mediterranean chicken and feta triangles

Bites of golden goodness... this is a simple and tasty Mediterranean dish which can be served straight out of the oven as a mouthwatering entrée or party snack. A Greek friend of mine taught me how to make this divine alchemy of succulent chunks of chicken breasts roasted in cinnamon and nutmeg, and fresh crumbled feta cheese, wrapped in crispy puff pastry! 

If you don't have the time to make your own puff pastry, you can 'cheat' by buying a good quality ready-made packet of puff or filo pastry from the local supermarket - look for butter in the ingredients. 

mediterranean chicken and feta triangles

makes 8 triangles

for the chicken marinade:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon of thyme (dried or fresh)
1 teaspoon of salt
a sprinkle of chilli flakes
a sprinkle of pepper

for the filling:
4 medium pieces of skinless, boneless chicken breast
150g crumbled Greek feta cheese, drained
50g parmesan cheese, grated
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

for the triangles:
1 packet of good-quality puff pastry
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of milk

1. Set a fan-forced oven to 200°C.
2. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme, salt and pepper.
3. Season the chicken breasts with this marinade, coating evenly. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes (or longer if you like).
4. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place on a roasting tray, drizzle some olive oil and place in oven for 30 minutes.
5. Once the chicken breasts are done roasting, remove from oven and finely chop into bite-size pieces.
6. Stir the crumbled feta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg in a separate bowl.
7. Mix the chunks of chicken breasts and finely-diced red onion with the cheese-egg mixture.
8. Place and centre this filling onto a pastry square (about 12x12cm).
9. Fold the pastry across diagonally over the filling into a triangle. Press and close the edges using a fork to seal tightly.
10. Place seam-side down on greased baking sheets.
11. Make the egg wash by whipping the egg with a fork/small whisk until it is smooth. Add the milk to thin the egg wash.
12. Brush the tops of the pastry triangles with the egg wash.
13. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed, crispy and golden.