Chicken Salteñas (Bolivian Baked Hand Pies)
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
A juicy chicken, potato, raisin and pea stew set firm by its own reduced wing stock, sealed with egg and olive in a sweet, paprika-tinted dough and baked until golden. Make the filling the day before.
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Method
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Equipment
- roasting tin
- large saucepan or stockpot
- fine sieve
- Dutch oven or large lidded pan
- shallow dish for chilling
- small saucepan
- large bowl
- rolling pin
- 2 baking trays lined with baking paper
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 498 kcal |
| Protein | 22.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 53.3 g |
| of which sugars | 11.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 21.7 g |
| of which saturates | 10.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g |
| Salt | 1.68 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 10 servings
Stock
- 1 kg chicken wings
- 1.5 l water
Filling
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, finely diced about 200 g
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 150 g floury potato, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 50 g golden raisins
- 80 g frozen peas
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered boiled 10 min to a firm yolk
- 10 pitted black olives, halved
Dough
- 450 g plain flour
- 60 g sugar
- 7.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about 1¼ tsp
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp sweet paprika (for colour)
- 1 large egg
- 170 ml warm water
Glaze
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 1
Roast and simmer the wings. Heat the oven to 230 °C (210 °C fan) and roast the wings in the tin for 35-40 min until deep golden. Tip them into the saucepan with the water, scrape in the browned bits and simmer, partly covered, for 3 h. The long simmer pulls natural collagen from the skin and joints.
- 2
Reduce the stock. Strain the stock and boil it down to 600 ml. Concentrating the collagen is what lets the filling set firm later, so don't skip this.
- 3
Stew the chicken. Brown the thighs in the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 3-4 min a side, then set aside. Lower the heat, soften the onion for 6-8 min, add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and cayenne for 1 min, then the stock, potato, raisins and salt. Return the thighs, cover and simmer gently for 25-30 min until the chicken reaches 74 °C.
- 4
Chill until set. Cool the thighs in the liquid, then chop them small and stir back in with the peas and pepper. Spread in the shallow dish, cover and chill for at least 6 h, ideally overnight, until it sets to a firm, spoonable jelly.
- 5
Make the dough. Melt the butter with the paprika and leave to cool until just warm. Mix the flour, sugar and salt, pour in the butter and rub together, then add the egg and warm water and knead for 3-4 min into a smooth, soft dough. Wrap and rest for 30 min at room temperature so it rolls without shrinking.
- 6
Fill and seal. Divide into 10 balls of about 85 g and roll each to a 15 cm round, 3 mm thick. Add 3 heaped tbsp cold filling, a piece of egg and an olive half, brush the edge with water and fold into a half-moon. Press, then twist the edge over itself to form a rope; a tight seal keeps the juices in.
- 7
Chill and bake. Stand the pies seam up on the trays and chill for 20 min while the oven heats to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Brush with the yolk glaze and bake for 25-30 min until deep golden and the filling is bubbling hot (74 °C). Rest for 10 min, then eat by hand, nibbling a corner first and sipping the juice.
Storage
The set filling keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Baked salteñas keep chilled for 2 days; reheat in a 180 °C (160 °C fan) oven for 12-15 min until piping hot (74 °C). Unbaked, filled pies freeze for 1 month; bake from frozen, adding 10 min. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
