Chicken Puffs are a popular Indian snack featuring bite-sized puff pastry cases filled with a creamy, mildly spiced chicken mixture. The crispy exterior gives way to the tender, flavourful filling within. Perfect as a tea-time treat or party appetisers, these handheld delights are sure to be a hit with adults and kids alike. The recipe requires a bit of effort, but the irresistible results are well worth it!
Sunrise tip: For extra-flaky puffs, use a combination of salted and unsalted butter in the dough.
Time: 10 minutes
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and ajwain. Add 50 ml of refined oil in the mixture and mix them well.Add 50 ml of water and start kneading the mixture into a dough.
Once the dough is made, cover the bowl with a plastic sheet and keep it aside.
Time: 15 minutes
Heat 50 ml of refined oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic, chopped ginger, chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Once sautéd, add minced chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until brown.
Add Sunrise turmeric powder, Sunrise red chilli powder, Sunrise cumin powder and then cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add boiled mashed potatoes to the minced chicken masala and again cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
Then, sprinkle Sunrise chaat masala and Sunrise Shahi garam masala to the cooked mixture.
Add salt and chopped coriander leaves to taste. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Once done, remove from heat and keep aside.
Time: 15 mins
Take out the dough and cut it into three portions.
Take each portion and roll them out in a circle with a rolling pin. Once flattened, use the chicken filling to fill the flattened dough vertically.
For Fish Shape: Make slanting cuts on both sides of the dough using a knife. Then, fold these cut sections over the filling, alternating from each side, while leaving the top part open. This will create a pattern resembling fish scales, giving it a fish-like appearance.
For Croissant Shape: Take the second portion of the dough and flatten it with a rolling pin. After flattening the dough, cut it into the shape of an upside-down ice cream cone (a triangle with a rounded top). Place the chicken filling horizontally across the middle of the dough. Then, start rolling from the wider end toward the pointed end, shaping it like a croissant.
For Puff-Pastry Shape: Roll out the last portion of dough with a rolling pin and cut it into a square shape. Then, make diagonal slits on two opposite corners of the square. Place the chicken filling in the centre of the uncut portion. To seal it, fold the last uncut section over the filling and then use the diagonal strips to crisscross over the sealed area, creating a puff pastry design.
Time: 10 minutes
Heat 200 ml of refined oil in a pan. Fry the filled pockets on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden-brown all over. Drain them on kSunrisehen paper.
Time: 2 minutes
Remove the fried puffs from the kitchen paper and let them cool on the tray for 2 minutes. Serve the Chicken Puffs with ketchup, onion rings and coriander leaves.
Accompaniment: Tangy mint-coriander chutney or spicy garlic chutney
Beverage: Masala chai