Zaatar Puff Pastry Pie – German-Lebanese fusion with chicken

Name: Zaatar Puff Pastry Pie – German-Lebanese fusion with chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: Filling: 2 onions (thin), 8 mushrooms (sliced), 3 tbsp Honeydew zaatar, 1 tbsp Maggi soy, 1 garlic clove, olive oil; Mascarpone base: 250 g mascarpone, 3 tbsp sun-dried-tomato pesto; Chicken: 300 g breast + marinade (garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, mustard, lemon juice, yogurt, vinegar, salt, pepper, 7-spice); 200 g rock-salt cheese, grated; 1 sheet puff pastry; 1 egg, beaten; Plus: a little zaatar for topping

Our Zaatar Puff Pastry Pie blends bold German cheese and flaky pastry with a Lebanese twist: a savoury zaatar-mushroom-onion filling, a creamy mascarpone-sun-dried-tomato base and tender spiced chicken – aromatic, satisfying and Mediterranean.

~2 Std 30 Min (Prep 30 Min, Cook 30 Min) Servings: 4 Cuisine: Lebanese Category: Main course With chicken

Method

Sweating onions in pan – base for zaatar filling — Gently sweat onions in olive oil – flavour base.

Step 1 – Sweat onions

Sweat 2 large onions (thinly sliced) in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat for 6–8 min until translucent.

Add 1 minced garlic clove and cook 30 sec without browning.

Adding zaatar to onion base, deglaze with soy — Add zaatar & soy, fold in mushrooms – simmer to creamy.

Step 2 – Zaatar & mushrooms

Stir in 3 tbsp Honeydew zaatar and 1 tbsp Maggi soy sauce. Add 8 sliced brown mushrooms, cover and simmer on low 7 min until soft and creamy.

Adding Maggi soy sauce to the zaatar-onion base

Fold in mushrooms – simmer filling until soft and creamy

Finished zaatar mushroom-onion filling – creamy and juicy

Adding sun-dried-tomato pesto to mascarpone – start of mix — Stir mascarpone with sun-dried-tomato pesto.

Step 3 – Mascarpone pesto

Mix 250 g mascarpone with 3 tbsp sun-dried-tomato pesto until smooth.

Mascarpone–pesto mixture – smooth, creamy, spreadable

Spreading mascarpone–sun-dried-tomato pesto on puff pastry

Marinated chicken breast searing in pan — Sear marinated chicken hot, cook through.

Step 4 – Sear chicken

Marinate chicken (1 breast, ~300 g) at least 2 h: 6 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp mustard, juice of 2.5 lemons, 2 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper + 1 tsp each of 7-spice. Sear 4 min/side, cook 6 min more. Cube.

Cooked chicken breast cut into cubes – ready to layer

Layer chicken and zaatar mushroom-onion filling over mascarpone base — Spread mascarpone, layer chicken and filling.

Step 5 – Assemble

Lay puff pastry. Spread 2 tsp tomato pesto, then the mascarpone mix. Add chicken, then the zaatar mushroom-onion filling. Top with 200 g rock-salt cheese.

Brush puff pastry edges with egg and sprinkle zaatar — Brush edges with egg, sprinkle zaatar – bake golden.

Step 6 – Egg wash & bake

Brush edges with beaten egg, sprinkle a little zaatar. Bake at 170 °C for 25–30 min until cheese melts and pastry is golden. Rest 5 min, slice and serve.

Sprinkling rock-salt cheese over filling

Why this pie works
Authentic Lebanese zaatar adds tangy-herbal depth; mascarpone keeps it creamy; mild rock-salt cheese melts beautifully; puff pastry bakes ultra-crisp.

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