Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces, about 1/4 inch.
Finely chop the onion, rutabaga, potato and pecans.
Beat the egg and set aside.
For the pastry, blend the flour, salt, and lard in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Turn the mixture into a stand mixer and with the motor running, gradually add the water in a thin stream until the mixture comes together as a dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer go to the old fashioned way and place in a bowl, add the water a tablespoon at a time stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together as a dough. It can also be done in the food processor, drizzling the cold water in the chute with the motor running. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
After about 10 minutes of "fridge" time preheat the oven to 350ºF.
For the filling, place the chopped chicken and flour in a large bowl and mix until the meat is coated in the flour. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Season the vegetables with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
When the pastry has chilled, divide it into 4 pieces of equal weight. Roll out each piece of pastry onto a lightly floured work surface until it is just larger than the diameter of a dinner plate.
Spoon 1/4 of the chopped potato onto one half of each pastry disc, leaving ¾in free at the edges. Repeat with the other vegetables and the nuts. Make the last layer 1/4 of the chicken for each pasty.
Brush the edges of the pastry lightly all the way around with a little of the beaten egg.
Fold the empty half of the pastry disc over the filled half and either press the edges together with a fork, or twist the edges to seal in traditional pasty style. See this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjiBu6oTabA) for a quick tutorial. Alternatively do a vertical crimp as shown in the photo.
Brush the top of each pasty with more beaten egg. Using a sharp knife, cut a small slit in the top of the pasties to allow steam to escape.
Place the pasties onto a silpat lined baking tray and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown and the filling is cooked through .
When fully cooked, remove the pasty's from the oven and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
