.
- 1 Teaspoon of Salt
- 7 Ounces (give or take) of cold water
- 1 Egg
- For the Filling:
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Water
- Brown Sugar
- Cayenne Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Onion Powder
- Your Favourite BBQ Sauce
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Method:
- Start with your filling since it takes the longest amount of time to cook:
- Rinse and pat dry your chicken breasts, and put them in your slow cooker.
- Add in a little apple cider vinegar and water (in about a 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water ratio). You want your chicken to be nearly covered by your liquid.
- Top everything with your brown sugar, cayenne, smoked paprika, and onion powder.
- Put the lid on, and cook on low for about 5-6 hours.
- Turn your attention to your pasty dough:
- Put your flour and fat component (butter or shortening) into your food processor, and pulse to completely combine.
- Slowly, add cold water, one ounce at a time, and pulse until your dough comes together in blobby clumps (I really need to trademark that phrase).
- Pull your dough out, form it into a ball, plastic wrap it, and let it sit out until your chicken is ready.
- Put it all together:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with some nonstick foil.
- When your chicken is done (it should pull easily with a fork), remove your chicken breasts from the slow cooker, and put them into a large bowl. Then, use two forks to pull the meat apart, and mix in your BBQ sauce.
- Cut your pasty dough into eighths (or whatever you’ve scaled the recipe up or down to), and working one at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll them out into thin semicircles.
- Scoop some bbq shredded chicken onto half of one, top it with some cheese, and fold the top over. Then, crimp and roll the ends up towards your pasty, and move to your baking sheet.
- Repeat until all of your pasties are made.
- Beat an egg, and brush it atop each pasty.
- Then, cut a quick vent hole or two so air can escape as they cook, and stash in the oven for about 40 minutes.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
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