Spelt wonton cups with sweet chilli chicken are baked shells made from a simple spelt dough, filled with chicken mince, ginger and sticky sweet chilli sauce. The edges turn crisp and the cups are sturdy enough to pick up by hand.
The dough is flour, water, salt and a little oil. There are no wrappers to track down. The texture stays light, not heavy, and the nutty taste of spelt sits well beside the sweet heat.
Bake the empty cups first, for 8 minutes. If you fill raw dough, the bases stay pale and soft under the filling. The pre-bake keeps them crisp.
You can make the shells and the filling up to 3 days ahead. Fill, bake for 8 to 9 minutes, and serve within 20 minutes of baking.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Homemade spelt shells bake crisp with no wrappers needed
- Shells and filling both keep for 3 days ahead
- One 500 g pack of chicken mince fills 24 cups
- The small handheld size suits family tables and casual gatherings
Ingredient Notes
- White spelt flour: White spelt gives a thin, pliable dough that rolls easily. Wholemeal spelt works for up to half the flour, or all of it with 15 ml more water.
- Chicken thigh mince: Thigh stays juicier than breast in a small cup. Ground chicken breast also works, and you can stir in 1 extra tbsp of sweet chilli sauce to offset the dryness.
- Sweet chilli sauce: Use a Thai-style bottled sauce with visible chilli flecks. Brands vary in sweetness, so taste the filling before it goes into the cups.
- Spring onions: The white parts cook into the filling and the green parts go on top at the end. Thinly sliced chives are a fair substitute for the greens.
Crisp Baked Spelt Wonton Cups with Sweet Chilli Chicken
Description
A thin spelt dough bakes into sturdy cups that hold a glossy filling of chicken, ginger and sweet chilli sauce without going soft.
Ingredients
Spelt wonton cups
Sweet chilli chicken filling
To finish
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic and spring onions, keeping the whites and greens apart. Grate the ginger and carrot. Stir the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and lime juice together in a small bowl.
- Stir the spelt flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the warm water and 1 tbsp of the oil, then mix and knead on the counter for 5 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky. Wrap the dough and rest it for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F (170 C fan) with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Halve the dough. Roll each half on a lightly floured surface to about 1.5 mm thick. Cut 8 cm / 3-inch squares, rerolling the scraps, until you have 24. Cover the squares with a damp cloth.
- Brush two 12-cup mini muffin tins (5 cm / 2-inch cups) with the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Press a square into each cup with the corners pointing up, then prick each base twice with a fork.
- Bake the empty cups for 8 minutes, swapping the tins between racks halfway, until the dough looks dry and the corners are pale gold.
- While the cups bake, heat 1 tbsp oil in a 26 cm / 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the spring onion whites, garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken, break it up, and cook for 5 minutes until no pink remains and it reaches 165 F / 74 C. Stir in the carrot and the sauce mixture, then cook 2 to 3 minutes until glossy and clinging to the chicken.
- Spoon 1 heaped tbsp (about 18 g) of filling into each cup. Return the tins to the oven for 6 minutes, until the edges are deep golden. Cool in the tins for 3 minutes, then lift out and top with the spring onion greens and sesame seeds. Serve within 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 304kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 14g22%
- Saturated Fat 3g15%
- Cholesterol 70mg24%
- Sodium 540mg23%
- Potassium 330mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 39g13%
- Dietary Fiber 2g8%
- Sugars 8g
- Protein 22g44%
- Vitamin A 300 IU
- Vitamin C 3 mg
- Calcium 25 mg
- Iron 2 mg
- Vitamin E 1 mg
- Vitamin K 8 mcg
- Thiamin 0.2 mg
- Riboflavin 0.2 mg
- Niacin 6 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.4 mg
- Folate 20 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.3 mcg
- Phosphorus 230 mg
- Magnesium 45 mg
- Zinc 2.2 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Cook the chicken until no pink remains and it reaches 165 F / 74 C.
- Press the dough squares into the tin with corners pointing up for a frilled edge.
- Bake the empty cups first, because raw dough under wet filling stays soft.
- With one 12-cup tin, keep cut squares covered and add about 14 minutes for the second batch.
- Serve within 20 minutes of baking for the crispest edge.
