Chicken Spanakopita Triangles
These Chicken Spanakopita Triangles are a great entertaining idea, ideal to pack into the kids school lunch boxes (or yours!) and can be made into the perfect dinner by adding your favourite sides. I love the combination of spinach & feta but my partner prefers to have meat, so I thought why not combine the two and this is how these super tasty morsels came about. The chicken makes them heartier and filling but without taking away from the spinach and creamy feta. They are a win win in our household!
Ingredients
- 20g butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 leek, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bunch English spinach, leaves picked, washed and roughly chopped (See Notes)
- ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill sprigs, chopped
- 1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken
- 200g Greek style feta, crumbled
- ½ cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 4 sheets puff pastry, partially thawed
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten (See Notes - you can use the whole egg too)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (white, black or a mixture)
Instructions
- Place butter and oil into a saucepan or frying pan and melt over medium heat. Once butter is foamy, add the leek, onion and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes or until softened and sweet, without colouring.
- Add the garlic to the onion mixture and cook for a further 2 mins. Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Stir until spinach has wilted. Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Add the herbs, chicken, feta, parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper and 1 lightly beaten egg. Stir until well combined. If not making the triangles immediately, cover and chill until required.
- Preheat oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan forced). Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. To make 16 small triangles, cut each sheet of pastry into 4 equal squares. Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling mixture onto one side of the pastry. Carefully fold the pastry over to enclose in a triangle shape (or make a rectangle, up to you). Press the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. Transfer to a prepared baking trays. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.
- OR to make 8 large, cut each sheet into 2 equal triangles, for a triangle shape or in half down the middle to give you 2 equal rectangles if you wish to make square pastries. Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 sheets of pasty onto one half. Fold the pastry over, press to seal, crimp the edges then slice 2-3 slits in the pastry tops. Brush with beaten egg yolk (or whole egg) and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the egg yolk (or whole lightly beaten egg) over the tops of the pastry triangles to cover evenly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, warm or cold. If desired, serve with a relish or chutney on the side.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified. - SPINACH
I used one bunch of English spinach but you could also use: 120g baby spinach or a 250g packet frozen chopped spinach. If using the frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible though before stirring into the leek & onion mixture. - SMALL OR LARGE
This recipe makes 16 smaller size triangles or 8 large triangles or squares. I like the smaller ones for entertaining but the large ones are a good size for a meal when served with a salad and maybe some oven baked fries another side of choice. You can make triangles or squares or any other shape you like. You could also put the filling into a pastry lined pie tin with pastry over the top and make one large pie. You do your thing depending on your needs. - EGG YOLK OR WHOLE EGG - FOR BRUSHING
I like to use just the yolk for brushing the triangles with. Just using the yolk gives a really deep golden colour to the pastry. You can however, use the whole egg, lightly beaten. Same job, just slightly different colour outcome. - TO MAKE AHEAD
These can be made ahead of time and baked when ready to serve. This is a good option if making a few hours ahead of time. Once they are prepared and shaped, place onto a baking tray, cover and chill until ready to bake. Once ready to bake, brush with egg and sprinkle with seeds. Bake as desired.
They may also be baked ahead of time. Allow to cool completely then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until required (or freeze). When ready to serve, reheat in a 160C air fryer or 160C oven until piping hot.