Apparently watching Julie & Julia way too many times, made me over achiever. I just made another ground chicken recipe from the May issue of Cooking Light. It was delicious! Just be careful handling the habanero pepper! It's a little labor-intensive, but worth it. - Mom
Haitian Chicken Pate Puffs 
Rather than a more traditional pâté, a chicken picadillo is first made and then whirred up for a filling in these little first-course puff-pastry packets. The filling is then sealed in the dough and baked. It's highly spiced for sure, but also very aromatic, a nice start to any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 habanero pepper
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 pound ground chicken breast
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot
- 2 teaspoons no-salt-added tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
- 1 (14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Preparation
1. Cut habanero in half. Seed one half of pepper, and leave seeds in other half. Mince both pepper halves. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add minced habanero, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add carrot; cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lime juice and vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add green onions and next 6 ingredients (through nutmeg); stir well. Remove from heat; cool mixture to room temperature.
2. Place cooled chicken mixture in a food processor; process until almost smooth (mixture will begin to clump).
3. Preheat oven to 400°.
4. Roll puff pastry into a 15 x 12–inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut puff pastry into 20 (3-inch) squares. Combine egg and water, stirring with a whisk. Brush egg mixture along edges of pastry squares; spoon about 1 scant tablespoon filling in center of each pastry square. Fold each pastry square in half; press edges closed with tines of a fork. Brush top with egg wash; arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
