Minced Chicken Puffs

Likewise, these adorable hors d’oeuvres – chicken keema puffs are delightfully crispy, flaky, crunchy, and the perfect crowd-pleasers.

Filled with minced chicken mixture and packed with flavors and texture, these pastries can be enjoyed for breakfast or an evening snack alongside a cup of hot masala tea or coffee. 

What is Puff Pastry

Puff pastry sheets are made with paper-thin layers of dough pressed between multiple layers of butter. The dough sheets and butter are repeatedly folded and rolled out until they form thick pastry dough.
When baked, the layers of butter melt and render the layers of dough a crispy, golden and flaky texture.

These puff pastries are versatile and very convenient to use. They can be filled with any mixture of one’s choice, ranging from a variety of vegetarian to non-vegetarian fillings.

Likewise, this recipe is a variation of the famous veg patties, which have a flaky, crispy cover that wraps a succulent mixture of meat, making it super flavorful and satiating. 

You can use the homemade puff pastry sheets or store-bought ones if you want to save time and effort. Making them is tiring, but using store-bought pastry sheets can be a real-time saver.

These crispy chicken pastry puffs are super tempting, mouthwatering, and perfect for your next party. Here is why you will love to serve them to your family and guests —

• Easy and quick savory recipe
• Packed with flavors and texture
• A no-mess, no-fuss recipe
• Can be prepared in advance and baked when ready to serve
• Perfect grab-and-go kind of treat
• Doesn’t need any kneading or fermenting
• Baked recipe, therefore healthier than the fried ones!

In addition, this minced chicken puff recipe is versatile; you can easily swap the chicken filling with any other filling of your choice.

Since this is a scalable recipe, too, you can make this recipe in bulk to feed a large crowd. 

MINCED CHICKEN PUFFS INGREDIENT LIST

Puff pastry sheets — Store-bought puff pastry sheets are a time-saving option and are used for this recipe, although you can also use homemade ones.

Chicken — The filling is prepared with chicken and aromatic spices that add flavors to the mixture.

Ghee — Used for cooking the filling mixture.

Spices — Bay leaf, whole black cardamom, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, paprika, and coriander powder- render a burst of flavor and aroma to the recipe.  

Ginger- garlic paste — Adds a distinctive taste and a depth of flavor to the recipe. 

Tomatoes — Adds a slight tanginess that the recipe calls for.

Garam masala powder — Added for an intense taste and aroma.

Cream — This is optional, but adding this to the minced chicken puffs recipe will bring richness in taste and delectability. 

Cilantro leaves (dried) — Added for flavor and garnishing. 

Recipe Tips and Variations

Thaw the pastry sheets before using — The puff pastry sheets are stored chilled but need to be thawed before they are used for this recipe. Refrain from thawing them at room temperature as they will turn sticky and, therefore, completely difficult to work with. It is best to keep your puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator until they are ready to be used. Always work with one sheet at a point and let the other sheets store in the fridge until they are needed. 

Transforming to a vegetarian recipe — This minced chicken puffs recipe has a delicious chicken filling, but you can substitute chicken with paneer, mushrooms, soya chunks, and even tofu to transform this recipe into a vegetarian. The recipe instructions remain the same, while the protein varies per your choice.

Puff sheets or Phyllo sheets? This recipe is prepared using puff pastry sheets. Puff sheets may be substituted with Phyllo sheets, but then you can follow this recipe to prepare Keema Samosa. However, Phyllo sheets are different from Puff sheets. Phyllo sheets are very thin tissue paper-like dough traditionally used for making Greek dishes. These are very fragile and delicate to work with compared to the Puff sheets, which are thicker, denser, and contain more fat. 

Correctly using the puff pastry sheets — Pastry sheets get sticky when left at room temperature for a long time. To prevent this from happening, always store the pastry sheets covered in a large zip-lock bag until ready to work. Take out one sheet at a time to prepare the pastry puff, while the rest of the sheets can be taken out from the fridge one by one as required.

Storing the unused sheets — Leftover Puff pastry sheets can be wrapped in a cling sheet/plastic sheet and stored in the refrigerator’s freezer section for about 2 months. When needed, thaw them overnight in the fridge and use them as per the instructions. 

Securing the edges is essential — Puff pastry sheets contain a thick layer of fat (butter) that evaporates during baking. This develops steam which pushes the puff sheet layers upwards. If not secured well, the edges will open and expose the filling. To avoid this, apply water to the edges and seal them properly. 

To add luster and color — For better color and texture to the finished chicken puffs, you may brush the unbaked chicken puffs with egg wash!

To bake the crispiest puffs — If you want your chicken puffs to be extra flaky and crisp, chill the freshly filled raw pastry sheets before baking. This step ensures that the end product is extra crispy and flaky.

Perfectly puffed pastries — Once the minced chicken puffs start turning golden brown and crispy, it means the puffs are ready to serve and are baked to perfection.

Prepare in advance — This beautiful recipe can be prepared and baked when ready to serve. You need to prepare the chicken filling and store it in the fridge. When you need to serve the chicken puffs the next day, cut the thawed pastry sheets and fill them with the chicken filling. Seal them at the edges and bake them as instructed in the recipe card below.

Avoid sticking to the baking tray — Puffs Chicken Pastries stick to the baking tray when baked. To prevent these from sticking to the baking tray, grease the baking sheet with oil or butter. This also ensures easy removal when the pastry puffs are baked.

Prepare them in desired shapes — These chicken puffs can be made in any desired shape. Feel free to experiment with the shapes.

Cool the stuffing before filling — Before being stuffed into the puffs, the mixture needs to be cooled and spread into the puffs. If the mixture is still warm, it will loosen the pastry sheets, which may start to melt. In that case, the puff sheets will refuse to rise and puff to their crispiness. 

Flouring the surface — When rolling the sheets, they may stick to the rolling pin and board because of the hot and humid weather. To prevent this, consider chilling the rolling pin and the board and then spread the puff sheets for filling. 

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

These bakery-style chicken puff pastries are irresistible and addictive, perfect munch-away treats for celebrations and parties.

Grab these little bites of happiness and delight your taste buds with something awesomely scrumptious. Does this sound appetizing?

If that does, get your ingredients, and let’s start immediately.

Should you make these Minced chicken puffs or any variation of it, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. 

And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

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