By Kim Severson
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling
- Rating
- 4(257)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Leftover chicken ragù — or really any savory filling that is not too liquid — can be tucked inside this tender dough to make baked hand pies. They can be frozen before or after baking, then tucked into lunches and eaten at room temperature. A couple of rounds of prepared pie dough from the grocery store would make a quick and easy substitution.
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Ingredients
Yield:10 hand pies
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- ½cup/115 grams very cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- ⅓cup/80 milliliters ice water, plus more if needed
- 1tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2eggs
- 1cup chicken ragù or other savory filling
- ¼cup grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
244 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 168 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl and work the butter into the flour with your fingers until it resembles coarse sand. It’s O.K. if some of the butter pieces aren’t fully incorporated.
Step
2
Whisk together the ice water, vinegar and 1 egg, then slowly add to the flour a bit at a time, stirring gently with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Step
3
Flour your hands lightly, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently a few times.
Step
4
Form the dough into a thick, flat square, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for an hour. (The dough can stay overnight in the refrigerator or be frozen at this point.)
Step
5
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until ⅛-inch thick. Cut out 4½-inch rounds (a small bowl works well for this if you don’t have a cookie cutter). Collect dough scraps if needed to re-roll dough to obtain 10 rounds.
Step
6
Whisk the remaining egg. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step
7
Add one heaping tablespoon of the chicken ragù to each pie, being careful to not scoop up too much liquid. Sprinkle with a little of the cheese, then brush the outer rim of each round with egg and fold over to seal tightly.
Step
8
Set the hand pies on the prepared baking sheet. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges, being careful not to puncture the dough that covers the filling. Brush the top of each hand pie with egg.
Step
9
Bake until the pastry tops are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
257
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Cooking Notes
Lucia
How long can the pies remain at room temperature?
faye49
Generally the rule of thumb is room temp for 2 hours or less, but if they are starting out frozen that adds a some time. If you put it in the lunch box with a frozen juice box or ice pack there's extra food safety insurance. I took them with me on a long drive with a small 'lunch box' ice pack in an insulated lunch bag and they were still chilled when I ate them 5 hours later.
M A
A rule of thumb for perishable foods at room temperature is no more than about 4 hours. Foods should be kept below 40F or above 140F for times over 4 hours, to prevent pathogens from multiplying to unsafe levels that can cause illness.
(Tango) Mike
Hand pies? American? Done by this recipe, probably yes. Try empanadas.
Rob Cuevas
Wow. Only 45 minutes. I make empanadas somewhat often and it takes me much more than 45 minutes. I would say closer to 90 minutes not including the time for chilling. Also, if your filling is runny, your prep is gonna be messy. I def recommend a drier filling. Cream cheese in the dough is also key to a tasty empanada.
Katherine
Made these with Nigella Lawson's tarragon chicken, turning a cup and a half of leftovers into lunch for four. They must have been delicious because the lunchboxes came back empty! Dough was surprisingly easy to make and roll out. I made the dough at night and assembled and baked the pies in the morning and put them in the lunchboxes hot (in paper bags).
Sb
Food last longer than Americans realize. Bake them in the am and eat them for lunch and you will be fine.
Lynnea
I bet you could use most anything left over. I’m making Cuban pulled pork and with a bit of draining, I’m pretty sure the leftovers would make a great filling! Thanks for the idea!!!
teachertalk
USDA says cooked chicken in safe for two hours at room temperature.
Cris P.
If frozen after baking, how do you recommend reheating? I would love to maintain that yummy flakiness.
Tova
Sounds like "Pasties" to me. Straight from Mineral point, Wisconsin!!!
Anya
Which kosher salt to use? I used the Diamond (red box) and I wonder if it made my dough too salty?
danny
Should warm up the leftover ragu first, or should I heap cold ragu in and let it bake? I just don’t want to dry it out. Thoughts?
Dana
If I freeze these before baking them, do I need to bring them up to room temperature before putting them in the oven?
Corinne A
The dough is perfect. I had other filling so used that (Ragu is on my to do list). Perfect to bake and freeze for school lunches.
Sofi
Really great dough, but with the leftover chicken ragu as filling it turned out good but not great. For us, this somehow made 20 rounds, using a 4 ¼ inch cup. The ones with thinner dough turned out flakier/more delicious. Filling was possibly too wet after all and for some pies the inside wasn’t perfectly cooked after 18 minutes. Same concept would probably work really well with a lighter/more dry filling.
Katrina
This dough was fantastic to work with! I didn't even chill it. I filled it with some pulled pork and some others with grilled chicken tossed with wing sauce. They were all gone by the next day.
Rebecca // SLC
The recipe for the dough is outstanding, follow the recipe precisely. I was rewarded with a deliciously golden and flaky vehicle for the leftover taco meat that I used (I'll try the chicken ragu next though!). I froze them in twos for a lunch alongside a salad.
SharonATX
We liked these hand pies better than the ragu on its own. The dough is easy to work with, but I'd recommend cutting it in half, following steps 5-9 (rolling, trimming, filling, crimping, brushing), and then repeat. I did this and my first batch was coming out as the second one was about to go in. I'd also recommend a tiny pinch of salt on top of each ragu scoop. We had 12 rounds total. A bit of work, but nice to finally see more of a project recipe up on NYT Cooking. Love KS's stuff--thanks!
Melinda
OMG...this is good. I cook with whole wheat flour and used a tortilla press to make the rounds. I Just cut the dough into ten balls and pressed away. With the fennel/chicken stuffing, so tasty.
Rob Cuevas
Wow. Only 45 minutes. I make empanadas somewhat often and it takes me much more than 45 minutes. I would say closer to 90 minutes not including the time for chilling. Also, if your filling is runny, your prep is gonna be messy. I def recommend a drier filling. Cream cheese in the dough is also key to a tasty empanada.
Katherine
Made these with Nigella Lawson's tarragon chicken, turning a cup and a half of leftovers into lunch for four. They must have been delicious because the lunchboxes came back empty! Dough was surprisingly easy to make and roll out. I made the dough at night and assembled and baked the pies in the morning and put them in the lunchboxes hot (in paper bags).
Sb
Food last longer than Americans realize. Bake them in the am and eat them for lunch and you will be fine.
(Tango) Mike
Hand pies? American? Done by this recipe, probably yes. Try empanadas.
Cris P.
If frozen after baking, how do you recommend reheating? I would love to maintain that yummy flakiness.
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