Last minute guests? Went through all the chips and dips during the Superdome’s power outage? Fear not here are my ultimate go-to, stand-by, must-have hors d’oeuvres:
Easy, elegant, fun, and a cinch to put together: all you need is 10 minutes, a few ingredient staples and an oven. Et voila! Restaurant quality bites perfect for the best of all, or just any, ball games. Here, tender shredded white and dark chicken mixed with an array of chopped dried fruits, celery, spice, and a Dairy Free sauce fill crispy baked wonton cups to provide a single bite that has it all.
I provided my base recipe, but I am often mixing it up depending on what I’m in the mood for or what I’ve got on hand! For a sweeter bite I’ll add a splash of coconut milk or a tablespoon of coconut yogurt to the mix and top the finished cup with toasted shredded coconut. In the fall, I add finely diced apple, a pinch of ground cardamon and cinnamon, and a splash of cider vinegar. And in summer I substitute the lemon juice with lime juice, double the amount of cilantro, and add a deseeded finely chopped red chili pepper.
CLUTCH Curry Chicken Cups
makes 20-24 cups
Ingredients
1 package Wonton square wrappers
Grapeseed oil spray
Filling
breast and leg meat from 1 roasted chicken, skinned and shredded
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup finely sliced celery
heaping 1/3 cup Veganaise (more or less depending on what texture you prefer your chicken salad)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon curry powder
3-5 grates of fresh nutmeg
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon pickled ginger finely diced
salt and pepper to taste
Toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds to garnish
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Spray grease 1 large or 2 small mini muffin tins. Place one wonton wrapper in each cup pressing down the center and allowing the sides curl making various flower like shapes. Brush gently with a little vegetable or olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Bake wonton cups for approximately 8 minutes, or until the top edges are slightly brown and the bottom of the cup if cooked through. Remove and let cool in cups.
3. To make the filling, simply slice, dice and shred accordingly and place all the filling ingredients in large bowl. Mix gently and just till incorporated. Taste and season to your liking. Cover the filling with plastic wrap and let chill as long as possible (30min or an hour is preferable).
4. To serve simply place the tray of wonton cups in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, scoop in the curry chicken filling and sprinkle the sesame seeds of your choice over the tops. Serve, eat, and enjoy.
