Quickie Mustard Chicken Filo Triangles

You’re on your way home from work, exhausted, and the thought of producing dinner for the family just about melts your brain. For those moments, you want your freezer stocked up with things that are plainly yummy – layers of crunchy, buttery pastry filled with creamy chicken and non-exotic vegetables. Just pop them in the oven to crisp up, and serve with a simple salad. The children don’t complain; nervous breakdown averted; dinner sorted.

MAKES 10–12

INGREDIENTS

1–2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice

1 cooked roast chicken, bones & skin removed, meat shredded

225–300 g (8–10½ oz/1½–2 cups) frozen pea/carrot/corn mix

185 g (6½ oz/¾ cup) sour cream

3 tablespoons seeded mustard, or to taste

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 packet (375 g/13 oz) ready-made filo pastry

150 g (5½ oz) butter, melted

METHOD

To make the filling, combine the olive oil and onion in a medium frying pan over medium–high heat. Sauté for 1 minute or until the onion is soft and golden. Set aside to cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chicken, frozen vegetables, sour cream, mustard and sautéed onion. Mix well, then add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the triangles, slice the filo sheets in half lengthways, so that you have two long rectangles. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the bottom corner of a piece of filo, shaping it into a triangle. Brush the rest of the filo with some of the melted butter, folding or turning the filled portion along the length of the pastry until it’s used up and you have a triangular parcel with a wide base. Place this on another sheet of buttered filo, and turn along the length of it again, so that you wind up with a triangle with many layers of filo. Store the triangles in an airtight container or zip-lock plastic bag, keeping them in separate layers with plastic sheets, and freeze. These will keep well in the freezer for up to a month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) fan-forced. Arrange the number of filo triangles you need on a lined baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown and the filling has heated through completely. Serve hot.